Liberty has raced out to a 7-1 start to the 2022 season and have put themselves in a position to have another special year. The Flames are coming off a big, 41-14, win over BYU on Saturday. Now, Liberty enters its bye week with a tough final stretch of the season.
Here’s a look at Liberty’s remaining football games, and ranking them from least winnable to most.
1. Nov. 5 at Arkansas
This may be the last game on the schedule that Liberty will be an underdog. Taking on an SEC and preseason top 25 team, the Flames will try to pull off a big win on the road. The Razorbacks are currently 4-3 on the season and are coming off a 52-35 win at BYU on Oct. 15. Arkansas had an open date this past week and will play at Auburn this coming Saturday.
Liberty can certainly beat Arkansas, but the Flames will be looking for their first win over an SEC team in school history. LU has previously lost to Auburn and Ole Miss since moving to the FBS.
2. Nov.19 vs Virginia Tech
Liberty will look to stake its claim as the best team in Virginia when the Hokies come to Lynchburg the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Virginia Tech has struggled under first year head coach Brent Pry to a 2-5 record so far this year. That includes a season opening loss at Old Dominion, 20-17.
Tech has lost four straight games and have failed to score more than 17 points in four of their seven games this season. The Hokies will play at No. 24 NC State on Thursday night on ESPN.
3. Nov. 12 at UConn
UConn is a much better team than we have seen in recent seasons. Coming off a challenging road trip to Arkansas, this will be a quick turnaround and tough test for the Flames. Liberty will be expected to win this game comfortably, but it might not be that easy.
The Huskies have losses to nationally ranked Syracuse, Michigan, and NC State. They have won two of their last three games heading into this week’s game against Boston College at noon on CBS Sports Network. UConn also has games against UMass and Army on the schedule, and they will be trying to pick up three more wins in their remaining games to get to bowl eligibility.
4. Nov. 26 vs New Mexico State
New Mexico State is 2-5 on the season thus far, with wins over New Mexico and Hawaii. Their next two games are winnable, as they take on UMass and Lamar.
Liberty’s regular season finale will come the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Following a strong home slate, the Flames could be fighting off a hangover from the previous week’s game against Virginia Tech. It’s also likely this is the smallest crowd at Williams Stadium this season, and, with bowl eligibility already achieved, there may not be a lot of motivation for Liberty to be focused on this game. Hopefully, head coach Hugh Freeze and the rest of the coaching staff will have the team focused and not overlook NMSU.
