[Rooster Cogburn]

Justin Feldkamp on the Twitter:

How @LUADJeff provided the @libertyflames with some hope as it concerns their chances at a playoff berth...that story at 620pm @13Sports

[Purple Haize]

False hope may be better than no hope. Besides, he's still got to give people a reason to come to the games

[rjhenz]

Here is the article from abc 13 explaining playoff scenarios. Pretty much stuff we all knew except the last half.

- For those that don't think LU has any chance to make the postseason, the odds would be with you but there is still a slim chance. Number 1 – LU would have to win out. Number 2 – their chances would increase if Coastal loses a game, if Charleston Southern beats Coastal. Number 3 – based on what athletic director Jeff Barber told the team there's a slight chance LU could get in as an at-large team. QB Josh Woodrum said, "Jeff Barber went up to a convention with the FCS commission and he told us that while he was up there some of the guys were talking about how the Big South was doing pretty good nationally and if they get two teams that are worth putting into the playoffs coming out that they're going to take two, not just one usually so that just gave us some hope more than anything. That's all we really wanted was some hope."

http://www.wset.com/story/23822166/vmi- ... g-coverage

[Yacht Rock]

There are no playoff scenarios in this dojo.

[BJWilliams]

I think what the article is trying to say (even though I personally still think we have zero shot even if we do win out) is that if CSU beats CCU and LU wins out, that with the Big South blowing up the FCS this year (CCU undefeated and in the top 10, CSU 8-1 with wins over two SoCon teams and G-W beating Wofford and Richmond), and then pounding on each other (CCU and Liberty both routing G-W and LU coming oh so close in not only non-conference but taking said top 10 ranked CCU to the brink...and yes I know that means we still lost so I thought Id get that mentioned before somebody gets all up in arms about it), that there is a place for a second Big South team in the field, and it could very well be the Flames. As I said above, I still think we have zero shot, but I guess it would be wrong of the AD to at least put on a positive outlook on things and do due diligence to look into our chances. If he came out and said, "yeah we have zero shot", people would want him run out of town Im sure.

[LUnpretty11]

If we won out and squeaked in, we will be someones worst nightmare in the playoffs. This is a good team getting better.

FIFY

There is enough talent on this team to make a run in the playoffs. Obviously we have currently missed our chance to show that. Gotta hope we blow out each team by at least 4 TDs the rest of the season. Seriously.

[Chris Lang]

Conferences don't get bids. Teams get bids. Just because the Big South has done well out of conference does not equate to automatically getting a second bid due to playoff expansion.

Northern Iowa ... this is the type of team Liberty or CSU will be fighting against for an at-large. Say UNI finishes 8-4 or even 7-5. It beat the crap out of McNeese State, which will probably win the Southland, this season. South Dakota State, another team in that mix, beat Northern Iowa. Villanova, which might be 8-4 or 7-5, beat Towson.

Barber is doing what any good AD would do to try to keep morale up. But I've been around FCS football for a long, long time. I've been covering it since 1997. A team with Liberty's resume just doesn't get in unless there's a dearth of potential at-large candidates. That won't be the case this year. There's no sense in getting your hopes up. Liberty's potential 6-4 DI record with one quality FCS win is not enough to get into the playoffs.

[ProudPapa73]

Conferences don't get bids. Teams get bids. Just because the Big South has done well out of conference does not equate to automatically getting a second bid due to playoff expansion.

Northern Iowa ... this is the type of team Liberty or CSU will be fighting against for an at-large. Say UNI finishes 8-4 or even 7-5. It beat the crap out of McNeese State, which will probably win the Southland, this season. South Dakota State, another team in that mix, beat Northern Iowa. Villanova, which might be 8-4 or 7-5, beat Towson.

Barber is doing what any good AD would do to try to keep morale up. But I've been around FCS football for a long, long time. I've been covering it since 1997. A team with Liberty's resume just doesn't get in unless there's a dearth of potential at-large candidates. That won't be the case this year. There's no sense in getting your hopes up. Liberty's potential 6-4 DI record with one quality FCS win is not enough to get into the playoffs.

[ProudPapa73]

Conferences don't get bids. Teams get bids. Just because the Big South has done well out of conference does not equate to automatically getting a second bid due to playoff expansion.

Northern Iowa ... this is the type of team Liberty or CSU will be fighting against for an at-large. Say UNI finishes 8-4 or even 7-5. It beat the crap out of McNeese State, which will probably win the Southland, this season. South Dakota State, another team in that mix, beat Northern Iowa. Villanova, which might be 8-4 or 7-5, beat Towson.

Barber is doing what any good AD would do to try to keep morale up. But I've been around FCS football for a long, long time. I've been covering it since 1997. A team with Liberty's resume just doesn't get in unless there's a dearth of potential at-large candidates. That won't be the case this year. There's no sense in getting your hopes up. Liberty's potential 6-4 DI record with one quality FCS win is not enough to get into the playoffs.

Thank you.

[Purple Haize]

No teams has as many quality almost wins as we do!

[-army56mike-]

No teams has as many quality almost wins as we do!

Sheesh! You're on a roll! Well played again!!

[Purple Haize]

No teams has as many quality almost wins as we do!

Sheesh! You're on a roll! Well played again!! :I chortle audibly.:

When you're shaped like I am, rolling is easy!,

[phoenix]

The most important thing that Barber said to the team is there have to be two Big South teams "that are worth putting into the playoffs"

[Purple Haize]

Play-Off Scenario #1 - ESPN3 and brunch
Play-Off Scenario #2 - ESPN3 and Pizza

[TH Spangler]

Even if we end up in our usual 3 way tie the Spider game might be the back breaker.

[ProudPapa73]

No teams has as many quality almost wins as we do!

He's right. I've looked it up.

[Blessed1]

For the past several seasons Liberty has either:
1) dominated the Big South, became champions, but did not have a strong enough schedule to make it;
2) had 1 bad loss to an inferior team in the conference that ruined their chances of making it;
3) ended up on the wrong end of a 'weird' or 'funky' tie-breaker rule; or
4) lost to a conference team that was/is playing lights-out in a particular year (this year it's Coastal and before that it was Stony Brook 2 years ago)...

It just never seems to work out in our favor. Is it just me or does Liberty and the FCS play-offs have some sort of a love-hate relationship?

[Lburglifer]

For the past several seasons Liberty has either:
1) dominated the Big South, became champions, but did not have a strong enough schedule to make it;
2) had 1 bad loss to an inferior team in the conference that ruined their chances of making it;
3) ended up on the wrong end of a 'weird' or 'funky' tie-breaker rule; or
4) lost to a conference team that was/is playing lights-out in a particular year (this year it's Coastal and before that it was Stony Brook 2 years ago)...

It just never seems to work out in our favor. Is it just me or does Liberty and the FCS play-offs have some sort of a love-hate relationship?

FCS committee does not receive the Liberty Champion so they expect you to play a strong enough schedule with quality wins or now be the outright BSC champ. LU is not a victim and certainly has the $$ to build a play off caliber team.

[jcmanson]

For the past several seasons Liberty has either:
1) dominated the Big South, became champions, but did not have a strong enough schedule to make it;
2) had 1 bad loss to an inferior team in the conference that ruined their chances of making it;
3) ended up on the wrong end of a 'weird' or 'funky' tie-breaker rule; or
4) lost to a conference team that was/is playing lights-out in a particular year (this year it's Coastal and before that it was Stony Brook 2 years ago)...

It just never seems to work out in our favor. Is it just me or does Liberty and the FCS play-offs have some sort of a love-hate relationship?

FCS committee does not receive the Liberty Champion so they expect you to play a strong enough schedule with quality wins or now be the outright BSC champ. LU is not a victim and certainly has the $$ to build a play off caliber team.

Welcome back. Getting warmed up for basketball season?

[BJWilliams]

Needless to say checkers had to figure out how to get around the fact that he's been banned every way possible...

[thepostman]

you love it when he comes back beej

[Lburglifer]

LU adds an huge benefits to our community. What Jerry is doing with the academic and athletic facilities is nearly hard to believe. My comments would be the same to my UVA fans who thought they were turning the corner with London. If focusing on results is not what programs are measured by then I look forward to a new understanding. Certainly no one can think the BSC football has established the credibility of a two bid league.

[WinterIsComing]

FCS committee does not receive the Liberty Champion so they expect you to play a strong enough schedule with quality wins or now be the outright BSC champ.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this part funny! The Liberty Champion to us is just about the equivalent of what the New York Times is to Obama. Nobody reads it, but everyone still cares what it has to say.

[Lburglifer]

FCS committee does not receive the Liberty Champion so they expect you to play a strong enough schedule with quality wins or now be the outright BSC champ.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this part funny! The Liberty Champion to us is just about the equivalent of what the New York Times is to Obama. Nobody reads it, but everyone still cares what it has to say.

My reference was simply that some can tend to live in the bubble and get all caught up in the hype of new facilities (which are worthy) and see all the trappings from the top end budgets (which are real) believing LU is playing at a higher level than the performance merits. Hopefully they will move to another conference soon because the BSC football will always be the BSC football.

[WinterIsComing]

Oh I totally get where you're coming from! Maybe I should have worded it better; It was a funny line. I laughed. And then I imagined us actually sending the FCS committee the Liberty Champion so they would understand our losses weren't our fault. Then I laughed even harder 'cause I could see us doing it! ...Well the football program wouldn't send it. But admin? If someone told me they did that, I'd probably believe them, because it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.