With spring practice officially in the books, it’s time to start previewing and looking ahead to Liberty’s 2022 schedule. Remember, it’s not just about who you play and where you play them but it is also about when you play them as well.
Some teams are a lot easier to beat at certain weeks or points of the season for various reasons – especially if Liberty is well-rested. Let’s dive in – September 3rd can’t come soon enough!
September
- Game 1 September 3rd: @ Southern Miss
- Game 2 September 10th: UAB
- Game 3 September 17th: @ Wake Forest
- Game 4 September 24th: Akron
Liberty’s most difficult schedule in school history starts off with a challenging slate. Southern Miss was just 3-9 in 2021, but they are a program rich in tradition. Not to mention, the Golden Eagles finished the season with wins over Louisiana Tech and FIU. Plus, the Flames will be breaking in a new quarterback as well as several other key pieces. A tough season opener on the road. The home opener the next week against UAB won’t be any easier and the Blazers will be looking for payback from the setback Liberty handed them in the first ever game in their new stadium. The main event of course is the trip to Winston-Salem against a potential top 25 team. Getting three wins here certainly won’t be easy but it would set the Flames up to have a chance at a special season.
October
- Game 5 October 1st: @ Old Dominion
- Game 6 October 8th: @ UMass
- Game 7 October 15th: Gardner-Webb
- Game 8 October 22nd: BYU
After the challenging first three games, there is a bit of a break in the schedule that will allow the Flames to figure out who they are all the while, hopefully, gaining some confidence. A trip to Norfolk to begin the month looks like an easy win based on the past couple games against the Monarchs, but ODU saw a resurgence at the end of 2021 and could be much improved this fall. Liberty will need to pick up wins against UMass and Gardner-Webb before the first of two gigantuous home games when BYU comes to Lynchburg. Three wins in the month of October would be a solid month.
November
- Game 9 November 5th: @ Arkansas
- Game 10 November 12th: @ UConn
- Game 11 November 19th: Virginia Tech
- Game 12 November 26th: New Mexico State
What a final month of the season to close out Liberty’s time as an Independent! It begins, after a bye week, when the Flames head back to SEC country to take on the Razorbacks who are expected to be a top 25 team this season. Liberty will have to fight off looking ahead to a big in-state matchup the following week when the Flames head north to take on the UConn Huskies in what should be an easy win. Of course, all eyes throughout the season will be on the big matchup when Virginia Tech visits Williams Stadium, ahead of the regular season finale against New Mexico State.
It should be another exciting season this fall. Of course, the home games against BYU and Virginia Tech have already been circled on the calendar, but don’t overlook the home opener against UAB. That is another very strong game on the home slate. Unlike last season, there are also a couple very easy road trips to make early in the season at Wake Forest and Old Dominion.
