[Sly Fox]

From Chris' LU Notebook in the Sunday fishwrap ...

Liberty has played at least one game against an FBS opponent every year since 2001, and that run might continue next season, though not against a high-level FBS team.

Last month, LU athletics director Jeff Barber said the school had no intention of playing a money game next season, but a date opened up when Liberty and James Madison pushed the start of their series back to 2009. Barber said Saturday that he wouldn't rule out the Flames playing up again next season.

Currently, Liberty's only FBS games scheduled for the future are at Wake Forest in 2011 and Virginia in 2013.

The Flames, who played Toledo Saturday for the third time, have played three other schools from the MAC, going 1-2 against Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Kent State.

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I'm actually glad to see us not only take the paycheck but play up to give our guys a taste of the next level. I realize the drawbacks but one game a year isn't going to destroy our program's confidence. Based on the descriptors I'd expect another MAC matchup or possibly a Sunbelt or CUSA game. Houston or Rice would be nice.

[thepostman]

or ucf since chances are i will be down in the orlando area this time next year

[PAmedic]

Stick with the MAC and lets play Temple!

[ToTheLeft]

I think we need to play Hawaii, at Hawaii, and that the Student Flames Club should take students out there on the bus!

[SuperJon]

I know you're kidding, but playing Hawaii is the stupidest thing possible for an east coast team.

[Iwasneverhere]

just as stupid as a certain big south team playing UGA in the next 5 years?

[SuperJon]

No, completely worse than that. Coastal playing UGA is a good game for them. They'll come out with a few broken legs, but it'll be a good game for em.

[Iwasneverhere]

And they will get run All over. Noshaun Moreno will be a senior

[bigsmooth]

i would like to see us play south carolina.....a great place to watch a game.

[Cider Jim]

I think we need to play Hawaii, at Hawaii, and that the Student Flames Club should take students out there on the bus!

Don't forget your SNORKLE.

[BJWilliams]

I think we need to play Hawaii, at Hawaii, and that the Student Flames Club should take students out there on the bus!

Yeah...that would be great...if you want the team to bear witness to one of the highest scoring offenses in the country drop almost a hundred points on us. You see what they did to Northern Colorado AND Charleston Southern?

[Knucklehead]

Play Duke!

[SuperJon]

They're playing JMU. I thought the same thing.

[ToTheLeft]

I know you're kidding, but playing Hawaii is the stupidest thing possible for an east coast team.

Agreed.

I was joking.

Hint Hint, BJ.

They would slaughter us.

[6flamesfans]

I like Temple because I am from NJ so I do not have to pay for lodging I can stay with my sister. Also it would has to happen when the Eagles are at home so I can go to both games.

[BJWilliams]

I know you're kidding, but playing Hawaii is the stupidest thing possible for an east coast team.

Agreed.

I was joking.

Hint Hint, BJ.

They would slaughter us.

Thanks for that...Id rather LU not be on a Hawaii QB Heisman reel.

[01LUGrad]

Play Duke!

Name one Fc..b..c..s..c.. Ah, forget it...I-AA team that wouldn't want to play Duke! (Appy State doesn't count!)

[DutchyNY]

playing up a game once a year is not a bad idea for any program...even bcs schools in the lower echelon's benefit from going in to face upper tier schools...
for liberty to even have a shot at being a bcs school in the next 20 years we have to compete with a very well known school every year on a large stage...people notice who wouldnt normally and frankly we will never compete with uva or tech for fans in va so we have to establish our program as something like a david versus goliath scenario much like wake, stanford, or vandy do in states where they are not the largest represented alumni or fan base, but still put out a quality product...
in case you havent noticed liberty is a very very very unique situation its a young school with limited resources but if its positioned correctly we can succeed
we can not hope to make the big time by hiring coaches or recruiting...we will never out compete the power schools in that area
we will probably never out draw tech or uva in the areas of attendance even with the goal of 25k on campus
WITHOUT identifying what niche is indeed available in bcs football and filling it to the best of our abilities -in my opinion that niche is of the giant killer underdog type team (think boise st....except we have alot of instate comp.)

[truedrewdawg87]

This may not be a very popular opinion on this board but here goes...I would MUCH rather see Liberty reach the status of an Appalachian State on the I-AA level, than see the Flames try to become the next Boise St. or South Florida.
Right now, Liberty can't beat William and Mary or Elon, what makes us think that the Flames will EVER be able to compete in a BCS conference? Before you send me to the electric chair on this hear me out.
Look at App. St. That program is at the top of 1-AA football and has NO reason to leave. They've proved they can play with the best teams in ALL of college football not just 1-AA. Yet, if it were to join C-USA or any other 1-A Conference it would be trading in its perch atop the 1-AA world for NOTHING MORE THAN A SHOT at what it already has on a grander stage. The odds of App. State reach the same level as a program that USC, Florida, LSU, Ohio St., etc are all already on are very, very small.
With that said, if LU isn't even on App. State's level right now, what makes us think we can reach the level of college football's big boys?
Furthermore, before someone comes back at me with the USF argument, about how that school has only had a program for 11 years and now they are in the top 5, think about this.
USF for all you geography buff is in FLORIDA. Florida is about as close to heaven as college football coaches can get when it comes to recruiting. They have a distinct advantage at offering kids a chance to stay close to home, while playing for a school in a BCS conference with a program on the rise. Even when USF was in its humble beginnings as a football program, it still had the nations best crop of talent in its back yard to recruit from.
On the other hand, Liberty is in a middle of the road 1-AA Conference, and is a program with minimal tradition as a selling point. And no offense to kids in Virginia, but the recruiting pool in that state doesn't exactly have a deep end.
It just bothers me a little bit that I school that I graduated from is talking about joining a BCS Conference, when its never even been to a playoff game, let alone won one.
I guess I'm just reminded of the old, "work comes before play," motto.
And if the BCS is the fruit of a lot of hard work in college football, then Liberty has a TON of work to do.
They should start by beating teams like Elon, then they can worry about USC.

[thesportscritic]

who said anything about going 1-A at this point in the program!!! we definitely need to win on our level first.

[truedrewdawg87]

DutchyNY
Spark


Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 11


playing up a game once a year is not a bad idea for any program...even bcs schools in the lower echelon's benefit from going in to face upper tier schools...
for liberty to even have a shot at being a bcs school in the next 20 years we have to compete with a very well known school every year on a large stage...people notice who wouldnt normally and frankly we will never compete with uva or tech for fans in va so we have to establish our program as something like a david versus goliath scenario much like wake, stanford, or vandy do in states where they are not the largest represented alumni or fan base, but still put out a quality product...
in case you havent noticed liberty is a very very very unique situation its a young school with limited resources but if its positioned correctly we can succeed
we can not hope to make the big time by hiring coaches or recruiting...we will never out compete the power schools in that area
we will probably never out draw tech or uva in the areas of attendance even with the goal of 25k on campus
WITHOUT identifying what niche is indeed available in bcs football and filling it to the best of our abilities -in my opinion that niche is of the giant killer underdog type team (think boise st....except we have alot of instate comp.)

[truedrewdawg87]

That's the type of thinking I'm talking about.
People thinking about Liberty joining a BCS conference when the Flames can't even hang with Elon.

[SuperJon]

I've always thought it was dumb playing the huge teams that you have o show against every year.


I also think BCS in 20 years is a complete pipe dream that'll never come close to happening.

[SumItUp]

I also think BCS in 20 years is a complete pipe dream that'll never come close to happening.

I'm not normally a betting person, but I'll take that bet.

[DutchyNY]

i guess my intention was lost in translation...i was offering what i considered to be a scenario where we could possibly do it (make the jump to bcs)...i truly am torn because like everyone else on this board i want to see liberty be a power or at least a name--but on the other side of the coin if we could have a 1-aa powerhouse that puts 20k in the stands has nike uni's and a video board (things we have or are close to having already) why make the jump and do it all to finish 5th in the sunbelt and get throttled once a year on espn by some power conference team