No. 23 Liberty (13-0) will take on No. 8 Oregon (11-2) on January 1st in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN.
This will be the fifth bowl game the Flames have participated in, but it is sure to be one to remember and one that all Liberty fans should do their best to attend.
“This will be my third New Year’s Six game,” Liberty AD Ian McCaw said. “It’s going to be an experience unlike anything our fans have had before – our coaches, our student-athletes. The hospitality at the Fiesta Bowl is unmatched. The weather is spectacular, the activities, and everything that goes along with a bowl game is tremendous. Our fans, coaches, staff, student-athletes are going to have an amazing experience.”
McCaw was the AD at Baylor when the Bears made it to the Fiesta Bowl following the 2013 season and the Cotton Bowl in 2014. The bowl experience is something special for fans, but surely a New Year’s Six bowl will take it to another level.
How well the Flames travel will go a long way in determining future bowl game opportunities for this program. It could push the team into a better bowl opportunity in the future if the Flames can prove they travel well and sell a lot of tickets.
“We’re going to be watched in terms of how we travel,” McCaw continued. “We need all of Flames Nation to descend upon the Valley of the Sun, which is what they call the Phoenix area, on January 1st for that bowl game.”
Liberty has an allocation of 12,500 tickets that will hopefully sell out. Even if you can’t make the game, consider buying a ticket and donating it to someone to help them make the trip.
I have been fortunate enough to make each of Liberty’s first four bowl games, and every one has been an amazing experience. Bowl trips provide a great opportunity to build connections with other Liberty fans, meet some you have never met before, and continue to build tradition and pride in the Flames. Some of my closest friends I have now, I met previously at bowl games.
If you’re looking for places to stay and hang out with other Flames fans – Liberty’s official alumni and fan hotel is at the Andaz Scottsdale Resort and Bungalows where there will be a Flames’ New Years’ Party on Dec. 31. There will also be a Flames Pep Rally at Scottsdale Plaza.
On game day, stop by the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Fan Fest Pregame Party at State Farm Stadium. Fans of all ages can experience some of the greatest pregame traditions like pep rallies and performances by marching bands and cheerleaders, interactive games to play and, of course, plenty of food and beverage booths to get you ready for the big game.
“We expect to have a great turnout,” said McCaw. “I think our students will be excited to get out there, as well as our fans, and we do have a few folks that live out in that area as well.”
