We are just a couple days from the end of the 2020 Liberty football season, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to begin to look ahead to 2021. Here’s our very early 2021 football predictions for the Flames who will be looking to make a 3rd bowl appearance. We still don’t know how Liberty’s final roster will look with all the seniors having the possibility to return, but for now we will assume the majority of the contributors will return.
Week 1: vs Campbell
We’ve reached the point of Liberty’s program where a game against an FCS team, regardless of who it is, will be marked as a definite win. That in and of itself is quite a feat for the new FBS program.
Liberty’s record: 1-0
Week 2: @ Troy
The Trojans have been a traditionally strong Sun Belt program. They finished 2020 with a 5-6 overall record and 3-4 mark in league play. Here’s a couple noteworthy scores from their season: Lost at home to Coastal, 42-38; Lost at Appalachian State, 47-10; Lost at Georgia Southern, 20-13; Lost at home to Georgia State, 36-34; Lost at BYU, 48-7. The Flames should be a slight favorite in this game, but it certainly isn’t an easy win. We’ll give Liberty the edge.
Liberty’s record: 2-0
Week 3: vs Old Dominion
The Monarchs decided to opt out of the 2020 season, so we’re not sure how they would have been this year. We all remember the last time these two met, in the first game of the FBS era when Liberty dominated ODU, 52-10. The Flames at home, where they’ve 11 straight? Win.
Liberty’s record: 3-0
Week 4: at Syracuse
This is a tough game to predict. Liberty completely dominated the Orange in Syracuse a couple months ago, but they still have a Power Five roster. If Dino Babers can get his quarterback situation figured out, Syracuse can return to being a respectable team in the ACC. That’s a big if and the Flames already have all their questions answered. We say Liberty takes the series, 2-1, and beats the ‘Cuse for a second straight season.
Liberty’s record: 4-0
Week 5: @ UAB
If this game was played in 2020, it would have been one of the more high profile Group of Five matchups this season. The Blazers finished the 2020 season campaign at 6-3 and 3-1 in Conference USA where they were at the top of the West Division. A couple notable scores this season for the Blazers: Won at home against Western Kentucky, 37-14; Lost at Louisiana, 24-20; Lost at Louisiana Tech, 37-34; and Won at Marshall, 22-13. UAB’s only other loss was at Miami (FL), 31-14. UAB is currently ranked No. 62 in ESPN’s FPI where the Flames are 75. If this game was played today, Liberty would likely be a slight underdog. This is certainly a game the Flames can win, but we say they come up just short on the road here.
Liberty’s record: 4-1
Week 6: vs Middle Tennessee State
The Blue Raiders struggled to a 3-6 record and 2-4 mark in the Conference USA in 2020. Their wins came at FIU, 31-28, at Rice, 40-34, and at Troy, 20-17. They also lost to Troy at home, 47-14, earlier in the year. MTSU also lost at home to Western Kentucky, 20-17. This is a game the Flames will be heavy favorites.
Liberty’s record: 5-1
Week 7: @ Louisiana-Monroe
ULM was 0-10 this season and lost at Liberty, 40-7. The Warhawks may be at home for this one, but it won’t matter. Easy Liberty win.
Liberty’s record: 6-1
Week 8: @ North Texas
The Mean Green finished this season at 4-6 overall and 3-4 in Conference USA. Their wins were against FCS Houston Baptist, MTSU, Rice and UTEP. North Texas was defeated by Appalachian State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, 56-28. These two programs have gone two different directions since North Texas dismantled the Flames in Lynchburg in 2018. Flames win.
Liberty’s record: 7-1
Week 9: vs UMass
The Minutemen were the worst FBS program for a second straight season. Another Flames’ win.
Liberty’s record: 8-1
Week 10: @ Ole Miss
This one will be fun as Hugh Freeze returns to his former stomping grounds. There will be plenty of national attention on this game, and if the Flames are 8-1 or even 9-0, and the Rebels are having a good season, this game has the potential for a College GameDay setting. Ole Miss finished 4-5 this season under first year head coach Lane Kiffin ahead of their Outback Bowl game against Indiana on Jan. 2. Their wins this season came over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Mississippi State with losses against Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, and LSU. Would really love to be wrong on this one, but we give Ole Miss and their SEC talent the advantage here. Of course, we know from this season that Hugh Freeze and the Flames are able to knock off Power Five teams.
Liberty’s record: 8-2
*Liberty has a bye in week 11
Week 12: vs Louisiana
Another great G5 matchup. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished 10-1 this season with their only loss coming at Coastal Carolina, 30-27. Their wins included Iowa State, UAB, and Appalachian State. They also defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 70-20. Louisiana has been ranked in the top 25 most of the season as they finished as co-champions in the Sun Belt with the Chanticleers after the Sun Belt title game was canceled. This could be a late season top 25 showdown between G5 powers. Playing at home, we give the edge to Freeze and the Flames.
Liberty’s record: 9-2
Week 13: vs Army
This will be a fun home game as the Flames play the Black Knights in what will be Military Appreciation Day at Williams Stadium. Army is 9-2 this season ahead of their Autozone Liberty Bowl matchup with West Virginia on New Year’s Eve. They beat ULM, 37-7, in the only common opponent on Liberty’s schedule. Army’s two losses were at Tulane, 38-12, and at Cincinnati, 24-10. This will be another tough test for the Flames, but Liberty has proven it can compete with the best the G5 has to offer.
Liberty’s record: 10-2
