It was a drastically different story, with the same ending.

Yes, this season for the 2010 Troy Trojans was one that was filled with uplifting highs and crushing lows, but in the end, the team finished right where it had hoped – with a fifth consecutive championship.

The “Drive for Five” was a success.

And while it may be something of the norm now for the Trojans to win the Sun Belt, they joined some very elite company thanks to Saturday’s events.

Troy can now add its name to a list that includes, BYU, Southern California, Ohio State, Alabama and Florida State, as the only programs ever to win or share a conference title five years in a row.

Think about that for a second. Troy is standing in some unprecedented waters.

Each one of those teams has been a major player in one way, shape or form in college football over the past couple of decades and I think it’s fair to include Troy as one of those important teams.

While I think it’s safe to say the Trojans won’t be playing for a National Championship anytime soon, it is hard to ignore what the team has accomplished during this current dynasty, if you will.

There are going to be people that credit the ‘terribleness’ of the conference Troy competes in, the Sun Belt, to the success endured.

By no stretch of the imagination is the Sun Belt a conference that is feared by the bigger conferences.

Even still, the Sun Belt will shell out two or three teams to a bowl game each season, which is an admirable feat nonetheless, and still has competitive teams year in and year out.

But what makes these Troy teams so special is its ability to continually recruit players that can fill in the holes vacated from seasons past.

And any of the players or coaches will tell you that.

It’s that consistent nature that Troy has developed that has made all the difference.

If you look around the surrounding area, Troy is overshadowed by the likes of some of the top programs in the country (Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Georgia just to name a few) but it still brings in quality athletes on a yearly basis.

It does not matter whether it’s a rebuilding year or a season with every returning starter lining up, people have come to expect the Trojans to be at the top of the conference when it is all said and done.

I can’t think of another program in the country that has the same kind of respect or pressure on its shoulders.

That is something that speaks volumes and that is the biggest compliment that any program can have, regardless of how big or small it may be.