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After an 0-4 start, no one expected this game to have much significance, but after wins in five of the last six games (including an upset over Stony Brook last Saturday), this game has major implications on the Big South's automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs. A Liberty victory means that a Coastal Carolina win over in state rival Charleston Southern sends the Chanticleers to the playoffs for the third time in school history and second year in a row. A loss by the Flames (even with a Coastal victory) sends the Seawolves in as the automatic qualifier by virtue of their 27-21 win over Coastal in Conway. Teams from some of the power conferences in FCS (like the MVFC and the CAA) will want to root for Charleston Southern and VMI this weekend, because if Liberty or CCU takes the autobid, there will be some pause by the selection committee as to whether to give the Seawolves an at-large bid.

Here is my preview of the game this weekend on my Liberty football blog:

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I think there is almost no chance that the Seawolves get an at large bid. I dpn't think 9-2 out of the Big South will be good enough to get in ahead of 8-3 from the CAA, Big Sky, Southland, Southern and MVFC. It looks like there will a lot of teams from those conferences with 8 or more wins.

I fully expect Liberty to roll this Saturday as well as Coastal. SBU concentrates on basketball now. Wait till next year

Wow. I never stopped to think about the possibility of CCU losing to Chuck South. Not likely, I agree, but that combined with a Liberty win over VMI gives LIBERTY the AQ due to the tiebreaker with Stony Brook. After that horrifying start, just to know that there's even a REMOTE possibility makes this season gratifying. Of course, if it DOES happen, Liberty likely meets a buzzsaw in the first round....

I think that most Liberty fans see us getting the AQ as a very long shot SH, but you have to think that Coach Gill will be in the running for CoY with the way the team turned around over the last five games and winning Saturday would be a fine capper to that

bjtheflamesfan wrote:I think that most Liberty fans see us getting the AQ as a very long shot SH, but you have to think that Coach Gill will be in the running for CoY with the way the team turned around over the last five games and winning Saturday would be a fine capper to that

I suspect that Turner Gill is a lock for COY if Liberty and Chuck South both win. Anything else, and it will probably be SBU's coach....

I don't have a choice but to root for VMI. But i'm still confident SBU can get an at-large. Just waiting for more dominoes to fall on Saturday

It doesn't make sense that the #12/#13 in the nation gets left out of the playoff.

The Flames are going to roll the Keydets today. Then it is on to Sunday and hope the call comes for SBU.