When college football fans want a preview of the teams across the country, they turn to Phil Steele’s Football Preview. In previewing Liberty in his 2025 College Football Preview Magazine, Phil Steele was high on the Flames and expect the team to have a repeat of the success from 2023.
Liberty was picked 81st out of the 136 FBS teams in Phil Steele’s Power Poll and 39th in his preseason top 40. His Power Poll is like a power rankings of the talent of each year’s team while his top 40 ranks where he anticipates each team will finish the season.
“Chadwell guided Liberty to an unbeaten year two years and the (Fiesta) Bowl,” the magazine writes of Liberty. “They have the talent and schedule to run the table again and are a playoff contender.”
The Flames’ offensive line is ranked as the No. 47 unit among all offensive lines in the country. Meanwhile, Liberty’s defensive line unit ranked No. 41. Other noted position unit ranks include the defensive backs at No. 64.
17 Flames are on the preseason All-CUSA team led by first teamers C Aaron Fenimore, OT Jack Tucker, DE CJ Bazile, DT Bryce Dixon, LB Joe Carter, and S Brylan Green.
“The Flames lose a lot on offense but have a potentially dominating defense and should play with a chip on their shoulder,” Phil Steele wrote in his preview of Liberty. “They avoid WKU and face the league’s best schedule. The Nov. 22 road trip to La Tech looks like a key game. My main set of power rankings call for 12-0. This year, they look like the best team in CUSA again and may just be favored in every game for a 2nd year in a row and are a contender for the Group of Five playoff spot.”
For more on Liberty and a full breakdown on all 136 FBS teams, Phil Steele’s 2025 College Football Preview magazine is now on sale.
