CFP EXPANSION

The College Football Playoff’s board of managers unanimously voted late last week to expand the CFP to 12 teams in 2026 but with a possibility for it to be implemented as soon as 2024. With Liberty moving to Conference USA beginning with the 2023 season, this would allow a path for the Flames to have an opportunity to reach the CFP Playoffs. It certainly provides a much clearer path than with Liberty as an Independent and only four teams reaching the playoffs.

“I saw Ian McCaw tweet out “Boom.” That’s pretty exciting for Ian, for him to do something like that,” Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze said of the expansion. “I would echo those sentiments. I just think the chances are greater now than they were, for us. Do I still think it’s an easy road? No. Do I think it is a possible road? Yes and I am all in to possibilities. If you have a special year like we had in 2020 and you get to that 10 wins, have a couple good wins here and there, you’re right in the discussions. Get a few breaks with some other schools losing some critical games, and all of a sudden you find your way in.”

JOHN KOURTIS STEPS IN AT CENTER

For the previous five seasons, Liberty’s center spot was manned by Thomas Sargeant. There was no question who was going to be taking the field on Saturdays, handing the ball off to the quarterback. During much of that time, John Kourtis was Sargeant’s backup.

As Sargeant’s eligibility was coming to an end last year, it seemed obvious that Kourtis would take over for him at center for the 2022 season. That all changed with Colorado State transfer Cam Reddy transferred into the program. Reddy was the starter at center Saturday night, but Kourtis subbed in for him and played most of the second half and overtime periods.

“The plan was all along to play both,” Freeze said of the centers. “Cam made a couple mistakes there that really cost us. One on a play we didn’t even have a play called. 4th down, we’re not snapping it even if they jump, unless they blow it dead and make contact with us. We snap the ball. I’ve got to coach that better, obviously. The plan was to play John all along. We believe in both of them. We needed them both.”

FREEZE A FAN OF PRESEASON SCRIMMAGES

Division I college football is one of the only levels of the sport that does not play some sort of preseason scrimmages. The NFL has a full preseason with all teams playing several games. Even high schools sometimes have joint practices or preseason scrimmages with other teams. However, at the college level, there isn’t any preseason mixed practices or games, something Coach Freeze would like to change.

“It’s just one of those things where it makes zero sense that we don’t get to do that,” he said. “I don’t understand it, never will. If they don’t want us to do it in the fall then let us do it in the spring and have a scrimmage. I’ve made the proposal every conference I’ve been in, let’s have a spring game. Let’s charge $10 for every spring game and give every bit of it to charity after you pay the visiting team’s travel, buses. Do it with local teams if you can, whether it’s an FCS opponent or whoever. Let’s all adopt a charity and give back to communities that we operate in.”

“It doesn’t make any sense to me that we can’t do that,” he continued. “If the NFL can get together and control a scrimmage, certainly two of us colleges that are not playing each other on that given year can get together and let’s practice against each other one time, probably the second week of camp would be the best to do it. I don’t know, it just makes no sense that we can’t truthfully, and I don’t even know the reason behind it.”

INJURY REPORT

Other than the reported injury of Charlie Brewer that has been widely discussed, it seems as though the Flames got through the season opener relatively unscathed. Khristian Zachary was noticeably limping late in the game, but he was back at practice as a full participant on Tuesday morning.

TJ Green is expected to be out again this week, with the possibility of him returning next week against Wake Forest. That is also the timeline Freeze gave earlier for CJ Daniels.