Two of last season’s College Football Playoff participants will appear on future Charlotte 49ers schedules.
Charlotte announced this past spring it had set a 2029 game at Ohio State. That contest will be played in Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 8. The 49ers will travel to Georgia on Nov. 22, 2025. The Bulldogs have won the past two CFP championships (beating Ohio State last season) and are among the favorites to three-peat this year.
Charlotte, which relaunched its football program in 2013 (the school fielded teams from 1946-48), has not been shy in its non-conference scheduling. The 49ers have already played multiple SEC, ACC and Big Ten teams (beating Duke 31-28 in 2021). The Niners will visit both Florida and Maryland this season in September.
Ohio State has made the College Football Playoff five times since 2014. Their home stadium, affectionately known as “The Horseshoe,” seats 102,780 fans..
“We love to play in college football’s greatest cathedrals, and traveling to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes at The Shoe will be an amazing game for our team and fans,” 49ers Director of Athletics Mike Hill said in a release. “Ohio State is a legendary program and the Niners look forward to the challenge.”
The positive energy is palpable among Charlotte fans these days, as the 49ers will take a step up in conference play this season, moving from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. The 49ers officially became members of the AAC on July 1. That league includes programs like Memphis, SMU, Tulane, East Carolina and Navy.
As for future non-conference opponents, the 49ers will play North Carolina, Indiana, Gardner-Webb and James Madison in 2024. North Carolina comes to Charlotte in 2025, joining Monmouth and Georgia on the non-conference slate.
Appalachian State will be a mainstay on the schedule from 2026-30. Other future non-conference opponents include The Citadel (2026), Ole Miss (2026, 2027), James Madison (2029) and NC State (2030-31). Like UNC, NC State and Ole Miss both will visit Charlotte once as part of the scheduling arrangement.
Charlotte kicks off the 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 against visiting South Carolina State. The 49ers are coached by Biff Poggi, who comes to the program from Michigan. He replaces Will Healy.
