The 2025 Liberty football season has come to an end with the Flames posting a very disappointing 4-8 campaign and 3-5 mark in Conference USA action. The Flames are now in full-on off-season mode preparing for the 2026 season and it’s time for us to take a quick glance ahead to what lies around the bend for the Flames in 2026.
Liberty’s non-conference schedule for 2026 is set and it will be the final year the Flames are not currently scheduled to face a Power Four opponent as the Virginia Tech Hokies jump on the slate beginning in 2027.
In 2026, the Flames will open the year on the road for the first time under Jamey Chadwell and the first time since 2022 when Liberty heads to Harrisonburg, Virginia to take on the James Madison Dukes. This will be the first time these two in-state rivals meet in Harrisonburg since 2014 as they play for the Battle of the Blue Ridge trophy. The Flames will then open up its home schedule on September 12 against Gardner Webb and remain at home on September 19 to face Ball State. The non-conference portion of the schedule concludes on September 26 in Conway, South Carolina at Coastal Carolina.
We don’t currently know what Liberty’s CUSA schedule looks like for next season. It is typically announced in late January or or early February, but the Flames will play some combination of 8 games in conference play. The league is expected to be at 11 members after UTEP joins the Mountain West. It could drop to 10 depending on Louisiana Tech who is trying to get to the Sun Belt next season. What we do know, is the Flames will play 8 games against the other CUSA members, meaning there will be at least 2 (maybe 1) CUSA teams Liberty doesn’t play in 2026.
Here’s a quick look at the non-conference slate for 2026:
09/05 @ James Madison
Quite the lid-lifter. The Battle for the Blue Ridge is on the line for the second straight season after the Dukes came into Williams Stadium and defeated Liberty this past fall. Now, JMU is preparing for the College Football Playoff where they will play at No. 5 seed Oregon in Eugene under head coach Bob Chesney. When Liberty strolls into Bridgeforth Stadium in September it will be under their brand new head coach Billy Napier.
09/12 vs Gardner-Webb
The date for this game hasn’t officially been announced, but this is where we are hearing it will be slated. It will be the home opener against an FCS school. The Runnin’ Bulldogs posted a 7-5 record this past season with a 5-3 conference record with former Liberty QB Nate Hampton behind center (threw for 1,245 yards and 10 touchdowns). Hampton’s eligibility has run out as head coach Cris Reisert enters his third year as head coach at Gardner-Webb.
09/19 vs Ball State
The Flames play a second straight game at home when MAC foe Ball State comes to Williams Stadium. The Cardinals went 4-8 under first year head coach Mike Uremovich this past season. These two teams will be meeting for the first time with both at the FBS level and just the second time all-time. The Flames upset Ball State in Muncie, Indiana on September 11, 2010, 27-23 when Liberty was still an FCS team.
09/26 @ Coastal Carolina
What a game this will be. Jamey Chadwell returns to Coastal Carolina where he was the head coach for four seasons. It will also be the first meeting between the two long-time rivals since the 2020 Cure Bowl when Liberty defeated the unbeaten Chadwell-led Chanticleers, 37-34. These teams have played 15 times with Liberty holding the slight 8-7 series edge. The Chanticleers will be under first year head coach Ryan Beard after Tim Beck was fired after going 20-18 in three seasons. Beard was just named the Coastal head coach, coming from Missouri State. He was at Missouri State as head coach the past three seasons, helping guide them in their FBS transition where the Bears went 7-5 this past season and also beating Chadwell and the Flames at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg.
