Liberty is undoubtedly having its best season in school history this year as the Flames are 9-1 and have been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for four weeks, including this week’s ranking at No. 25. Under second year head coach Hugh Freeze, the Flames have wins over Syracuse and Virginia Tech and the team’s only loss came by one point at NC State, 15-14.

As the team gears up for its regular season finale this coming Saturday at No. 14 Coastal Carolina, Stadium’s Brett McMurphy reported that Liberty “may not receive bowl bid even though Flames could finish 10-1, sources told Stadium.” McMurphy continued, “Reason is LU doesn’t have guaranteed bowl tie-in & w/out any win requirements for teams to be bowl eligible, bowls expected to fill w/their designated conference affiliations source said.”

This week, many bowl projections have the Flames making a bowl, linked to bowls such as the Boca Raton Bowl and Montgomery Bowl. McMurphy also makes his own bowl projections, and in his most recent update, he did not have Liberty making a bowl game despite previously having the Flames in the Montgomery Bowl.

Playing as an FBS Independent, Liberty does not have any primary bowl agreements. The Flames, however, have secondary bowl agreements with a number of bowl games including the Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, FL), Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, AL), Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, ID), Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl (Frisco, TX), Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, SC), and the New Mexico Bowl (will be played in Frisco, Texas this year).

Earlier this year, the NCAA waived all bowl eligibility requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic, not requiring teams to achieve a minimum win threshold. Thus, all teams are technically eligible for a bowl game this season even if they finish with losing records.

“No idea if we will beat Coastal or not, but if we do I think we have as a Group of Five the most impressive wins in the nation compared to the other Group of Five schedules,” Freeze said when asked about his team’s bowl situation. “I don’t get caught up worrying about that. Ian (McCaw) and our administration do a great job working with our partners in the bowl tie-ins or the secondary tie-ins, whatever you call them, ESPN and all of that. They do a great job with all of that. We will cross that bridge when we get there, but if you’re asking me if we’re worthy of a bowl, there is zero doubt I would think in anyone’s mind that that would be the case.”

The Flames are hoping to get to the program’s second every bowl game, repeating from the 2019 season when Liberty advanced to the Cure Bowl, defeating Georgia Southern for the school’s first ever bowl win.

“Who knows what’s going to happen after the regular season is over,” said Freeze as his team prepares to face Coastal Carolina this Saturday in the regular season finale. “Who knows if there’s going to be bowl games? Who knows? This opportunity that we have to beat a top 15 team, number 14, that should get your juices flowing. I don’t know what the outcome of the game is going to be, but I will say this to you, what non Group of Five school has the most impressive wins this year? I’ll let ya’ll answer that.”