From staff reports
Conference USA champion No. 23 Liberty (13-0, 8-0 CUSA) has earned the Group of Five’s New Year’s Six bowl bid as the highest-ranked G5 champion, and the Flames are headed to the VRBO Fiesta Bowl to take on No. 8 Oregon.
This marks the first time a CUSA team has earned a New Year’s Six spot in the league’s history. The game takes place on Monday, Jan. 1, at 12 p.m. CT from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Liberty’s invite comes in their first year as a CUSA member and just eight months after former league member Florida Atlantic made the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in late March and early April.
It’s an impressive one-two punch for a league that many talking heads around the country were claiming was on life support over the past few years.
Liberty moved past previously unbeaten Tulane, who fell 26-14 to SMU in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) championship game Saturday. The loss eliminated the Green Wave from the chance of making history.
Liberty set a program record for wins with 13 and was one of just four undefeated teams in the country during the 2023 season. All 13 wins came against FBS competition, including six wins over bowl-eligible opponents although the Flames did not play a P5 team in their non-conference schedule.
The Flames captured the 2023 CUSA championship on Friday night with a 49-35 win over 10-win New Mexico State, the team’s first FBS conference title in their first season in the conference.
Liberty is one of four CUSA teams that are bowl bound, joining New Mexico State, Jacksonville State and WKU.
New Mexico State (10-4, 7-1 CUSA) will take on Fresno State (8-4, 4-4 MWC) in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque at 4:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 16, on ESPN.
Jax State (8-4, 6-2 CUSA) will face off with Louisiana (6-6, 3-5 Sun Belt) in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 1:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.
WKU (7-5, 5-3 CUSA) will take on Old Dominion (6-6, 5-3 Sun Belt) in the Famous Toastery Bowl in Charlotte on Monday, Dec. 18, at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
