After Liberty’s 2023 season where the Flames went undefeated during the regular season, won the Conference USA Championship, and appeared in a New Year’s Six bowl, expectations were high going into 2024.
Maybe too high. Liberty did win its first five games, but then the Flames lost at Kennesaw State, a first-year FBS program. The complexion of the season completely changed from that point on.
And it only got worse when Liberty lost to Jacksonville State a week later.
The Flames did end up going 8-4 overall last year with a loss against Buffalo in the Bahamas Bowl. It’s a new season now, though. And Liberty goes into 2025 as the favorite to take back the CUSA crown.
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Liberty Football’s Conference USA Title Betting Odds
Liberty’s odds to win Conference USA are -115, via BetMGM. The team’s odds of making it to the CUSA title game are -200.
The Flames’ betting odds of making the College Football Playoff are +1100, and their odds of missing the CFP are -3000.
Liberty Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Liberty’s win total Over/Under is 9.5, with Under 9.5 at +100 and Over 9.5 at -120.
Liberty Football’s 2025 Schedule
Aug. 30 vs. Maine
Sept. 6 @ Jacksonville State
Sept. 13 @ Bowling Green
Sept. 20 vs. James Madison
Sept. 27 @ Old Dominion
Oct. 8 @ UTEP
Oct. 14 vs. New Mexico State
Nov. 1 vs. Delaware
Nov. 8 vs. Missouri State
Nov. 15 @ FIU
Nov. 22 @ Louisiana Tech
Nov. 29 vs. Kennesaw State
Dec. 5 Conference USA Championship
Bold indicates CUSA contests
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Key Liberty Football Returners
2024 All-Conference USA 1st Team
OL Aaron Fenimore
2nd Team
LB Joseph Carter
DB Brylan Green
Honorable Mention
DE CJ Bazile Jr.
DB A’Khori Jones
PR Brylan Green
Liberty Football Is The Favorite To Win Conference USA
Liberty is the favorite to win Conference USA this season, but the Flames have to answer quite a few questions this season.
For one, who will replace Kaidon Salter, who’s been one of the top quarterbacks in CUSA the past couple of years?
Ethan Vasko and Ryan Burger are the frontrunners at this point. Vasko transferred to Liberty after a solid season with Coastal Carolina. In 2024, he threw for 2,120 yards, 14 touchdowns, and eight interceptions on a 54.6% completion rate while rushing for 447 yards and five scores. With the Flames last season, Burger threw for 88 yards on 8-of-19 passing and ran for 70 yards and a touchdown in five appearances.
The Flames will be without some of their other top playmakers as well. Quinton Cooley, one of the best running backs in the G5 last year, as well as Billy Lucas are both gone. Vaughn Blue is the team’s leading returning rusher after running for 207 yards and a touchdown in 2024.
Liberty is pretty experienced at wide receiver, though. Elijah Canion (25 catches, 354 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in 2024), Reese Smith (18 catches, 277 yards, and four touchdowns), Tyson Mobley (29 catches, 276 yards, and a TD), and Donte Lee Jr. (10 catches, 148 yards, and a TD) are all returning.
Aaron Fenimore is among Liberty’s returners on the offensive line after making the All-CUSA first team in 2024. Jack Tucker is also back after starting all of Liberty’s 12 games last season, mostly at left tackle. Harrison Hayes and DJ Geth, who both started multiple games at right guard in 2024, are back as well.
After ranking third in CUSA in total defense (351.9 yards per game allowed) and scoring defense (23.5 points per game allowed), Liberty should be strong on that side of the ball again with four all-conference performers returning.
Second-team All-CUSA linebacker Joseph Carter is back after leading Liberty with 88 tackles to go with five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and three pass breakups. All-CUSA honorable mention defensive lineman CJ Bazile Jr. is also back after recording 54 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
A’Khori Jones, an All-CUSA honorable mention defensive back in 2024, is back as well after recording 53 tackles, five for loss, with three pass breakups and a forced fumble. Brylan Green is returning as well after making the All-CUSA second team as a defensive back and earning honorable mention accolades as a punt returner. He totaled 32 tackles and two pass breakups while returning nine punts for 122 yards.
Defensive tackle Bryce Dixon is among Liberty’s top returners as well after recording 33 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, one sack, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Liberty Football Season Prediction
I predict Liberty won’t win the Conference USA Championship but will go Over 9.5 wins.
I know Liberty took a step back last year, and that star players like Kaidon Salter and Quinton Cooley are now gone. But with Jamey Chadwell as their head coach, I still expect the Flames will be competitive in CUSA.
I believe Liberty can defeat non-conference opponents Maine and Bowling Green, though contests against James Madison and at Old Dominion won’t be easy for the Flames. But even if the Flames go 2-2 there, I don’t think there’s a clear loss on Liberty’s CUSA slate.
The Flames avoid Western Kentucky and Sam Houston, though they do have to take on Jacksonville State and UTEP on the road.
But I absolutely could see Liberty winning double-digit games going into the postseason and competing for another CUSA title.
