Entering the program’s third season under head coach Jamey Chadwell, the Liberty Flames are looking to get back to a seventh straight bowl game in 2025 while also competing for the Conference USA championship.
This is not just simply a list of teams ranked in order of strength on Liberty’s schedule. There are other factors like where the game is being played, where the game falls on the schedule, who the teams play the week prior and what is going on at the different schools. With that said, here’s a ranking of Liberty’s 2025 football opponents on this year’s schedule, from least to most difficult:
12. Aug. 30: vs Maine
For a second straight season, Liberty will kick off the season at Williams Stadium against an FCS opponent when the Flames welcome Maine to Lynchburg to open the 2025 campaign. The Flames are 9-0 against FCS opponents since making the move to the FBS prior to the 2018 season, including a 41-24 win over Campbell last year. The Black Bears were 5-7 a year ago and 3-5 in CAA play. They lost to Oklahoma, 59-14, in their only contest against an FBS opponent in 2024. Liberty defeated Maine, 59-44, October 19, 2019, in the teams’ prior matchup.
11. Nov. 29: vs Kennesaw State
The regular season finale will feature Liberty and Kennesaw State where the Owls will look to pull off the repeat shocking upset after knocking off the Flames last year, 27-24, for their first ever FBS win. The Owls went on to finish their first year at the FBS level and in CUSA at 2-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play. They also fired the only head coach their program had ever known, Brian Bohannon, and hired Jerry Mack. He comes to Kennesaw after one year as the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously held the same position for the University of Tennessee. Mack was North Carolina Central’s head coach from 2014-2017 where he compiled a 31-15 overall record and 26-6 MEAC record, posting a winning season all four years.
10. Oct. 14: vs New Mexico State
In his first year as head coach at New Mexico State, Tony Sanchez posted a 3-9 record and 2-6 mark in conference play. The Aggies took the Flames to the bring in Week 2, before Liberty came back to win, 30-24. This year, the teams will meet during the midweek, playing on a Tuesday night in Lynchburg. The Aggies will have 12 days to prepare for the game while the Flames will have a shortened week after playing the prior Wednesday.
9. Nov. 8: vs Missouri State
The FBS and CUSA newcomers will make the trek to Lynchburg and Williams Stadium in early November. Third year head coach Ryan Beard saw great improvement after a 4-7 2023 campaign to an 8-4 mark last year. The Bears were 6-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the top FCS conference in the country. Their losses last year? #1 North Dakota State, #3 South Dakota State, #3 Montana, and FBS Ball State (42-34). Missouri State also has 10 days to prepare for the Flames, as they adjust from the October midweek schedule. This is a game that could sneak up on Liberty.
8. Nov. 15: @ FIU
After three straight 4-8 seasons, Mike MacIntyre is out as head coach and Willie Simmons has taken over. Simmons inherits an FIU team that was also 3-5 in CUSA play, but their record may be worse than they were. The Panthers lost to Liberty, 31-24, in overtime at Williams Stadium. They had four other losses by three points or less. FIU was very close to achieving bowl eligibility. Simmons comes in after spending the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Duke. Prior to that he was the head coach at Florida A&M for six years, compiling an impressive 45-13 overall record and 34-5 conference record. The former starting quarterback at Clemson, Simmons was the head coach at Prairie View A&M for three years prior to his time at FAMU.
7. Nov. 22: @ Louisiana Tech
Sonny Cumbie is likely coaching for his job this season after three straight losing records. LA Tech did make it to the Independence Bowl after Marshall withdrew from the game due to a large number of players entering the transfer portal. The Bulldogs lost to Army, 27-6, to finish the year at 5-8. They suffered three overtime losses and finished 4-4 in CUSA.
6. Nov. 1: vs Delaware
After a long and storied tenure in the FCS, the Delaware Blue Hens will compete in the FBS for the first time in 2025. Delaware is coming off a 9-2 season where they were 6-2 in the CAA. The Blue Hens and Flames did have one common opponent last year, with Delaware beating Campbell, 41-22, and Liberty defeating the Camels by a similar, 41-24, score. Ryan Carty is entering his fourth season as the head coach at his alma mater where he played quarterback. In his first three seasons, Delaware has gone 26-11 overall and 16-8 in conference while advancing to the second round of the FCS Playoffs in each of his first two years they were eligible. This will be the first game for both teams after transitioning to the normal Saturday weekly schedule following the October midweek games. Delaware will have 10 days to prepare for this one while Liberty has over two weeks (18 days to be exact) off prior to this game. Could the Flames be rusty?
5. Oct. 8: @ UTEP
The Miners are entering their final season in Conference USA, and they will certainly be looking to put a stamp on their time in the league. Under first year head coach Scotty Walden last year, UTEP was 3-9 on the season and 3-5 in conference play. They did show some improvement late in the year, winning their last two CUSA games and three of their last five with the two losses coming by one score. Liberty defeated the Miners, 28-10, in Lynchburg on Sept. 14 last season.
4. Sept. 13: @ Bowling Green
Liberty and Bowling Green will renew acquaintances in Week 3 of the college football season. The Flames opened the Jamey Chadwell era in 2023 with a 34-24 win at home over Bowling Green. The Falcons are coming off a 7-6 record last year and 6-2 finish in the MAC, reaching the 68 Ventures Bowl, a third straight bowl game for Bowling Green. In late February, their head coach Scot Loeffler left Bowling Green to become the quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons then hired Eddie George, former All-Pro and Heisman trophy winner. He’s been the head coach at Tennessee State for the prior four years, going 24-22 and 13-12 in conference play.
3. Sept. 27: @ Old Dominion
In-state foes Liberty and ODU will renew their rivalry in late September. The Monarchs are coming off a 5-7 season last where they went 4-4 in the Sun Belt. They had one similar opponent with the Flames, losing to East Carolina, 20-14, while Liberty defeated the Pirates, 35-24. Head coach Ricky Rahne is 20-30 during his time at Old Dominion, having posted four straight losing seasons. Liberty is 4-0 against the Monarchs since moving to the FBS level, including a 38-10 win in the teams’ previous meeting on Nov. 11, 2023 in Lynchburg. The Monarchs do have an open date the week prior to playing the Flames.
2. Sept. 6: @ Jacksonville State
The Gamecocks got off to a slow start last season, dropping their first three games. They would quickly rebound to win eight straight, including a 31-21 decision at Liberty. Jax State would go on to defeat Western Kentucky, 52-12, in the CUSA Championship before falling to Ohio, 30-27, in the Cure Bowl to finish the season at 9-5 overall and 7-1 in CUSA. Following the season, Rich Rodriguez left JSU to return as head coach at West Virginia. The Gamecocks have hired Charles Kelly who is taking over in his first time being a head coach. The long-time defensive assistant was co-Defensive Coordinator at Auburn for the 2024 season and has also spent time previously at Colorado, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida State. Jax State will open the 2025 season on Thursday night of Week 1 at UCF before hosting the Flames.
1. Sept. 20: vs James Madison
This game will certainly be circled by many as the two teams separated by about 70 miles will meet for the first time as FBS counterparts. The last meeting came back in the 2014 FCS Playoffs when Liberty defeated the Dukes in Harrisonburg. James Madison picked up their first ever bowl win last year, defeating Western Kentucky, 27-17, in the Boca Raton Bowl to finish the season at 9-4 overall and 4-4 in the Sun Belt under first year head coach Bob Chesney. JMU has an open date the week prior to facing the Flames in Lynchburg for the first time since 2011.
