College Football Playoff: Making case for undefeated non-Power 5 teams

Making the case for Liberty

Although all of these teams have good quarterback play, none might be more dynamic and shifty as Liberty’s Malik Willis. The former Auburn quarterback has not only led the team in passing, but also rushing. Willis has quietly kept Liberty undefeated, making their first AP Top 25 appearance in just their third season at the FBS level.

Similar to Grayson McCall, Willis is normally a pretty accurate quarterback who takes care of the ball. The Flames picked up their biggest win at the FBS level this past week, with the upset of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, that involved a catastrophic ending for the Hokies. Willis had 217 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also added 108 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The downfall for the Flames is that their defense is the weakest out of the four teams. After giving up 418 yards to Virginia Tech, they have had some less than desirable performances. The Flames have also given up 34 points to Florida International and Southern Mississippi.

To go along with that, the Flames currently have the 115th ranked strength of schedule, which is the worst out of the four. The Flames do have a small chance if they have some things go their way — this is 2020, after all.

Liberty does have the best schedule out of the four remaining, in terms of quality opponents. The Flames get two major road games, including the before mentioned trip to Conway to face No. 15 Coastal Carolina. Before that, the boys from Lynchburg travel to Raleigh to play North Carolina State.

Liberty is already behind, considering it just entered the rankings this past week. However, if the Flames win out and are impressive in the process, they could throw their name into the hat with a highlight reel quarterback and an exciting offense.

If Liberty can run the table, I give it a 12 percent of making the playoff.