On Sunday, Liberty received official notification that the program was headed to the Fiesta Bowl to take on No. 8 Oregon (11-2) on January 1st. The announcement sent off shock waves around the Flames’ program throughout the country and even world.

“Today, was surreal for our program, for our players,” Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell said on Sunday. “To see our name, our logo up there in the Fiesta Bowl was something that really was beyond our dreams.”

Chadwell and Liberty received the invitation to the New Year’s Six Bowl as the top ranked Group of Five Conference Champion in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings. The Flames, 13-0 and Conference USA champs, were ranked No. 23 in that poll, one spot ahead of AAC Champion SMU who checked in at No. 24.

Sunday turned into a long wait for the Flames, the announcement culminating the greatest weekend in program history. It began Friday night when Liberty defeated New Mexico State in the CUSA Championship Game to finish the season unbeaten. It carried over into Saturday with Flames Nation everywhere rooting on the SMU Mustangs to knock off Tulane in the AAC Championship Game since the Green Wave were ranked ahead of Liberty in the rankings.

Once SMU pulled off the upset, it was down to them and Liberty for the G5 automatic bid to a NY6 bowl.

The CFP Top 4 and playoff rankings were revealed Sunday afternoon around 12:15 on ESPN’s selection show special. For the rest of the teams, including Liberty, the wait lasted for over two hours until the NY6 bowls began to be revealed live on ESPN just after 2:30 p.m.

Liberty had to wait through the other four NY6 bowl announcements, clinging to hope the Flames had done enough, in the Committee’s eyes, to earn that coveted spot. Then, the Fiesta Bowl graphic flashed onto the screen showing No. 23 Liberty against No. 8 Oregon in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl and chaos ensued.

“When it went up on the screen, it was low key a blur after that point,” said Liberty 6th year senior WR Noah Frith. “Everybody jumping around, there was a bunch of excitement.”

“I didn’t care who we played,” Frith continued during a press conference following the announcement. “I just wanted to see Liberty, New Year’s Six Bowl, and someone else, it didn’t matter to me. I’m still just letting it sink in that we’re going to a New Year’s Six Bowl. I know we’re playing Oregon and I’m ready to play, but we’re just grateful to be here.”

Fellow 6th year senior and team captain LB Tyren Dupree had similar comments.

“It’s a by-product of what work and effort you have put into this season,” Dupree said. “I’m dumb-founded right now. I’m so excited for another chance to be able to play. That’s all I can really ask for with these guys.”

“Seeing that logo and the Fiesta Bowl versus who we are playing,” Chadwell explained, “Because you didn’t know if it was going to happen or not. There was just exhilaration. There was joy. There was emotions, tears.”

There are plenty who have questioned if Liberty was deserving of the national attention and ranking it received late in the season. Most pointed to the team’s strength of schedule ranking, which ranked towards the bottom of the country at the FBS level. Coach Chadwell, his staff, and the players kept pointing to what they did on the field each and every week.

“We earned it,” said Liberty Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. “We went 13-0. I think we’re the best Group of Five team over the course of the season. I think we were very deserving of it. I think one of the schools that deserves a lot of credit in our conference is New Mexico State. The way they played, their win over Auburn, the way they finished. For us to have two wins over a program like that, that had a 10-win season, I think really helped boost our resume in the eyes of the committee.”

Liberty accomplished history and a season that the team, players, coaches, and fans will remember for the rest of their lives. Nobody can take that away from them. 13-0. Undisputed conference champions. The best G5 team in the country. Headed to the Fiesta Bowl.

The Flames accomplished all of that in the first year under head coach Jamey Chadwell who had to replace 50% of the team’s roster following the 2022 season. Chadwell and his staff got those that remained, with the new additions, to buy into what his staff was teaching. It began to come together over the summer, and the team never wavered throughout the season.

“To win 13 games, win the Conference USA Championship, and culminating with a New Year’s Six Bowl appearance is just incredible,” McCaw said. “Can’t say enough about the job Coach Chadwell has done, his staff. They have been absolutely incredible. Our student-athletes are really bought into the program. The way they bonded and came together over the course of the summer, through the season, has been really special. This is one of the most special teams I’ve ever been around during my career, any sport. Fort them to be 13-0 and ranked 23rd in the CFP Poll is an exceptional accomplishment.”

As the emotions begin to settle, the Flames will now have to turn their attention to Oregon. The Ducks are one of the premier programs in college football. They were just one win away from potentially playing for the national championship as one of the top four teams in the country. Oregon has won 10 or more games in 11 of 16 seasons. The Ducks have been in a New Year’s Six Bowl game in three of the past five seasons.

“To play one of the premier college football programs in the country with Oregon is something that doesn’t typically happen to programs like us,” said Chadwell. “If I could put in words just the emotion that our players felt to see that today, the excitement, the joy, the tears, it was a special, special moment. We are thankful to be in it, we are thankful to be representing Conference USA, and we are excited about playing Oregon. We know how good they are.”

Sunday was an euphoric moment for this team and its fans. Now, the real work begins.

“Coach Chadwell, I know he’s ready to work, just like we are,” Frith said. “We are ready to go and play and show everybody who Liberty is.”