Liberty will announce it is moving from FCS to FBS.

Liberty had recently tried unsuccessfully to gain membership to the Sun Belt, so it is expected the Flames will initially opt to be an FBS independent during the two-year reclassification process that will begin with the 2018 season and include three FBS home games. The program will be bowl-eligible starting with the 2019 season and will be required to play at least five home FBS opponents.

Liberty's football team is coached by Turner Gill. In November, former Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw, who resigned as part of his involvement in the Baylor sexual assault scandal, was named Liberty's AD.

The school has scheduled a 5 p.m. news conference Thursday to announce its plans.

Liberty is a private, nonprofit Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia.

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