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Duff Tittle | BYU Athletic Communications | Posted May 13, 2017 9:02 AM | Updated May 13, 2017 10:42 AM

PROVO, Utah - Brigham Young University and Liberty University today announced the schools have agreed to a home-and-home football series for the 2019 and 2022 seasons. The two private Christian universities are scheduled to play at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Nov. 9, 2019, with the second game of the series at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Oct. 22, 2022.
The schools have never met before in football. Liberty was founded in 1971 and began playing football in 1973. The Flames gained NCAA Division I status in 1988 and joined the Big South Conference in football in 2002. From 2007 through 2016, Liberty captured eight conference football titles in 10 seasons. In 2017, the Flames football program joined the Football Bowl Subdivision as an independent.

This fills up the 2019 schedule. There is still one home game in 2018 that has not yet been announced.

Disappointed we would schedule a school that rewarded the Baylor AD that helped to cover up the sexual assault problems at that school with the same job.

I'd rather play 2 FCS teams in a year.

Why play there?

Mars wrote:Why play there?

The only thing I can come up with is that TH either wants to help a fellow independent team, or he likes playing a game in Lynchburg, VA. Otherwise, it makes no sense at all. I'm not saying those are good reasons by the way.

I always remember when I first heard of Liberty University. I'm a Browns fan and Sam Rutigliano was the coach for Cleveland from 1978-1984, probably about the best years for the team post the mid 60's when they won the NFL championship. Rutigliano was named the NFL Coach of the Year in 1980. In 1984, after a 1-7 beginning, he was fired. After working for NBC and ESPN for 3 years, he then went to coach the Liberty football team for the next decade.

Liberty University was at one time the ONLY other college in modern day to oppose playing sports on Sundays.

Why not?--that will be one of the first "light" games on the schedule and the only trip east of Salt Lake City in 2022. I know people love the thought of big timing smaller schools with a 1:done or 2:1, but sometimes not doing something just because you are able to comes back in a good way down the road. And the fans in the Virginia area will love another game they can get to since the team will be in Lynchburg in 2022 and Charlottesville in 2023.

Mars wrote:Why play there?

Maybe as a way to reward those thousands of us who attended the WVU game last year and the UVA game three years ago?

I don't think you can overlook the fact that Liberty is only one of 5 FBS independents AND a private Christian university that doesn't play on Sundays. Their stated goal is to become THE flagship university for Evangelical Christians. What BYU is to the LDS community. From that perspective, they have a ton in common with BYU.

And, Liberty is putting $$$$ into its football program and facilities. They expect to have a stadium of 35K capacity by the 2022 season.

Also, there are lots of BYU fans and alumni within driving distance of Lynchburg. It's within 3-4 hours of fans and alumni throughout Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Within 6-7 hours of Atlanta, New York, Nashville, and Columbus.

And apparently during Trump's commencement address at Liberty he announced their schedule which (obviously) includes BYU.

Liberty to Pay ODU $1.3M for Game in Lynchburg

The $1.32M to be paid to Old Dominion is more than Alabama's previous record for a payday home game. Liberty has money and they aren't afraid to spend it.

I wish BYU would spend some money to get more home games against decent competition.