[R i]

How will this season be unique for you as a fan. How long have you been following, and what are your expectations ?

I enjoy hearing your individual stories and perspectives on Liberty Football. So share why you follow the team, and what your looking forward to this season.

[Sly Fox]

The unique component will be attending a game here in Texas. For those of us halfway across the fruited plain, this is a big stinking deal. Hopefully it becomes old hat moving forward but in the meantime it has been nearly a quarter century since the last time it happened.

I have been following since showing up on the mountain 31 years ago. Wow. That number is soaking into my skull.

I am a well noted optimist. In light of this very challenging schedule, I see us going 9-2 and headed back to the playoffs where we make a run. In light of the questions marks due to graduation on both sides of the ball, I recognize that I have been sipping some cherry Spark. Do they even sell Koolaid these days?

[Jonathan Carone]

You're wanting honesty, right?

This is the least excited and most pessimistic I've been about a Liberty football team since I transferred to Liberty in 2006. I began losing faith in Coach Gill in 2013, gained some of it back with the JMU win, and then lost it last year. I think we go 6-5 and miss the playoffs again and hope to God I'm wrong.

The thing that makes this season different is we're having our second kid as conference season opens up. The back half of the season may be a blur to me.

[BJWilliams]

Ive been following LU football since I hit the mountain as a 20 year old freshman in 2002. Im not as optimistic as Sly but Im not as doom and gloom as Mr Carone either. I see us going either 7-4 or 8-3 and earning a playoff berth (I think I have us knocking off the Bucs to win the autobid). I have been growing frustrated with the lack of progress toward top tier status, but I watched Jon jump overboard along with a few others after last year and Im sticking to the ship.

[FlamesHighontheTide]

I appreciate the thought on creating this thread. It's nice to get away from some of the controversial topics aka quarterback talk or is Gill on the hot seat or should we fire Jeff Barber, etc.

For me, I am excited for this season simply because it has a flavor of newness and determination that we haven't seen in a while. Furthermore, this season for me personally is full of family rivalries which should be a lot of fun and obnoxious smack talk, haha. I have a decent amount of family who went to or worked at Jacksonville State University. My brother-in-law and his family are BIG Virginia Tech fans as well as some of my immediate family. So, needless to say there will be some fun and exciting conversations during these games. I sense some intense family memories beginning to brew, ha.

I have been following LU football since 2003, one of my high school teammates and church family members went on to play at Liberty, his name is Travis O'Berry. He played primarily on special teams, but did get a few snaps at Tight End where he was listed I think as 3rd on the depth chart. I have seen the lowest of lows with LU, the 1-10 season my freshman year under Ken Karcher and then the rise of the FlameNation under Rocco to now seeing this team crack the playoff curse under Turner Gill. I know a lot of us on this forum are still skeptical of Turner Gill but I am an eternal optimist and look forward to seeing Gill coach his own guys. This is now from seniors to freshman "his team". I get the feeling we are on the verge of doing something pretty special under coach Gill, but then again that feel could be the amount of tacos I had last night

I look forward to cheering with all of y'all throughout this season in the highs and lows of Flames football and my hope and prediction is that come November the talk of Gill on the hot seat will have fizzled out because we're all talking about who is going to be in attendance at the FIRST EVER HOME PLAYOFF GAME!

The Flames go 8-3 with losses to Tech, JSU and either Coastal or SMU.

[jbock13]

I must say we will go 6-5. Hopefully.

[R i]

I must say we will go 6-5. Hopefully.

I know I mentioned Expectations, but how will this season be unique for you Mr Bock. Why do you follow LU football the way you do ?

[R i]

You're wanting honesty, right?

This is the least excited and most pessimistic I've been about a Liberty football team since I transferred to Liberty in 2006.

I would phrase it as, I am not as optimistic as I have been in the past. Mostly because we have so many question marks, and no proven super stars. Every year I can remember, we have had one or two guys, preseason all conference or pre season All American.

Here is my belief, and probably a hope as well. I think our talent and depth overall is better than it has ever been, with OL as exception. Winning Football teams do not have 1 or 2 stars, and 3 or 4 holes in their lineup. They have all 22 spots strong.

[olldflame]

I think we should see a sense of urgency which was missing last year, starting at the top and working its way down Call it the "Toman effect" I think HCTG and his staff are aware that another underacheiving season is unacceptable I am cautiously optimistic that said urgency will translate into improved resuts

[PAmedic]

that's assuming they have the coaching acumen to get it done

hard to blame it on the talent at this point since the kids are his recruits

we shall see

guardedly pessimistic as always