Conference USA has been in a legal battle with Louisiana Tech regarding its member status for the upcoming season. Earlier this week, it finally got settled as the Bulldogs will move to the Sun Belt for the 2026 football season. Now, the league has re-released its official 2026 football schedule that does not include Louisiana Tech after releasing a schedule with the Bulldogs listed on it earlier this year.
With the release of CUSA’s schedule, Liberty’s complete 2026 schedule was also released. Coming off a 4-8 season under third year head coach Jamey Chadwell, the Flames will be looking to get back in the mix for the CUSA championship in 2026.
With the departure of UTEP from the league, as they head to the Mountain West, beginning with the 2026 season, as well as Louisiana Tech’s departure, CUSA now has 10 members. The league will continue to play eight conference games each season, meaning everyone in the conference will miss one conference members during the regular season schedule in 2026. The Flames are not scheduled to play Jacksonville State this coming fall. The Gamecocks won the CUSA football championship in 2024 and lost to Kennesaw State in the conference championship game last year.
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.
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. 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. 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.
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.
The CUSA schedule will then transition to its midweek games for the month of October with Liberty playing three in the midweek in 2026, four including the Coastal game. The Flames will open conference play on Friday, Oct. 2 at Delaware, the first trip for Liberty to play at the Blue Hens. On Thursday, Oct. 8, Liberty welcomes Sam Houston to Williams Stadium for the first time since the epic, 21-16, Liberty win on Oct. 5, 2023, as the Flames remained unbeaten with a last second goal line stand.
The Flames will then have its open week before playing at defending CUSA champions Kennesaw State on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The schedule then shifts to Saturday for the Flames’ final five games of the regular season. The Flames host FIU on Saturday, Oct. 31 for homecoming. Liberty plays at New Mexico State on Nov. 7 before hosting Middle Tennessee on Nov. 14. The Flames play host to Western Kentucky on November 21 just ahead of the team’s regular season finale on Nov. 28 on the road at Missouri State.
The Conference USA championship game will be contested at the home site of the No. 1 seed in the league on Friday, Dec. 4 and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
2026 Liberty Football Schedule
Sat., Sep. 05 at James Madison
Sat., Sep. 12 vs Gardner-Webb
Sat., Sep. 19 vs Ball State
Thurs., Sep. 24 at Coastal Carolina
Fri., Oct. 02 at Delaware*
Thurs., Oct. 08 vs Sam Houston*
Sat., Oct. 17 Bye Week
Wed., Oct. 21 at Kennesaw State*
Sat., Oct. 31 vs FIU*
Sat., Nov. 07 at New Mexico State*
Sat., Nov. 14 vs Middle Tennessee*
Sat., Nov. 21 vs Western Kentucky*
Sat., Nov. 28 at Missouri State*
*CUSA game
