We’ve reached the time of year where most bowl projections are being updated more frequently than weekly, with some sources even updating daily. While No. 21 Liberty (9-1) is currently waiting to see if and when the team will play in a bowl game, the picture becomes clearer every day. Still, in the unprecedented 2020 season, the waters are very murky. So, don’t make your travel plans yet! Here’s a look at what bowl game Liberty is being projected into by various publications.
- Stadium (from 12/10): Gasparilla Bowl vs South Carolina (2-8)
- Athlon Sports (from 12/10): Montgomery Bowl vs Western Michigan (4-1)
- The Athletic (from 12/10): Birmingham Bowl vs Tulane (6-5)
- Yahoo Sports (from 12/9): Military Bowl vs Boston College (6-5)
- College Football News (from 12/9): Cure Bowl vs #19 Louisiana (9-1)
- Bleacher Report (from 12/8): Gasparilla Bowl vs Tulane (6-5)
- USA Today (from 12/8): Montgomery Bowl vs BYU (9-1)
- ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura (from 12/6): Boca Raton Bowl vs UCF (6-3)
- ESPN’s Mark Schlabach (from 12/6): Montgomery Bowl vs Troy (5-5)
- Sporting News (from 12/6): SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs BYU (9-1)
Most common destination: Montgomery (3), Gasparilla (2)
Most common opponent: BYU, Tulane (2)
Normally by this point, the regular season is all but over and bowl offers have been finalized. This season, everything has been pushed back a couple weeks, but the updates are starting to come in daily, if not multiples a day. Just this week a few teams have accepted a bowl invitation including SMU to the Frisco Bowl and UCF to the Boca Raton Bowl.
Stadium’s Brett McMurphy reported a couple weeks ago that it would be possible there would be no room for Liberty to receive a bowl invitation this year due to the NCAA ruling everyone eligible in the COVID altered season. That certainly would be unfortunate for the Flames who are ranked in the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls and have had the best season in school history. Certainly Liberty has a bowl worthy resume.
The Flames received some good news this week as a couple Power Five teams are officially out of the bowl picture. LSU has also self-imposed a bowl ban for this season and Boston College has stated they are not accepting a bowl invite. There are also rumblings that Virginia will do the same thing as the Eagles and not accept a bowl invite.
Following that news, McMurphy, as seen above, is now projecting Liberty into a bowl game as the Flames are looking to return to a bowl game for the second straight season after Hugh Freeze led the program to its first ever bowl appearance a season ago when Liberty defeated Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl.
I think its a down right shame to leave this successful team out of a bowl game. They deserve such an opportunity!! Let them play!!!!