Liberty football enters its fourth year in Conference USA. The conference itself underwent another change as it sees UTEP and Louisiana Tech depart for the 2026 season. The conference is now at 10 teams and everyone will play 8 conference games, missing one league team on the year. The CUSA member the Flames miss this season is Jacksonville State.
With the 2026 schedule set, which matchups stand out for Liberty? Let’s dive into some superlatives to highlight the biggest parts of Liberty’s upcoming football schedule.
Best non-conference game: James Madison (Sep. 5)
Liberty will open the season on the road for the first time in the Chadwell era and first time since the 2022 season when the Flames opened with a four-overtime win at Southern Miss. The Flames kick off the season on Saturday, September 5 at James Madison. 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 Dukes came into Williams Stadium and defeated Liberty this past fall. Now, JMU is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance where they lost to 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.
Most favorable FBS matchup: Ball State (Sep. 19)
The Flames play MAC foe Ball State at Williams Stadium in September as part of the non-conference schedule. 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.
Biggest home game: Western Kentucky (Nov. 21)
Liberty and Western Kentucky should be in the mix for the CUSA title every single year. The Flames haven’t been to the conference championship game since 2023 while the Hilltoppers made it in 2024. Last season, WKU went 6-2 in conference play, finishing just one game out of the top two in the standings, while posting a 9-4 overall record. This game should have CUSA championship implications as we move towards the end of the season.
Biggest road game: at Kennesaw State (Oct. 21)
Entering the second season under head coach Jerry Mack, the Owls are the reigning CUSA champions and they have their eyes set on remaining atop its perch in the league in 2026. Kennesaw has beaten Liberty three straight times in football, including both matchups as CUSA members. The last time Liberty beat Kennesaw on the gridiron was Oct. 14, 2017. The Flames will also be returning to Kennesaw, Georgia for the first time since that massive upset in 2024, the first ever CUSA loss for the Flames.
Most underrated matchup: at Coastal Carolina (Sep. 24)
Underrated might not be the correct term for this one, but the trip to Conway, South Carolina does feel like it is getting overshadowed some, primarily due to the season opener at JMU. This is a marquee non-conference matchup for the Flames, renewing a rivalry from when both schools competed in the Big South and FCS. Jamey Chadwell returns to Coastal Carolina where he was the head coach for four seasons. The Flames and Chanticleers will meet on Thursday night, September 24 – a game that was originally scheduled for Saturday, September 26 but has been moved up. This game 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.
