Game: Charlotte 49ers at Army Black Knights Preview

Date: October 11th at 12:00 PM ET

Where to Watch: CBS Sports Network

After a rough Friday night down in Tampa, the Charlotte 49ers head north to West Point to face the Army Black Knights. Charlotte enters this matchup at 1-4 on the season after last week’s loss, narrowly covering the closing line of +28.5 against USF, though they failed to cover the earlier +27.5 line. The 49ers once again struggled offensively in the first half, leading to quarterback Zach Wilcke taking over after halftime. Wilcke provided a spark, throwing for 150 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

The run game continued to stall, and while the defense created some turnovers, it still gave up significant yardage on the ground. Army, sitting at 2-3, has been competitive in most of its games this season outside of a blowout loss to ECU on September 25. The Black Knights’ modified triple-option offense could pose major problems for Charlotte’s defense, which ranks 131st in the FBS in rushing yards allowed per game (248). Army’s rushing attack ranks 4th nationally at 278.8 yards per game, though their passing game remains limited. Defensively, the Black Knights have been mostly average but looked impressive last week, holding UAB to just 13 points.

This shapes up to be another tough road test for the 49ers, and it’ll be interesting to see if yet another quarterback change can provide a much-needed spark.

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Weather

Saturday in West Point, NY is expected to bring pleasant conditions, with temperatures in the mid-60s and only about a 5% chance of precipitation. Wind shouldn’t play much of a factor, averaging around 6 mph with occasional gusts up to 14 mph.

Betting Overview

This American Conference matchup opened with Army favored at -20.5 but has since shifted toward Charlotte, with the Black Knights now sitting as 17.5-point favorites. The moneyline hasn’t moved much, opening at +600 for Charlotte and remaining in a similar range between +575 and +650. Army opened at -900 and now hovers between -850 and -1000. The total has stayed consistent at 47.5 across all sportsbooks.

Power Rankings

  • ESPN FPI: ESPN’s FPI model currently rates both Army and Charlotte 88th in the FBS. The model would favor Army by 15 points on a neutral field, which aligns closely with the current spread of 17.5 once Army’s home-field advantage is factored in.
  • SP+: The SP+ model differs slightly, ranking Army 75th and Charlotte 132nd in the FBS. Based on those ratings, SP+ would project Army as a 19.4-point favorite on a neutral field.
  • Sagarin: The Sagarin ratings, which evaluate all NCAA Division I teams (FBS and FCS), have Army at 83rd nationally, while Charlotte ranks 190th.

Betting Trends

Charlotte enters this matchup with a 1-3-1 ATS record, with their lone road game resulting in a push (which could be considered a win or loss depending on the sportsbook). As underdogs, the 49ers are 0-3-1 ATS. When it comes to totals, three of Charlotte’s five games have gone over, with the total splitting 2-2 in games where they were underdogs, and the over hitting in their only road game.

Army comes in with a 2-3 ATS record, failing to cover in both home games this season but going 1-1 ATS as favorites. The under has been slightly more common in Army contests, cashing in three of five games overall; however, both home games have gone over the total.

Final Thoughts

This game marks the first-ever meeting between these two programs on the football field and will also be quarterback Zach Wilcke’s first start of the season. From a betting standpoint, this matchup is difficult to gauge against the spread due to the uncertainty surrounding Wilcke’s performance. However, I would slightly lean toward the over in this one.