[bluedevilflame]

http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.co ... berty.html

It's clear that Liberty has put its money where its mouth is. Williams Stadium, Liberty's on-campus home for football, above, was recently upgraded to 19,200 seats, including a brand-new press tower and luxury box suites. The Flames average attendance in 2011 was over 16,000 fans per contest, and they're hungry for more, with a potential planned expansion of the stadium to 30,000 seats.

Their student section and their fans are the real deal, packing the stadium and greeting opponents with a sea of red. And it's a big reason why I want to go down there. It's a big-time college football atmosphere.

[TH Spangler]

http://lehighfootballnation.blogspot.co ... berty.html

So what's stopping them from "moving up"?

Ironically, what's keeping them from FBS might be their biggest asset as a school - their TV network.

NCAA rules currently dictate that FCS schools cannot "move up" to the FBS level without an invite from an existing FBS conference.

That means that the conferences that would realistically want to sign Liberty up as an FBS member would also have to accept FamilyNet as the broadcaster of their home football games - which would, in turn, diminish any TV value Liberty might offer the conference, while also making the Flames a flight risk.

Think of it like this: Would Conference USA take a gamble on Liberty with this TV deal? If Liberty holds onto their home football games, that doesn't offer a lot of value with their existing deal. Liberty is not a perennial basketball power.

And what would stop them from deciding after three years to just go independent, which is exactly what BYU did just last year to the Mountain West, causing great instability in that conference?

That could be one reason that the last round of expansion, which saw Old Dominion head to Conference USA instead and left Liberty without a new FBS conference, even though the MAC (no national TV deal) and the Sun Belt (again, no national TV deal) were reportedly looking for new members.

If there was a path to FBS independent status from FCS, you have to believe that it would be the solution that would fit Liberty's intentions the best. The Flames see themselves as a national, Christian university, much like BYU sees themselves as a national, Mormon university. Both have dedicated cable networks, and both don't wish to share the spoils with conference mates.

Until or unless the NCAA gives them a path, it looks like Liberty's going to be in the Big South, and FCS football. For now.