Never heard of Troy?

That’s OK; you are probably in the majority.

The school formerly known as Troy State, located in Troy, Ala., decided in April to drop the “State” in its name – hence Troy.

The move must have paid off as the Troy Trojans finished second in the Sun Belt Conference and are now headed to play NIU in their first bowl game in school history.

The Trojans (7-4 overall) opened their season with a 17-15 win over Marshall and made a name for themselves this season Sept. 9 when they knocked off then-No. 17 ranked Missouri 24-14 at home on ESPN.

The win over Marshall caught the eye of NIU coach Joe Novak, but that is about it. The Huskies ninth-year head coach admits he doesn’t know a whole lot about Troy.

“Not a thing,” Novak said. “I know they’ve beat Marshall and Missouri but that’s about it. I don’t even know what their record is.”

Despite the upset of Missouri, the Trojans, who became Division I-A in 2001, went on to lose four of their next five games and stared at a 3-4 record.

The last of the four losses came at the hands of 2003 Co-National Champion LSU. The Trojans held their own, falling 24-20 on the road.

Troy responded to the loss by winning its final four games and earning a spot in the Silicon Valley Football Classic.

2004 Troy results

W – @ Marshall 17-15

W – vs. Missouri 24-14

L – @ New Mexico St. 22-18

L – @ South Carolina 17-7

W – vs. Utah State 49-21

L – @ Arkansas St. 13-9

L – @ LSU 24-20

W – vs. Idaho 47-7

W – vs. Florida Atlantic 24-6

W – @ Louisiana-Lafayette 13-10

W – vs. Middle Tennessee St. 37-17