James Madison has been a powerhouse the past five seasons under Curt Cignetti. But the Dukes have a new coach as Cignetti has moved on to Indiana. New Dukes coach Bob Chesney did a nice job at Holy Cross. He brings Dean Kennedy with him to be the Dukes' offensive coordinator. Holy Cross was a strong rushing team under these two.

So look for the Dukes to run the ball a lot. Superstar QB James McCloud transferred and James Madison doesn't have any of its best wide receivers from last year returning. The two best players on James Madison could be linebacker Jacob Dobbs and cornerback Chauncey Logan. 

Charlotte is much better on defense and the 49ers strengthened themselves in the transfer portal both on the defensive line and secondary. 

The 49ers are very weak offensively. They averaged just 17.5 points last season, which ranked 126th. They also were 118th in yards gained and 120th in passing yards. Only twice did the 49ers throw for 200 yards last year. The 49ers are breaking in all new starting offensive linemen. That might end up being an improvement, but it's going to take time.