Liberty remains just outside top 25 ahead of trip to Syracuse

For the second consecutive season, Liberty football improved to 3-0 to begin the season following the team’s 45-17 win over Old Dominion at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg on Saturday night. With the win, the Flames remained just outside the top 25 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Top 25 Poll this week, inching ever closer to a national ranking for a second straight year.

In the AP Top 25, the Flames are ranked No. 27 with 56 votes this is up slightly from last week’s ranking of No. 28 and 52 votes. Liberty was last ranked in this poll in the season ending ranking following bowl season 2020-21 with the Flames ranked No. 17, the highest ranking in school history.

In the Coaches Poll, Liberty received 80 points and is just outside of the top 25 as the first team to miss the ranking, effectively checking in at no. 26. This is up from last week’s ranking in this poll of No. 29 and 63 points. The Flames are just 5 points behind No. 25 Fresno State who slid into the top 25 ranking this week.

Liberty 2021 opponent Ole Miss continues to rise in the rankings following their strong start to the early season. The Rebels are ranked No. 13 in both polls. The Flames travel to Ole Miss for a game Nov. 6. Both Louisiana and Army received votes in the Coaches poll with both teams scheduled to visit Liberty in November.

Coastal Carolina continues to be ranked, checking in at No. 17 in both polls. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech dropped out of both polls after their loss at West Virginia on Saturday.

The Flames are back in action this week, taking on Syracuse. The Orange are 2-1 this season after picking up a win over Albany, 62-24, on Saturday afternoon. This game is scheduled for Friday night at 8 p.m. from the Carrier Dome in New York in a game that will be televised on the ACC Network.

This will be the third straight meeting between Liberty and Syracuse and the last scheduled matchup between the two programs. The first two games were split with each team winning on the road. The Flames picked up their first ever win over an ACC opponent against Syracuse a year ago in the Carrier Dome, dispatching the Orange, 38-21.