Liberty enters the season with its highest preseason ranking since 1996, as the Flames are ranked No. 14 in the FCS Coaches Poll released earlier today.
Following its run to the second round of 2014 NCAA FCS Playoffs, Liberty finished last year ranked No. 17 in both the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls.
Liberty’s FCS Coaches Poll preseason ranking is the program’s highest preseason ranking since the Flames were ranked No. 9 in the Sports Network preseason poll in 1996.
Liberty finished 2014 with a 9-5 record and claimed its seventh Big South title in the last eight years. The Flames nine-win season tied for the second highest win total in program history (Liberty also won nine games in 1979 and 1997).
The Flames defeated three ranked opponents in 2014. Liberty knocked off No. 1 ranked Coastal Carolina during the final week of the regular season to capture the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
The following week, Liberty upended No. 15 James Madison during the first round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs, Liberty’s first-ever postseason appearance in program history.
Two of Liberty’s 2015 opponents appeared on the 2015 FCS Coaches Poll preseason ranking. Both opponents will make trips to Williams Stadium in 2015 with Coastal Carolina being ranked No. 5 (Nov. 21) and Montana being ranked No. 12 (Sept. 19).
The 2015 STATS FCS Top 25 preseason poll, formerly run by the Sports Network, will be released next week.
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