50 For 50: Significant Numbers For Carnell Tate

Welcome to our daily feature that I am calling “50 for 50” where I attempt to get us to Big Ten Media Days — which are 13 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season.

We will do this via the following categories: the 50 biggest individual matchups for the Buckeyes this season, the 50 most important college football games this season, 50 Buckeye things to look forward to this season, 50 national predictions, 50 Big Ten predictions, and 50 predictions involving the Buckeyes.

Previous: Day 37 |

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun vs. Oregon WR Traeshon Holden

This is an interesting matchup between a pair of guys who transferred in from SEC schools a year ago. Traeshon Holden came over from Alabama, while Davison Igbinosun joined the Buckeyes via Ole Miss. Despite being in the same division way back when, this will be the first time these two players have matched up against each other. Igbinosun quickly earned a starting job for the Buckeyes last year and displayed a physical style of play. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Holden is no stranger to physicality himself. Holden finished last year with 37 catches for 452 yards and six touchdowns off the bench. He should be much more involved this year.

Most Important Games

Memphis Tigers at Tulane Green Wave, November 28 (7:30 pm ESPN)

This could be the first of consecutive matchups between possibly the two best teams in the American Athletic Conference. Memphis and Tulane are coming off of seasons where they both had double-digit wins. The Tigers will have their work cut out for them this year, however, because not only is this game on the road, but so is their game against UTSA. They’ll need to win at least one of those games but they’ll likely be underdogs in both. At the very least, after struggling through two day-time NFL games on Thanksgiving Day, this will give folks the option to watch some entertaining night-time football instead of yet another snore-filled NFL game.

Things To Look Forward To

Ohio State playing at Penn State.

We don’t know what time this game is kicking off just yet, but we do know that FOX has the first pick of games this week. This is the same week as Oregon at Michigan, so it will be up to FOX whether or not this game is a noon kick or a raucous White Out on another network. Regardless of what time this game kicks off, it’s still a huge checkpoint for the Buckeyes. A win gives them some breathing room in the Big Ten standings. A loss could actually keep the Buckeyes out of the conference championship game depending on how the Oregon game goes. Night game or not, this is a huge matchup either way. This is the game of the year for the Nittany Lions. It’s as much a need as a want for them at this point.

National College Football Predictions

Georgia Tech is going bowling for a second-consecutive season.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King made a bunch of plays for the Yellow Jackets last year (and a handful of plays for their opponents as well). But it’s still a good place to start for a program that has a relatively difficult schedule, but not an overwhelmingly difficult schedule. The only game on the schedule they probably can’t win is the season finale at Georgia. And yet, they took the Bulldogs to the brink a year ago in Atlanta. Head coach Brent Key took over on an interim basis in 2022 and went 4-3 in conference play. Last year they improved to 5-3. If they do that again this year, the Jackets are going bowling consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013-2014.

Big Ten Football Predictions

Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke will have a big September.

Maybe the best way to quantify this prediction is to say that no Big Ten quarterback will account for more touchdowns than Kurtis Rourke through the first month of the season. Unlike many other Big Ten teams, the Hoosiers do not have a bye week in September, so that will help. Rourke is going to make hay that first month playing against FUI, Western Illinois, UCLA, Charlotte, and Maryland.

Ohio State Football Predictions

Carnell Tate will post 50+ receptions and 850+ yards receiving.

Ohio State sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate is entering his first year as a full-time starter, so predicting 50 receptions and 850 yards receiving isn’t outrageous. It also is not arbitrary. You see, Tate wears the number 17. The last Buckeye receiver entering his sophomore season while wearing the number 17 and starting for the first time was Chris Olave in 2019. Olave posted 49 receptions for 849 yards and 12 touchdowns that year. I’m not brave enough to predict that Carnell Tate will top the touchdown mark, but I am brave enough to think that Tate tops the other two marks.

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