Texas, Penn State, Florida and South Carolina would likely top most college football fans’ list of the most disappointing teams in 2025, but Liberty should be in the conversation too.
The Flames were expected to run rampant in Conference USA in 2025, but things have gone sideways for head coach Jamey Chadwell in Lynchburg.
Liberty is 1-4 on the season, but just 0-1 in conference play, so a win over UTEP on Wednesday would keep its hopes alive in C-USA.
It’s been ugly from the jump for Liberty.
The Flames handled Maine in their season opener, but they followed that up with four straight losses to Jacksonville State, Bowling Green, James Madison and Old Dominion.
All four defeats came by at least 10 points.
Perhaps most disappointing was that Liberty’s clash with JMU was supposed to be somewhat of an eliminator for the College Football Playoff, but instead it ended in a ho-hum drubbing by the Dukes.
The good news for the Flames is that they’ll have an opportunity to get right against another struggling team Wednesday night.
UTEP pinned its hopes for a turnaround season on former blue-chip quarterback Malachi Nelson in 2025, but things haven’t gone well for the Miners on offense.
According to SP+, the Miners boast the 128th-best offense in FBS, and the culprit is the inconsistency of Nelson under center.
Liberty’s offense hasn’t been much better, it ranks 112th according to SP+, which is hard to believe given what we’ve seen from the Flames in recent campaigns.
Both defenses grade out as fine, relative to C-USA standards, and should have plenty of success against offenses that are looking for any sort of spark.
It’s hard not to be tempted by the Flames as a short road favorite given the projected disparity in talent, but the Under 46.5 seems a savvier play.
The Play: Under 46.5 (-110, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.