College Sports

Where do Charlotte 49ers stand among 129 teams in FBS universe? Newspaper says ...

Coach Brad Lambert's Charlotte 49ers were 1-11 in 2017 and rank 125th out of 129 FBS teams in the Orlando Sentinel's preseason rankings.
Coach Brad Lambert's Charlotte 49ers were 1-11 in 2017 and rank 125th out of 129 FBS teams in the Orlando Sentinel's preseason rankings. Special to the Observer

The Charlotte 49ers have shown up early in the Orlando Sentinel’s college football preseason rankings. But since the rankings are revealed in inverse order, that’s not really a good thing for the 49ers.

The Sentinel ranks Charlotte 125th out of the 129 teams in NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision. Only Kent State, Rice, Texas State and Texas-El Paso are rated below the 49ers, who were 1-11 last season, their sixth of existence and third on the FBS level.

“The lack of sustained success and a tough schedule are two reasons Charlotte is ranked No. 125,” the Sentinel said. “ … While much of the roster returns, the players at just about every position group except running back need to improve significantly during the offseason in order to produce better results.”

Charlotte opens its season Sept. 1 against Fordham, a Football Championship Subdivision team. The 49ers also have nonconference games against Appalachian State (at home on Sept. 8) and at Tennessee on Nov. 3.

Two of the other teams ranked below the 49ers — Rice and UTEP — are fellow Conference USA members. The 49ers play neither the Owls nor the Miners this season.

David Scott: @davidscott14

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Where do Charlotte 49ers stand among 129 teams in FBS universe? Newspaper says ...."

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