The annual Sun Belt Conference Media Day is set to begin Monday in New Orleans. On Thursday, the conference made noise by releasing its preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Troy is coming off its sixth conference championship a year ago and is picked to finish second in the newly formed Eastern Division.

2018 will mark the first time that Sun Belt Conference will be split into different divisions –East and West –with a conference championship following the end of the regular season. The winners of each division will square off in the stadium of the team that holds the higher College Football Playoff ranking.

Troy picked up four votes, good enough for second in the east behind favored Appalachian State, which was picked to win the division with six first-place votes.

“Expectations are obviously high heading into the season after what last year’s group accomplished,” head coach Neal Brown said. “We’ve got a balanced mix of youth and experience on the roster this year. I’m excited to see how this team establishes its identity on the football field.”

Arkansas State was picked to win the West Division as well as the overall conference championship.

Following Appalachian State and Troy in the Eastern Division, coaches picked Georgia State to finish in third, Georgia Southern fourth and Coastal Carolina fifth.

Following Arkansas State in the west, the coaches picked ULM, South Alabama and Louisiana to finish second, third and fourth respectively. Texas State was picked to finish in fifth.

Troy will begin the season at home against Boise State on September 1.