Liberty picked up its fourth consecutive win by defeating Gardner-Webb, 21-20, on Saturday. The win helped Liberty become bowl eligible for a fourth straight season. The Flames now begin to turn their attention to this weekend’s game against BYU at 3:30 p.m. and on ESPNU.
Here’s an updated look at where the Flames are being projected as we move towards the middle part of the season:
- Mark Schlabach (ESPN): Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa) vs Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1 AAC)
- Kyle Bonagura (ESPN): Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Shreveport) vs SMU (3-3, 1-1 American)
- Jerry Palm (CBS Sports): Camellia Bowl (Montgomery) vs Troy (5-2, 3-1 Sun Belt)
- Brad Crawford (247Sports): Camellia Bowl (Montgomery) vs Troy (5-2, 3-1 Sun Belt)
- Brett McMurphy (Action Network): Lending Tree Bowl vs Georgia Southern (4-3, 1-2 Sun Belt)
- Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports): Cure Bowl (Orlando) vs Kent State (2-5, 1-2 MAC)
- College Sports Madness: Independence Bowl (Shreveport) vs East Carolina (4-3, 2-2 American)
- Oliver Hodgkinson (Pro Football Network): New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque) vs Air Force (5-2, 2-2 Mountain West)
The Flames finished the 2021 campaign with an 8-5 record and won a third straight bowl game with a convincing 56-20 win over Eastern Michigan in the Lending Tree Bowl. Liberty is just one of five FBS teams in the country who have won a bowl game each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana.
In its third year of full FBS eligibility, Liberty earned a third straight bowl victory. The Flames, who also won the Cure Bowl in 2019 and 2020, join Appalachian State as the only teams to win bowl games in each of their first three years after transitioning to FBS from FCS. Liberty has now won eight or more games for the 13th season in program history, including all three years under head coach Hugh Freeze.
Liberty is currently in the midst of a multi-year agreement with ESPN Events which could place the Flames in one of at least six bowl games: Boca Raton Bowl (FAU Stadium; Boca Raton, Fla.), Camellia Bowl (Cramton Bowl; Montgomery, Ala.), , Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Albertsons Stadium; Boise, Idaho), Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl (Toyota Stadium; Frisco, Texas), Myrtle Beach Bowl (Brooks Stadium; Conway, S.C.) and New Mexico Bowl (Dreamstyle Stadium; Albuquerque, N.M.).