Liberty football has officially joined Conference USA, the first time the Flames have been a member of an FBS league. With the new conference home, Liberty will now have the opportunity to play teams that they haven’t faced often in their history and also hopefully start to build some new rivalries.
This marks a great time to look at how Liberty football has fared against their new CUSA counterparts on the gridiron. For this listing, we’re including Kennesaw State as they are set to join the FBS and CUSA next year.
History of Liberty football games against Conference USA
In total, Liberty has faced the nine other CUSA members (for the 2024 season) 18 times, posting a record of 10-8 in those meetings.
Here’s a look back at Liberty’s history in those games by the opponent.
FIU Panthers
Games played: One
All-time record: Liberty leads 1-0
Meetings:
- September 26, 2020: Liberty 36, FIU 34 in Lynchburg
Home: 1-0
Road: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Liberty’s only previous meeting against FIU came during the COVID affected 2020 campaign when the Flames finished the season at 10-1 and ranked No. 17 in the final AP Top 25 poll. It was the second game of the season for Liberty and the home opener, as Malik Willis made his Williams Stadium debut. He had 370 total yards and 2 touchdowns in the win. Liberty scored nine points in the fourth quarter to come from behind and secure the victory after trailing 28-27 entering the final period.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Games played: Four
All-time record: Jacksonville State leads 4-0
Meetings:
- October 17, 1981: Jacksonville State 64, Liberty 0 in Jacksonville
- September 25, 1982: Jacksonville State 42, Liberty 13 in Lynchburg
- September 24, 2016: Jacksonville State 48, Liberty 19 in Lynchburg
- September 23, 2017: Jacksonville State 31, Liberty 10 in Jacksonville
Home: 0-2
Road: 0-2
Neutral: 0-0
Liberty has not been very competitive in the previous meetings against the Gamecocks, getting absolutely embarrassed in the two games played in the early 80s. Even just a few years ago, when both were perennial top 25 FCS teams, the Flames were unable to stay competitive against Jacksonville State.
Kennesaw State Owls
Games played: Three
All-time record: Liberty leads 2-1
Meetings:
- October 24, 2015: Liberty 45, Kennesaw State 35 in Lynchburg
- October 15, 2016: Liberty 36, Kennesaw State 21 in Kennesaw
- October 14, 2017: Kennesaw State 42, Liberty 28 in Lynchburg
Home: 1-1
Road: 1-0
Neutral: 0-0
Kennesaw State quickly became a strong football program in the FCS and Big South when they started their program. Liberty was the top team in the conference during their first years in the league, and they quickly proved that they would be a contender in the conference. Starting next season, we will see how quickly they can adjust to the FBS.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Games played: None
All-time record: N/A
Meetings:
- N/A
Home: 0-0
Road: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Liberty and Louisiana Tech will meet for the first time on the gridiron in November this coming season in Lynchburg. The two could end up becoming rivals as the Bulldogs have historically been a very strong program in the CUSA.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Games played: Two
All-time record: Series tied 1-1
Meetings:
- September 18, 1982: Middle Tennessee 27, Liberty 7 in Murfreesboro
- October 9, 2021: Liberty 41, Middle Tennessee 13 in Lynchburg
Home: 1-0
Road: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
Liberty and MTSU met in Lynchburg in 2021 in a game that the Flames dominated throughout. Middle will look to get some revenge later this season.
New Mexico State Aggies
Games played: Five
All-time record: Liberty leads 3-2
Meetings:
- October 6, 2018: NMSU 49, Liberty 41 in Las Cruces
- November 24, 2018: Liberty 28, NMSU 21 in Lynchburg
- October 5, 2019: Liberty 20, NMSU 13 in Las Cruces
- November 30, 2019: Liberty 49, NMSU 28 in Lynchburg
- November 26, 2022: NMSU 49, Liberty 14 in Lynchburg
Home: 2-1
Road: 1-1
Neutral: 0-0
Liberty and New Mexico State first made headlines with their unorthodox in-season home and home series in 2018 and 2019 when the Flames first moved to the FBS. Both teams were Independents and had difficulty scheduling games, especially building entire schedules in 2018 and 2019 like Liberty had to do on short notice.
The series was rekindled last year, but the Flames got embarrassed in Hugh Freeze’s final game on the Liberty sideline. It was a strange game and feeling in the stadium throughout that early afternoon last November as news broke earlier in the morning that Freeze was likely headed to Auburn as head coach.
New Mexico State will be Liberty’s first ever CUSA opponent played when the Aggies return to Lynchburg during week two this coming season.
Sam Houston Bearkats
Games played: None
All-time record: N/A
Meetings:
- N/A
Home: 0-0
Road: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
This years game against FBS and CUSA newcomer Sam Houston will be the first ever between the two schools. The Bearkats have been one of the better FCS schools in recent years, with a national championship under their belts.
UTEP Miners
Games played: None
All-time record: N/A
Meetings:
- N/A
Home: 0-0
Road: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
This year’s regular season finale will be the first game between UTEP and Liberty as the two prepare to meet in El Paso.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Games played: Three
All-time record: Liberty leads 3-0
Meetings:
- November 18, 1994: Liberty 49, WKU 36 in Lynchburg
- October 19, 1996: Liberty 23, WKU 14 in Bowling Green
- September 19, 2020: Liberty 30, WKU 24 in Bowling Green
Home: 1-0
Road: 2-0
Neutral: 0-0
Malik Willis made his Liberty debut and dazzled in that performance the last time the Flames and WKU met on the gridiron. That game was the season opener in 2020 as Liberty started what would become its best season in school history, finishing at 10-1 on the season.
This year, many expect Liberty and WKU to compete at the top of the conference for the conference championship. It could be the start of a heated rivalry between the two programs.
