Well, it's official. The Troy University Trojans are now the number 25 team in the nation. This new rank comes off of a close 28-24 win against Sunbelt Conference leader Appalachian State. The next conference test for the Trojans comes Thursday as they take on Arkansas State.

But why, exactly, is it such a big deal that the Associated Press decided to rank Troy?

For one, Troy is a member of the Sunbelt Conference, which is part of what is known as the Bottom Five Conferences. Because of this, the media doesn't hear as much about Troy as they do teams like Washington, Alabama, and Clemson. This automatically puts Troy in a position to have to work harder to be ranked.

Secondly, the fans of and students at Troy have been hopeful for this moment all season. Other than a (highly contested) loss at Clemson, the Trojans have remained unbeaten, including a 5-0 record in conference play. This is not just a ranking that the team is proud of, but one that everyone involved is thrilled about. The #RankTroy movement has been one that a lot of people will not soon forget.

This also comes as a big victory for the Sunbelt Conference as a whole. Not only is this the first time Troy has been ranked in its FBS history, but this is also the first time the Sunbelt has EVER had a team ranked nationally.

As for what comes next for the Troy Trojans? A game on Thursday night against Arkansas State to decide the Sunbelt Conference champion, then on the road to finish out the regular season. After that, well....Troy's going bowling!