Liberty football checks in at No. 96 overall in ESPN’s first Football Power Index rankings for the 2026 season.
A quick glance at the schedule shows Liberty will face just three teams ranked ahead of them this season.
- No. 75 James Madison
- No. 86 Western Kentucky
- No. 91 Delaware
This leaves eight opponents currently ranked behind them.
- No. 106 Kennesaw State
- No. 110 Missouri State
- No. 117 Coastal Carolina
- No. 119 FIU
- No. 129 New Mexico State
- No. 130 Middle Tennessee
- No. 134 Ball State
- No. 136 Sam Houston
Gardner-Webb doesn’t appear in these rankings, as the FPI only accounts for FBS programs. Jacksonville State, the only CUSA team not on Liberty’s schedule this fall, checks in at No. 101 in these rankings.
The Football Power Index projects Liberty football to finish 7.4-4.9 this fall, giving the Flames a 77.9 percent chance at bowl eligibility via six or more wins. Beyond that, the FPI also gives Liberty a 14.4 percent chance to win Conference USA and a 1.3 percent shot at reaching the College Football Playoff. The Flames are also given a 0.2 percent chance at an undefeated regular season.
Liberty is among the favorites to win CUSA.
- Western Kentucky 24.8% chance at winning CUSA
- Delaware 16.7% chance at winning CUSA
- Liberty 14.4% chance at winning CUSA
- Jacksonville State 12.8% chance at winning CUSA
- Kennesaw State 11.4% chance at winning CUSA
Turning into the resume metrics, Liberty carries the weakest schedule in all of college football this season, checking at No. 138 out of all the FBS teams.
How do the ESPN FPI Rankings Work?
“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily. FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.”
