Liberty to FBS

[CAA Flagship]

Liberty will announce it is moving from FCS to FBS.

Liberty had recently tried unsuccessfully to gain membership to the Sun Belt, so it is expected the Flames will initially opt to be an FBS independent during the two-year reclassification process that will begin with the 2018 season and include three FBS home games. The program will be bowl-eligible starting with the 2019 season and will be required to play at least five home FBS opponents.

Liberty's football team is coached by Turner Gill. In November, former Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw, who resigned as part of his involvement in the Baylor sexual assault scandal, was named Liberty's AD.

The school has scheduled a 5 p.m. news conference Thursday to announce its plans.

Liberty is a private, nonprofit Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/st ... ndependent

[Ibanez]

I read this earlier...meh. This is a blow to the Big South. Charleston Southern is assuredly the top dog now.

[89Hen]

I read this earlier...meh. This is a blow to the Big South. Charleston Southern is assuredly the top dog now.

Unless they add somebody their autobid is gone, no?

[Ibanez]

I read this earlier...meh. This is a blow to the Big South. Charleston Southern is assuredly the top dog now.

Unless they add somebody their autobid is gone, no?

Yes, I think that's correct.

[SuperHornet]

How does THAT work? The way I understand it, don't the rules currently state that one MUST have a conference invite to move to FBS? I don't think you can make the jump as an independent.

Unless they're making a claim to be Notre Dame. Liberty has made that claim in the past on the academic side given the faith base and the number of enrolled students (well over 100K when one counts online students). But I don't think that would matter to the NCAA. Noter Dame is grandfathered in as an independent because they were already independent when that rule went into effect. Even if the NCAA allows the move, Liberty's going to find out REAL fast that being an independent is a hard road to hoe, as even the service academies, traditionally independent for decades with the exception of Air Force, have started joining leagues to save costs. It's hard to get games as an FBS independent, and so there are very few of them.

Liberty is the school that granted me my B.S. and my M.A.R., and I love the place, but I REALLY think this is a dumb move. If it's allowed, the Flames will start bleeding $$ from the get-go, and they won't have ANY shot at a championship because they won't be allowed into the bogus SEC. Bowl games are $$-losers for the most part. It's better to stay in FCS and at least have the same shot as everyone else for a national championship at a relatively inexpensive cost because all leagues with enough teams get at least one bid. The P5 elitists are dumb....

[89Hen]

I don't see anything in the bylaws about having to have a conference and obviously the NCAA approved this.

[CAA Flagship]

Liberty

McCaw had persuaded BYU, a Power 5 school in reality if not in name, to do a home-and-home series. He also signed 2-for-1 deals with Virginia and Wake Forest that take the Flames on the road twice against the ACC schools in exchange for a home game.

Liberty will also play Army, New Mexico State, New Mexico, Buffalo and North Texas home-and- home. He signed guarantee games at Auburn, Ole Miss and Rutgers, and persuaded Old Dominion, Troy and Massachusetts to accept guarantees to play at Liberty.

Liberty will pay ODU $1.32 million to play in Lynchburg in 2018, although a guarantee from a game at Auburn will pay most of ODU’s fee.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/columnist ... 5038b.html

[AshevilleApp]

Liberty

McCaw had persuaded BYU, a Power 5 school in reality if not in name, to do a home-and-home series. He also signed 2-for-1 deals with Virginia and Wake Forest that take the Flames on the road twice against the ACC schools in exchange for a home game.

Liberty will also play Army, New Mexico State, New Mexico, Buffalo and North Texas home-and- home. He signed guarantee games at Auburn, Ole Miss and Rutgers, and persuaded Old Dominion, Troy and Massachusetts to accept guarantees to play at Liberty.

Liberty will pay ODU $1.32 million to play in Lynchburg in 2018, although a guarantee from a game at Auburn will pay most of ODU’s fee.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/columnist ... 5038b.html

Nice payoff for ODU.

Falwell U is obviously adept at fleecing the flock.

[SuperHornet]

Watch VA and Wake pay their way out of the Lynchburg portion of that contract....

[CAA Flagship]

Watch VA and Wake pay their way out of the Lynchburg portion of that contract....

Not likely. It's a bus ride and one night in a hotel. They will play.

[CAA Flagship]

Liberty paid ODU $1.3 million in desperation for a home game in 2018.
Now they will pay ODU $800k for a home 2023 game.

[AshevilleApp]

Liberty paid ODU $1.3 million in desperation for a home game in 2018.
Now they will pay ODU $800k for a home 2023 game.

Pennywise's the Christians?