Liberty football announced its schedule of future FBS opponents on Saturday.
On Feb. 16, the NCAA approved Liberty’s waiver request to begin the two-year FBS reclassification process. Liberty will compete as an FCS independent in 2017 and FBS independent in 2018. At the conclusion of the two-year process, Liberty will be a full-fledged FBS program in 2019, which will include the opportunity to compete for bowl game appearances.
The Flames will host their first FBS home game against Old Dominion on Sept. 1, 2018, and will need to host a total of four FBS teams during the 2018 season to meet the FBS reclassification criteria. The 2018 home schedule also features FBS matchups against North Texas (Sept. 22), Troy (Oct. 13) and New Mexico State (Nov. 24).
Below is a full list of the FBS schools Liberty currently has agreements with for future football matchups, starting with the 2018 season:
Army
- Sept. 8, 2018 – Liberty at Army
- Nov. 27, 2021 – Army at Liberty
- Sept. 20, 2025 – Liberty at Army
- Nov. 28, 2026 – Army at Liberty
Auburn
- Nov. 17, 2018 – Liberty at Auburn
Brigham Young University (BYU)
- Nov. 9, 2019 – Liberty at BYU
- Oct. 22, 2022 – BYU at Liberty
Buffalo
- Sept. 14, 2019 – Buffalo at Liberty
- Sept. 16, 2023 – Liberty at Buffalo
Old Dominion
- Sept. 1, 2018 – Old Dominion at Liberty
Ole Miss
- Nov. 13, 2021 – Liberty at Ole Miss
Massachusetts (UMass)
- Nov. 3, 2018 – Liberty at UMass
New Mexico
- Sept. 29, 2018 – Liberty at New Mexico
- Sept. 28, 2019 – New Mexico at Liberty
New Mexico State
- Oct. 6, 2018 – Liberty at New Mexico State
- Nov. 24, 2018 – New Mexico State at Liberty
- Oct. 5, 2019 – Liberty at New Mexico State
- Nov. 30, 2019 – New Mexico State at Liberty
North Texas
- Sept. 22, 2018 – North Texas at Liberty
- Oct. 9, 2021 – Liberty at North Texas
Rutgers
- Oct. 26, 2019 – Liberty at Rutgers
Troy
- Oct. 13, 2018 – Troy at Liberty
Virginia
- Nov. 10, 2018 – Liberty at Virginia
- Nov. 23, 2019 – Liberty at Virginia
- Sept. 11, 2027 – Virginia at Liberty
Virginia Tech
- Sept. 5, 2020 – Liberty at Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
- Sept. 17, 2022 – Liberty at Wake Forest
- Aug. 30, 2025 – Wake Forest at Liberty
- Sept. 3, 4 or 5, 2026 – Liberty at Wake Forest
Comments on Liberty’s future FBS schedule
“It will be a thrilling time during the 2018 season for Liberty Football. Not only are we transitioning to the FBS level, but we are playing some great teams and hope to show our readiness for the next step up. We are also excited for our fans to see the tremendous team we will be putting on the field to entertain them in 2018!”
Turner Gill, Liberty’s Head Football Coach
“We have made remarkable progress in assembling our future football schedules over the past three months. Mickey Guridy and Dave Brown, from Gridiron, have been invaluable in this process. Flames Nation will be excited to see these future matchups against some of the top college football programs in the region and nation.”
“We are pleased to be hosting Old Dominion in our first home game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. We are seeking to play a prominent home game each year, so the opportunity to host an in-state rival who won 10 games including a bowl game last year is exciting for our program.”
Ian McCaw, Liberty’s Director of Athletics