The Liberty Flames have started the season 6-0 for just the third time in school history and first time since 2008. Behind head coach Hugh Freeze, the Flames have knocked off the program’s first ever ACC opponent by defeating Syracuse earlier this season. With the great start, Liberty is receiving votes in both major top 25 polls for the first time in program history. The Flames are currently just outside of both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls, coming in at No. 27 as the team receiving the second most votes of any team not currently ranked.
Currently unbeaten, Liberty has a chance, as slim as it might be, to make a push in the second half of the season to be included in national conversations. The Flames even have a chance to impress the College Football Playoff Committee, and the best chance of all remaining Group of Five unbeatens, according to an ESPN article earlier this week.
“If Hugh Freeze can make that miracle happen, Liberty might have the best resume of any non-Power Five team in the playoff era,” the article stated of Liberty going undefeated. “The Flames would have defeated Syracuse, won in Blacksburg against No. 19 Virginia Tech, won on the road against No. 23 NC State, and won on the road at No. 25 Coastal Carolina.”
One of the biggest arguments against Liberty’s inclusion among the top 25 teams so far has been the lack of quality wins. Of course, you can only play who’s on your schedule, but Liberty’s six wins have come against teams with a 4-24 record to this point. Only Western Kentucky has more than one win of those teams, as the Hilltoppers sit at a disappointing at 2-4 on the season.
That all changes following this week’s open date for the Flames. Liberty’s five opponents remaining on the schedule have a combined 12-5 record and three of them have been ranked as recently as last week. Coastal Carolina is currently unbeaten at 5-0 and ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 poll. Liberty will also have opportunities for marquee wins against ACC foes Virginia Tech and NC State.
If you think that Liberty has not been receiving the attention they deserve for their 6-0 start, make no mistake that the Flames will have plenty of opportunities following the bye week to stake their claim as a top 25 team.
“Our schedule’s getting ready to get very difficult,” Hugh Freeze said recently. “We will find out if we deserve to be in those discussions for real.”
