When Liberty moved to Conference USA, it was safe to assume the Flames would be competitive in the league. But few guessed how spectacular they would be.
Liberty went undefeated in the regular season, beating six of their CUSA foes by double digits. The Flames went on to defeat New Mexico State in the conference championship and were the Group of Five team to make a New Year’s Six bowl, ending the year with a 45-6 loss to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
And with head coach Jamey Chadwell, quarterback Kaidon Salter, and plenty more stars returning, Liberty should be one of the best G5 teams again in 2024.
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Liberty Football’s Conference USA Title Odds
Liberty’s odds to win Conference USA are -210, via BetMGM. The Flames are the favorites to win the league.
Liberty Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
Liberty’s win total Over/Under is 10.5, with Under 10.5 at +125 and Over 10.5 at -150.
Liberty Football’s 2024 Schedule
8/31 vs. Campbell
9/7 @ New Mexico State
9/14 vs. UTEP
9/21 vs. East Carolina
9/28 @ App State
10/9 vs. FIU
10/23 @ Kennesaw State
10/30 vs. Jacksonville State
11/9 @ Middle Tennessee
11/16 @ UMass
11/23 vs. Western Kentucky
11/30 @ Sam Houston
Bold indicates Conference USA contests
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Key Liberty Football Returners
2023 All-Conference USA 1st Team
QB Kaidon Salter
RB Quinton Cooley
DB Brylan Green
2nd Team
OL Jordan White
DL Jay Hardy
Honorable Mention
RB Billy Lucas
OL Xavior Gray
DE CJ Bazile Jr.
Liberty Football Has Some Of The Best Skill Players In The G5
Liberty’s hopes of repeating as the Conference USA champion saw a major boost when Salter decided to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to the Flames this offseason.
Salter was the Group of Five Player of the Year in 2023. As a sophomore last year, he threw for 2,876 yards, 32 touchdowns – which was fifth in the FBS – and six interceptions on a 61% completion rate. He was also top three in the nation for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (12) as he ran for 1,089 yards on 163 carries.
Liberty returns not one but two top-notch running backs in Quinton Cooley and Billy Lucas. Cooley, another G5 All-American, was seventh in the nation last season with 1,401 rushing yards to go with 16 touchdowns on the ground on 221 attempts. Lucas was an all-conference honorable mention selection last year as Cooley’s backup and ran for 597 yards and six touchdowns on 114 carries.
Four of Liberty’s top five receivers, including CJ Daniels who caught 55 passes for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, are gone. But Treon Sibley, who was second on the team with 467 yards and four touchdowns on 23 catches, as well as tight end Bentley Hanshaw, who tallied 219 yards and six touchdowns on 18 catches, are returning.
Liberty also brings back plenty of experience up front, including Jordan White and Xavior Gray, who both were All-Conference USA selections a year ago.
Not only were the Flames first in CUSA in points (38.3) and yards (499.1) per game, the Flames were top three in the league for points allowed (24.3) and yards allowed (372.8) per game.
Liberty did lose a few contributors on the defensive side of the ball like Tyren Dupree, who led the team with 123 tackles a season ago. But the Flames are still plenty talented on defense again in 2024.
Brylan Green, a G5 first-team All-American defensive back, is returning after picking off five passes and defending 13 more while recording 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack.
Defensive linemen Jay Hardy and CJ Bazile Jr. are both back after earning All-CUSA accolades in 2023. Bazile led the team with 10.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and 11 quarterback hurries to go with 49 tackles last year while Hardy racked up 31 tackles, five for loss, as well as two sacks. Linebacker Joseph Carter is Liberty’s leading returning tackler, as he was third on the team with 59 tackles a season ago.
2024 Liberty Football Season Prediction
I predict Liberty will win the Conference USA Championship but will go Under 10.5 wins.
What Liberty did last season is simply going to be difficult to replicate, especially in light of all of the talented players lost to graduation and the transfer portal this offseason. But even accounting for a bit of a dropoff, the Flames should still be the best team in CUSA in my opinion.
As for its win total Over/Under, reaching 11 victories is going to be tough for Liberty. Other than its road trip to App State, which I believe will be a loss for the Flames, there isn’t necessarily a clear loss on the schedule. But I do believe there will be a letdown game at some point.
Maybe that’s against East Carolina, which is expected to make a step up in 2024. Maybe that’s against Jacksonville State or Western Kentucky, both of which are home games for Liberty but both of those squads are expected to contend for the CUSA title as well. Or maybe that’s at the end of the season against Sam Houston, at which point the postseason picture might be locked up for Liberty – and don’t forget Sam Houston lost at Liberty by just five points a year ago and is expected to also improve.
But even with a 10-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in league play, Liberty will still be in position to win Conference USA again in 2024.
