We’re past Memorial Day and the attention around most of the college athletic world has begun to shift to the fall and the upcoming football season. That is no different for Liberty as the Flames begin preparation for the 2023 season under new head coach Jamey Chadwell as the Flames enter Conference USA.
It is also time to start previewing and looking ahead to Liberty’s 2023 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 2nd can’t come soon enough!
September
- Game 1 September 2nd: Bowling Green
- Game 2 September 9th: New Mexico State*
- Game 3 September 16th: @ Buffalo
- Game 4 September 23rd: @ FIU*
On paper, the opening month of the schedule looks very manageable and it could be easy to look at it and think a perfect month of September at 4-0 should be the goal. Quoting Lee Corso – “not so fast, my friend!” Yes, Liberty is likely to be a favorite in each of these four games but that certainly doesn’t mean these will be a cakewalk.
Bowling Green was a bowl team last year and it will be the first game under a new coaching staff with a lot of new faces on the field and on the sidelines. The Flames have already opened as a nearly two-touchdown favorite, and the expectation will be to win that game comfortably. Still, the Falcons will be coming to Lynchburg looking to make a statement to open the season.
We all remember what happened in last year’s regular season finale against New Mexico State, but there were plenty of underlying factors to what happened in that game. This will be Liberty’s first ever game as a member of CUSA and it will be imperative to get off to a strong start.
The game at Buffalo is arguably one of the most difficult ones entering the season. The Bulls have been competitive the past several seasons, and they are also very familiar with Coach Chadwell and his staff and their schemes, having played Coastal Carolina the past few seasons. The trip to Miami can easily be overlooked as well, but FIU improved greatly especially towards the end of last season and they will be fighting for bowl eligibility this season.
Getting off to a great start will be challenging under a new coaching staff while also trying to fit all the pieces to the puzzle together. 4-0 in September may be a bit of a reach, but 3-1 through the first month would be successful.
October
- Game 5 October 5th: Sam Houston*
- Game 6 October 10th: @ Jacksonville State*
- Game 7 October 17th: Middle Tennessee*
- Game 8 October 24th: @ Western Kentucky*
When the calendar shifts to October, the football games also transition to midweek contests. The first two games are the two FBS newbies in Sam Houston and Jacksonville State as they move up from the FCS. Both have been storied programs at the FCS for a long time and will be looking to replicate what JMU did in their first year in the FBS. Plus, that five-day turnaround and having to go on the road to play at Jacksonville State will be a tall task.
Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky are expected to compete for a conference championship this season. The game at WKU is likely the one game the Flames will be underdogs, at least that’s the expectation in the preseason and certainly things can change throughout the season. That game could certainly go a long way in determining the CUSA Championship.
A 3-1 record through October would be a positive while 2-2 could be the expectation as the two road games will be very challenging.
November
- Game 9 November 4th: Louisiana Tech*
- Game 10 November 11th: Old Dominion
- Game 11 November 18th: UMass
- Game 12 November 25th: @ UTEP*
Moving to November, we shift back to Saturday games for the final month of the season. Louisiana Tech has been a traditionally strong program and they have been recruiting very strong the past couple years under second year head coach Sonny Cumbie. They are a sleeper in the CUSA race this season.
It will be a two game respite from conference play in the middle of November when Old Dominion and UMass visit Lynchburg. The Flames have had a ton of success against these two programs since moving to the FBS, but both the Monarchs and Minutemen have seen consistent improvement the past couple of years. Following this home stand, Liberty hits the road for what could prove to be a very important game in the CUSA race at UTEP.
Hopefully by November the Flames are hitting their stride under Coach Chadwell and his staff, and can have a very strong finish to the regular season before hopefully advancing to the CUSA Championship Game and another bowl trip.
The schedule should make it very manageable for the Flames to get to a 5th straight bowl game, but the program has their eyes set on a conference championship in the first season as CUSA members.
