273. Thatās how many days itās been since we all watched the Liberty Flames play on The Mountain. Tomorrow that number will be 0. Itās been a long wait, but it is nearly over and now we look at the season ahead.
And what a season it promises to be. I predicted last year would be one defined by questions about Salter, the O-line, and Conference USA. This year, I think there are only two questions: Will we go 13-0 again? And will we make the playoffs?
Itās hard to win college football games. Perfection is a bar that is nearly impossible to clear once, let alone twice, in as many years. When I look at our schedule this year, I think itās possible, but the nagging voice in my head always responds, āAgain, really?ā
But then I look at our team and recall that we didnāt lose much from last year. We still have Kaidon slinging the rock and one of the best rushing attacks in the Group of Five. I look at our defense that looks, on paper, as strong as any weāve ever fielded. And, of course, I look at our coaching staff helmed by Jamey Chadwell, and I start to think maybe there isnāt any team in this country that we canāt beat.
But expectations are a hell of a thing. Just what should we expect from this team, this year? For me, last year set a standard. 11-1 and Conference USA Champions should be the floor for us. The ceiling? The College Football Playoff.
Hitting the ceiling will be even harder this year than it was last year. Liberty has the clearest path to an undefeated season and a conference championship of any G5 team. But there is no margin for error whatsoever. We simply will not get into the playoff over a 1-loss, Mountain West Champion Boise State or a 1-loss, American Champion Memphis unless we are perfect. No small task in a season that runs through Boone, NC.
Meanwhile, even if we manage perfection, we likely lose out on a CFP bid to any other undefeated G5 Conference Champ. So itās not enough for us to be good, we also have to be very lucky ā even more than last year when our New Years Six bid was decided by an upset in the American Conference Championship.
So back to expectations. I donāt expect we will make the CFP this year. I donāt even expect we will go undefeated. I expect we will finish the season 11-1, win the Conference Championship on The Mountain, go to a Bowl game underestimated, and blow the doors off a 6-6 Power 4 team.
I donāt think this season will deliver the emotional highs of last. But hey, I couldnāt imagine the 2023 season at this time last year either.
Curious how the rest of the Flamesville team sees the season going? Here are our predictions:
