[Tothehoopyall1]

Seems like with every passing day we are needing to be in a more competitive conference.

[Ill flame]

I beleive that I saw that Baylor just booked Prairie View A&M. That was the one I was hoping would get worked out.

Baylor already has 11 P5s on the schedule. They have nothing to gain by scheduling a G5 that can beat them.

[aj7]

After the way we've beaten BYU, Baylor, Virginia Tech, and Arkansas most power schools want nothing to do with us. Their conference schedules are hard enough as it is. Kind of have to catch someone who needs scheduling help because of realignment (a la SMU) to take us on.

Worst case scenario is we just continue to wreck CUSA and build a brand of dominating everyone. People will still say CUSA is weak - but at least Liberty will always be in the playoff conversation.

[Sly Fox]

Keep in mind that Ian & Mickey have built up some equity with some of the schools that we graciously allowed out of the contracts. I believe we get back on BYU's slates in the next few years. Baylor was not crazy talk due to the intangibles in that relationship.

[tyndal23]

SEC moving to 9 games - if true - several cancellations will open up late.

[cruzan_flame13]

SEC moving to 9 games - if true - several cancellations will open up late.

Hopefully we get some desperate programs on the P4-upper G5 level

[sstaedtler]

SEC moving to 9 games - if true - several cancellations will open up late.

SEC is moving to 9 games in 2026, not 2025. Could help us in 2026, not 2025.

[tyndal23]

SEC moving to 9 games - if true - several cancellations will open up late.

SEC is moving to 9 games in 2026, not 2025. Could help us in 2026, not 2025.

Handful of 25 games are part of home and home that will be canceled.

[sstaedtler]

SEC moving to 9 games - if true - several cancellations will open up late.

SEC is moving to 9 games in 2026, not 2025. Could help us in 2026, not 2025.

Handful of 25 games are part of home and home that will be canceled.

I went and looked at this and most SEC teams have 4 out of conference games in 2025 and only 3 in 2026 anyway, so they really won't have to drop any games. Don't see this helping us much.

[Phemb]

It seems like the article didn't bring anything groundbreaking, just the usual stuff. As for the upcoming schedules, those open slots definitely leave room for some interesting matchups.

[sstaedtler]

Hearing Ian McCaw speak today on Ed Lane's show, does not appear we are getting a P4 in 2025 or 2026. He said something like "We are going to play the hand we have been dealt." Spent time saying how hard it is to schedule P4's.

The problem is in 2025, there are few G5's even left. Here are our options:

1. FAU (home and home)
2. Bowling Green (home and home)
3. Marshall (road game only)
4. Georgia State (home and home)
5. UConn (home and home)
6. Temple (single away game)
7. Nevada (home and home)
8. ULM (home and home)
9. Kent State (home and home)

We might better off just playing a road game in 2025. Because single. home games vs. Louisiana, Boise State, others, could be available in 2026.

[JK37]

Selfishly…Temple!!!

[flameshaw]

Selfishly…Temple!!!

I hate to be the spelling Nazi, but it's Shirley Temple.

[alabama24]

Who you calling Shirley?

[sstaedtler]

So the 2025 schedule is completed:

Maine
at Bowling Green
JMU
at ODU

To me, this is not going to cut it as far as making the NY6. We couldn't even get a new G5 to play us. Bowling Green wanted us gone so bad they moved their game from 2028 to 2025. Not sure why we scheduled Maine with no P4. I hope in 2026 we don't schedule an FCS team with our other out of conference home game being Ball State.

[Sly Fox]

The best we could manage under the circumstances. I don't think anyone in the Athletic Department is thrilled. But it is what it is.

[jbock13]

Yeah, but, like, I was playing CFB 25 and Alabama agreed to play me in Lynchburg! There's reason no reason they can't do the same in real life!

[Cider Jim]

Selfishly…Temple!!!

My sources say that LU tried to schedule Temple in the 1980s but alumnus Bill Cosby threatened to remove his donations if they did. Can any old timers confirm this history?

[JK37]

Selfishly…Temple!!!

My sources say that LU tried to schedule Temple in the 1980s but alumnus Bill Cosby threatened to remove his donations if they did. Can any old timers confirm this history?

No, he just wanted a cheerleader. And Doc said No.

[sstaedtler]

The best we could manage under the circumstances. I don't think anyone in the Athletic Department is thrilled. But it is what it is.

I can live with the Bowling Green. Don't get scheduling Maine though. FCS teams were on our schedule to make sure we were bowl eligible as an Independent. Being in CUSA, our schedule is easier. If we can't win six games, we don't deserve a bowl game. In down years for the schedule we should not schedule an FCS team.

[sstaedtler]

2026 Ian seemed to be saying we would not get a P4 either. If that is the case, the only teams that can save the schedule are Boise State or Toledo. To a lesser extent Louisiana.

[LUOrange]

2026 Ian seemed to be saying we would not get a P4 either. If that is the case, the only teams that can save the schedule are Boise State or Toledo. To a lesser extent Louisiana.

Probably means Charleston Southern or UMass.

[sstaedtler]

ASOR made the argument that an FCS game does not count towards strength of schedule. That may be true. But the NY6 committee would look much more favorably with a win over FAU, Marshall, or Georgia State, than they will over Maine. Even if it does't result in a statistically better schedule. You'd have beaten 2 Sun Belt teams, an AAC team, and a MAC team.

They also said a weaker western team, even a P4, would not help your strength of schedule much. I disagree.

ODU is ranked #105. Bowling Green is ranked #103 on CBS list of 2024 teams. Weaker western teams are ranked: #50 California, #58 Northwestern, #60 Oregon State, #66 Washington St, #67 BYU, #82 Houston, and #84 Stanford. All still significantly better than Bowling Green so they would improve your SOS.

[LUOrange]

If scheduling up is as hard as they say and essentially all 72 power schools won't play us right now, then again let's drop the FCS games until CUSA and scheduling improves. We need to try and replace Maine next year with a G5 opponent. On top of NMSU beating Auburn, our playing 13 FBS games also helped us. As did SMU having 2 losses. This year we're getting no credit for having Appy and ECU on our schedule, which blows my mind. So JMU, ODU & BGU won't help much either.

I hope that we did try to schedule the PAC2. They're trying to negotiate 4 games a piece next year from the B12. Seems to me that they need games and wouldn't be so picky, especially if we're willing to fly to Corvallis and Pullman.

[cruzan_flame13]

If scheduling up is as hard as they say and essentially all 72 power schools won't play us right now, then again let's drop the FCS games until CUSA and scheduling improves. We need to try and replace Maine next year with a G5 opponent. On top of NMSU beating Auburn, our playing 13 FBS games also helped us. As did SMU having 2 losses. This year we're getting no credit for having Appy and ECU on our schedule, which blows my mind. So JMU, ODU & BGU won't help much either.

I hope that we did try to schedule the PAC2. They're trying to negotiate 4 games a piece next year from the B12. Seems to me that they need games and wouldn't be so picky, especially if we're willing to fly to Corvallis and Pullman.

It's not crazy to assume that many schools do not want play us for reasons that some pretends is not the main causes. The few P4's and decent G5's who added LU on their schedules the last few years only did so because they thought they had a great chance to beat LU. Now that LU is a top G5 school (in 6 years from entering the FBS), those teams are not taking that risk, especially if they have to pay LU. So the only teams left are those who will take our money to play them. Get used to these poor schedules for the near future . The low P4's are trying stay relevant and get into the top P3 and most of the top G5's are trying to get into the P4's. They are not going to just make a deal, when they would choose any other school before LU. Lets stop kidding ourselves here.