Liberty got back in the win column with an impressive 63-21 triumph at UMass Saturday afternoon, bringing the Flames within one game of bowl eligibility. With three games remaining on the schedule, Liberty continues to be projected into various bowl games by several analysts.
ESPN, CBS Sports, the Sporting News, and 247Sports currently have the Flames projected to make a bowl game.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach projects Liberty into the Cure Bowl on December 21st in Orlando, Florida which will air on CBS Sports Network at 2:30 p.m. Schlabach has the Flames picked to face Arkansas State from the Sun Belt. This is the second consecutive week Schlabach has projected this matchup for the Flames.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has the Flames pegged into the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl which will be played on December 20th in Frisco, Texas at 7:30 on ESPN2. Bonagura has Liberty slotted against UCF.
CBS’ Jerry Palm projects Liberty into the Texas Bowl against Oklahoma State on December 27th in Houston, Texas. The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl is played at 6:45 p.m. at nrg Stadium and televised on ESPN.
247 Sports has the Flames in the Belk Bowl matched up against Wake Forest. The Belk Bowl is played in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Sporting News has Liberty in the Birmingham Bowl facing Boston College on January 2nd at 3 p.m. airing on ESPN. The Jared Birmingham Bowl is played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama and pits teams from the SEC and American Athletic Conference. Should either of these conferences not fulfill their bowl commitments, the Birmingham Bowl can take a team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, or an at-large team.
Liberty is in its first season as a full-fledged FBS member and eligible to make a bowl game provided it reaches bowl eligibility of 6 FBS wins. The Flames currently have 5 FBS wins, as only one win against an FCS team is able to count. The Flames have three games remaining, all against FBS opponents, needing one win to become bowl eligible.
This year, Liberty is in its 2nd season of a 2-year agreement with the Cure Bowl. It is a secondary bowl agreement which will give the Flames the opportunity to replace a team from the American Athletic Conference or the Sun Belt Conference should either league fail to field enough deserving teams.
Beginning with the 2020 season, Liberty has reached a bowl agreement with ESPN which could put the Flames in one of at least six bowl games – Boca Raton Bowl, Camellia Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, Myrtle Beach Bowl, or the New Mexico Bowl.
