Liberty University moving to FBS

[Rabbit74]

Liberty University announced today that they have been given special permission to move to FBS football without an invitation to join a conference.

https://www.liberty.edu/flames/index...=17950&TeamID=

It will be interesting to see how this works out for Liberty and how many other FCS schools request the same permission from the NCAA.

[2002jack]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

Liberty hired the former AD from Baylor. Not sure that was a good hire. Liberty walks to the beat of a different drum. They don't care if they lose big money on athletics as they have a huge profit from online courses, they have something like 100,000 online students. Jerry Falwell Jr is a huge proponent of athletics. With that being said, they will struggle at D1 FBS. They don't have the fan base.


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[Nidaros]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

Liberty hired the former AD from Baylor. Not sure that was a good hire. Liberty walks to the beat of a different drum. They don't care if they lose big money on athletics as they have a huge profit from online courses, they have something like 100,000 online students. Jerry Falwell Jr is a huge proponent of athletics. With that being said, they will struggle at D1 FBS. They don't have the fan base.


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Lynchburg is not close to any population center and not everyone is a confessing Baptist, so they need to rely on generous alums and friends. They have them no doubt.

[Nidaros]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

Lynchburg is not close to any population center and not everyone is a confessing Baptist, so they need to rely on generous alums and friends. They have them no doubt.

I recall Jerry Sr. said when they started their athletic program, that he hoped some day Liberty would take on a Notre Dame in football. Possibly that goal is in sight.

[THE PRIDE IS BACK!!!]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

I recall Jerry Sr. said when they started their athletic program, that he hoped some day Liberty would take on a Notre Dame in football. Possibly that goal is in sight.

If a conference doesn't pick them up and they stay an independent, won't they have to take on Notre Dame since Independent is considered a conference?

[BTownJack]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

If a conference doesn't pick them up and they stay an independent, won't they have to take on Notre Dame since Independent is considered a conference?

No, being independent means you aren't affiliated with any other teams which gives you the freedom to schedule anyone you want at anytime of the year. There is no requirement that forces independent teams to play each other. Liberty University would play Notre Dame only if Notre Dame chooses to put them on their schedule.

[2002jack]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

No, being independent means you aren't affiliated with any other teams which gives you the freedom to schedule anyone you want at anytime of the year. There is no requirement that forces independent teams to play each other. Liberty University would play Notre Dame only if Notre Dame chooses to put them on their schedule.

Notre Dame while independent has a scheduling alliance with the ACC. They are welcome to schedule anyone they want beyond the 5 games a season they play against the ACC.


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[2002jack]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

Lynchburg is not close to any population center and not everyone is a confessing Baptist, so they need to rely on generous alums and friends. They have them no doubt.

Lynchburg's metro is very similar to Fargo's metro. I am guessing the SunBelt will add them to replace Idaho.


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[Nidaros]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

Lynchburg's metro is very similar to Fargo's metro. I am guessing the SunBelt will add them to replace Idaho.


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I really don't know Virginia very well. I thought it was isolated in the Shanadogh Valley but there is apparently more peeps than I had thought.

[Nidaros]

Re: Liberty University moving to

If a conference doesn't pick them up and they stay an independent, won't they have to take on Notre Dame since Independent is considered a conference?

Yes I would think so. A good reason for SDSU to stay put for a while.

[Rabbit74]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

The Sunbelt has turned Liberty down several times and that is why they had to get the exemption to move up without a conference invite. The Sunbelt added Coastal Carolina to basically replace Idaho and then kicked New Mexico State out as well. They have 10 football playing members.

[2002jack]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

The Sunbelt has turned Liberty down several times and that is why they had to get the exemption to move up without a conference invite. The Sunbelt added Coastal Carolina to basically replace Idaho and then kicked New Mexico State out as well. They have 10 football playing members.

You are probably right.


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[Grizzled_Jack]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

But do they lie about attendance or is that just ORU?

[Rabbit74]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

But do they lie about attendance or is that just ORU?

Youngstown is also a member of that club.

[thumper_76]

Re: Liberty University moving to FBS

The Sunbelt has turned Liberty down several times and that is why they had to get the exemption to move up without a conference invite. The Sunbelt added Coastal Carolina to basically replace Idaho and then kicked New Mexico State out as well. They have 10 football playing members.

Bingo. There isn't much of a reason for the Sun Belt to add any teams at the moment, all it would do is trim down the TV money that remains on their contract. The Belt wants zero to do with Liberty.

But do they lie about attendance or is that just ORU?

A large number of of G5 make ORU look like amateurs when it comes to false attendance reporting because of the minimum attendance to be a FBS team. It's insane how bad it is. The attendance number won't be bad for them.

Liberty has a pretty decent following. But they are going to really struggle to find games as an independent. Big XII teams won't touch them with the hiring of Baylor's AD, among other schools. No way Notre Dame touches them. They are going to struggle to get 12 games a year, let alone decent home games. The thing they have going for them is they can afford to spend money like most schools can't, so I don't ever see them dropping down from FBS.

As for other schools following their path, I have a hard time seeing it. To be an independent is a death sentence for most schools, it's what forced Idaho to drop back, UMASS to to failing, and NMSU to drop back down if they don't find a home soon. You don't get any of the money from bowl games, the playoff, or tv contracts. When your spending FBS money, no school looking to move up can afford that outside of Liberty.



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