The Troy State football team has signed an agreement to play two games against Louisiana State University in the next five years, Troy State Athletics Director Johnny Williams announced on Wednesday.

The Southeastern Conference school will pay Troy State $500,000 for each game, the first of which will be played in Baton Rouge on Sept. 6, 2003. The Trojans will then make a return trip to face the Bengal Tigers on Sept. 9, 2006.

"We are excited about adding an opponent of this caliber to our schedule," Williams said. "Any time you can play against a traditional power such as LSU, it is a positive for your program and offers exposure that you might not otherwise get. Financially, it also offers us a chance to continue with our facilities improvement and other costs associated with our move to Division I-A."

The Trojans will play their Division I-A transition season this fall before becoming a full-fledged member of college football’s elite division in the fall of 2002.

Williams also announced on Wednesday that the Trojans have added Division I-AA opponent Southern Utah to their 2001 schedule. The tentative date for that game is Oct. 20 but is likely to change in the coming weeks as the schedule is completed. The addition gives Troy State eight games, joining games at Nebraska (Sept. 1), Appalachian State (Sept. 15), at Maryland (Sept. 29), at Miami (Fla.) (Oct. 6), at Mississippi State (Oct. 13), Southern Utah (Oct. 20), at Louisiana-Monroe (Nov.10) and Jacksonville State (Nov. 17).