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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2026-04-15 15:17:36+00:00.

The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here

While UMass might have been kind of a no-brainer to be at the bottom of the rankings, Charlotte (high = 137, low = 138) being effectively tied with them (and behind them in SP+) feels a little shocking. As former Ohio head coach Tim Albin kicks off his second season in charge of the 49ers following the failed Biff Poggi experience, things look a bit dire. Even Poggi managed to win a few FBS games in his nearly 2 years (including sweeping ECU) before being fired, and Poggi’s last 49ers team finished 4-4 in the American, which looks a far cry better than last year’s 0-8 conference campaign. But to be fair, Albin did lead Ohio to 3 consecutive 10 win seasons and a MAC championship before moving to Charlotte, including a significant turnaround in year 2, and since he runs a very different offense than Poggi’s pro-style approach, there’s at least hope that things will look a bit better at Jerry Richardson stadium in his sophomore campaign.

Roster Outlook

Charlotte ranks 107th nationally in returning production this season, including bottom 10 on defense. Is this an instance of Albin cleaning house, or a harbinger of a disastrous season? Perhaps we’ll get a better idea after the spring game (which is this upcoming Saturday), but they do return leading passer Grayson Loftis, who threw for 1,415 yards in 2025 after transferring from Duke, which coincidentally is where leading receiver Javen Nicholas transferred to after the season. The 49ers do return their next two top receivers (Sean Brown and E. Jai Mason) and brought in NC State WR Tank Boston as targets. In terms of a ground attack, leading rusher Rod Gainey took the Lane train to LSU, leaving Cameron Smith as the only RB to have more than 200 yards rushing on the season. A trio of transfers (Cincinnati’s Chance Williams, Appalachian State’s Khamani Alexander and Coastal Carolina’s D’Mariun Perteet) will look to improve on a pretty abysmal rushing attack from last season. Overall, Charlotte ranked 95th in 247’s recruiting rankings, good for 8th in the American, which is sadly better than their portal ranking (104th nationally, ahead of only Rice and the service academies in conference), equating to the 95th best overall incoming class in 2026. If things really are going to turn around, it’s going to require Albin to develop some of these guys into punching above their weight class.

Schedule and outlook

9/5 THE CITADEL

9/12 at Ole Miss

9/19 at Appalachian State

9/26 LOUISIANA

10/3 MEMPHIS

10/10 at North Texas

10/17 at Temple

10/24 BYE

10/30 TULANE

11/7 at UAB

11/14 EAST CAROLINA

11/21 at Tulsa

11/28 NAVY

After what should be a home opening win against The Citadel (Sagarin’s end of season rankings would make the Niners about a touchdown favorite at home) and an almost certain shellacking in Oxford (Notty Today), there’s a pretty good chance that the season will turn on Charlotte’s September Sun Belt doubleheader. Both Appalachian State and Louisiana are going to be looking to score points for the conference to make the case that the Fun Belt champ should be in the argument for the G5 playoff spot, so there’s little chance they’ll be taking Charlotte lightly. The conference slate that follows really sets up to be a feast or famine situation. They get what looks to be their four toughest opponents at home (at least as these preseason rankings suggest) and what would appear to be their easiest opponents all on the road. If the 49ers are actually improved, that could set up for a decent conference run. If not, they could very easily be staring at another winless American campaign.