Please, any team but Liberty as the Syracuse football non-conference foe

Liberty appears the first option for Syracuse football in terms of its sole 2020 non-conference opponent, yet the Orange should go in a different direction.

The first non-conference option for Syracuse football in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s newly released 2020 schedule is Liberty, according to various reports, and that’s a darn shame.

I totally respect every person in this country having their right to follow whatever culture and religion they choose, and I don’t want to get into an overly philosophical debate with this column.

Liberty, located in Lynchburg, Va., is often described in the press as a conservative academic institution, and that’s fine. Right on the homepage of the university’s Web site reads, “Learn, develop, and grow at Liberty so you can impact your culture as a Champion for Christ.”

Like I said, this isn’t about religion to me. However, in late June, many national media reports, including this one from USA Today, said that two Liberty football players planned to transfer because of what they detailed as “racial insensitivity” and “cultural incompetence” at the school.

USA Today also reported in its article that, earlier in June, Liberty women’s basketball player Asia Todd had opted to transfer, “citing similar reasons related to racial insensitivity.”

Syracuse football lost two of its non-conference games, against Rutgers and Colgate, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. That has left the Orange with either Liberty inside the Carrier Dome or at Western Michigan.

The new ACC scheduling model calls for 10 league contests and one non-conference clash for the ‘Cuse and its other conference counterparts.

Under the ACC’s guidelines, the non-conference tilt has to get played in the ACC squad’s state. Thus, bringing Western Michigan to the Hill would require some additional coordination, while competing versus Liberty makes the most logistical sense.

I get all that. It’s also not so easy to conjure up a new non-conference duel in such a short timeframe, particularly since a lot of leagues around the country are opting for conference-only dockets of games.

"Mike Waters of Syracuse.com quoted Orange athletics director John Wildhack as saying, “Frankly, we have had a number of schools that have called and inquired and would like to play us should the opportunity present. We’re not going to have an issue filling that plus-1, but at the same time, when you have a contractual agreement in place with someone coming here that’s going to be your first conversation.”"

For me, I say nix Liberty if at all economically and legally possible, focus on Western Michigan, explore other alternatives if necessary, and if it’s not ultimately in the cards for Syracuse football to play a non-conference bout, stuff happens. But, please, move on from Liberty. The optics stink.