This is a series taking a look at the teams on Liberty’s 2023 schedule. It will be run over the next month, and we now turn our attention to Liberty’s game against in-state rival Old Dominion, as the Flames step out of conference play.
Previous:
Bowling Green
New Mexico State
at Buffalo
at FIU
Sam Houston
at Jacksonville State
Middle Tennessee
at Western Kentucky
Louisiana Tech
When
Week 11, Nov. 11, 1:00 p.m. (ESPN Network TBD)
Location
Williams Stadium – Lynchburg, VA
Last year’s record
3-9, 2-6 Sun Belt (7th in East)
Coach
Ricky Rahne, 9-16 in three years
Returning starters
7 (four on offense, three on defense)
Post-Spring SP+ Ranking
They are 119th in Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings after the spring. They’re 128th on offense and 76th on defense.
Old Dominion story line
ODU is a very interesting team entering the 2023 season. Many will predict them to finish near the bottom of the Sun Belt’s East Division, but they could surprise and get back to a bowl game after missing one in 2022. The first two seasons under Coach Rahne were a tale of two different endings to the season. In 2021, the Monarchs won 5 straight to get to a bowl game after beginning the season at 1-6. In 2022, just the opposite happened. ODU began the year with wins over Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina, but the wheels fell off as they lost 6 straight to finish 3-9. Who is the real ODU team?
A Liberty win would mean
The Flames have dominated their in-state G5 rival since moving to FBS. Liberty is 3-0 against the Monarchs and will be looking to keep that streak and dominance alive. Now, with both teams in their own conference and coming in November, this game won’t matter to each team’s respective conference race, but it will still be important to each team and each fan base.
A Liberty loss would mean
As mentioned above, the Monarchs defeated Coastal Carolina in a surprising 49-21 win in Conway, South Carolina last season. Of course, the majority of that Chanticleers coaching staff is now in Lynchburg leading the Flames. A loss would end the streak of three straight wins over ODU since Liberty moved to the FBS and would also hurt the CUSA vs Sun Belt discussion.
Up next
vs UMass
