Kickoff to the 2021 college football season is only a couple weeks away. It has been a long offseason but football is almost back. And, after pretty much every media outlet has presented its own preseason poll, and the USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll was officially released last week, the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll has now been officially released.

There are high expectations for Liberty this season after finishing the 2020 campaign 10-1 and being ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll of the 2020 season. For the first time ever, Liberty will enter the 2021 season listed among others receiving votes in the AP Poll. The Flames received 36 votes in the poll, coming in at 4th among the others receiving votes, effectively ranked No. 29.

The Flames were also in the others receiving votes category of the preseason Coaches Poll, checking in fifth among those just outside the top 25. The team returns nearly every starter from a season ago including Heisman Trophy candidate Malik Willis.

Willis helped lead Liberty to a 10-1 record in the shortened 2020 season, ending the year with a dramatic bowl victory over Coastal Carolina. The Flames also had two wins over ACC foes in Syracuse and in-state opponent Virginia Tech. The two wins made Liberty the first non-Power 5 team to post a pair of wins over ACC schools in the same season since Houston in 2015. Liberty finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 18 in the Amway Coaches Poll, the highest ever ranking for the Flames as an FBS program.

Liberty is scheduled to begin the 2021 season on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Flames have won 11 straight games inside the friendly confines of Williams Stadium on the Mountain. Liberty’s 2021 schedule includes one team ranked in the Preseason AP Poll as Louisiana checks in at No. 23. Ole Miss is just outside of the poll and second among others receiving votes.

2021 PRESEASON ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL

  • 1. Alabama
  • 2. Oklahoma
  • 3. Clemson
  • 4. Ohio State
  • 5. Georgia
  • 6. Texas A&M
  • 7. Iowa State
  • 8. Cincinnati
  • 9. Notre Dame
  • 10. North Carolina
  • 11. Oregon
  • 12. Wisconsin
  • 13. Florida
  • 14. Miami
  • 15. USC
  • 16. LSU
  • 17. Indiana
  • 18. Iowa
  • 19. Penn State
  • 20. Washington
  • 21. Texas
  • 22. Coastal Carolina
  • 23. Louisiana
  • 24. Utah
  • 25. Arizona State

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 107, Ole Miss 106, TCU 40, Liberty 36, Auburn 32, North Carolina State 14, Michigan 12, Northwestern 8, Boise State 7, Nevada 7, Brigham Young 6, Ball State 6, Houston 5, Boston College 5, UCF 5, West Virginia 3, UAB 2, Army 2, UCLA 2