50 For 50: Expecting A Big Opener From Jeremiah Smith

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 11 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 39 |

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

Iowa SAF Xavier Nwankpa vs. Ohio State TE Gee Scott, Jr.

Iowa strong safety Xavier Nwankpa started 12 games last year for the Hawkeyes as a sophomore. The Buckeyes were very high on him during the recruiting process, but Iowa won out and they continue to benefit from having him on the field. He will prove to be a physical and difficult matchup at times for Ohio State fifth-year senior tight end Gee Scott, Jr. Scott caught 10 passes for 70 yards last year, but is expected to be the top tight end target for the Buckeyes this year. This is going to be a hard-fought game between two physical teams. If Gee Scott can make some plays in the secondary against Nwankpa, it would help soften up a very stiff Iowa defense.

Most Important Games

Washington Huskies at Penn State Nittany Lions, November 9

For any Washington fan wanting to travel to this game but who are also afraid to fly, this is only a 2,600-mile drive. Google says you can do it in 38 hours, so they could make a weekend of it if they wanted. This is going to be the first regular-season game between these two teams in 103 years. That game was played in Seattle, and for the Penn State fans that made the trip, the drive took much longer than 38 hours. These two teams have played just three times, with the last matchup going to PSU 35-28 in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. If James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are going to the playoffs, they cannot lose this game.

Things To Look Forward To

An Ohio State secondary without a weakness.

While no players are perfect, the Buckeyes currently have five starting defensive backs who all have starting experience, have played exceedingly well more often than not, and could all be considered a leader on the defense. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun is entering his third year as a starter, which is one season short of what Denzel Burke is doing. Both could be first-round draft picks next spring. Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs represent the best safety duo in the nation. Jordan Hancock’s consistency and playmaking at nickel are far too overlooked. There is some depth here as well. Sophomore cornerback Jermaine Mathews has starting experience, as do safeties Malik Hartford and transfer Keenan Nelson.

National College Football Predictions

Texas A&M will beat Texas to end the regular season.

Texas will likely be favored in every game they play this year, including the season finale at Texas A&M. These two teams haven’t played since 2011 and Aggie fans haven’t seen a win at home over the Longhorns since 2007. There’s a decent chance that Texas will enter this game 11-0 and ranked somewhere in the Top 2. If that happens, this will be the kind of game that has made Kyle Field legendary over the years. It’s just too bad the Aggie yell leaders will attempt to claim credit for the eventual win.

Big Ten Football Predictions

There will be no kickoff return touchdowns in conference play.

We all know that the kickoff return is dying, but there has been at least one kickoff return touchdown in game between Big Ten members every year since 2009. (The TD streak almost certainly stretches back past that, but my go-to stats site only goes back to 2009.) That streak ends this year, however. Why am I so confident in this prediction even aside from the diminishing returns? Because over the last two seasons, there have been three touchdowns scored on kickoff returns in Big Ten games and all three were by Indiana running back Jaylin Lucas, who has since transferred to Florida State. There is now nobody left in the Big Ten who is capable or willing or permitted to return a kickoff for a touchdown in a conference game.

Ohio State Football Predictions

Jeremiah Smith will open the season with a 100-yard game.

Ohio State opens its season on Saturday August 31 against Akron. When they take the field, many eyes will be on true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. And for those whose eyes are not on Jeremiah Smith, they soon will be. Buckeye fans won’t have to look hard to find him. He’ll show up early and often, though he’ll probably be on the sidelines late. This just means he’ll have to get his 100 yards receiving in the first three quarters. If memory serves, the last true freshman Buckeye with 100 yards receiving in a season opener was Michael Wiley in a 70-7 win over Rice in 1996. (In case you were wondering, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss have combined for a total of 7 catches for 77 yards in season openers as true freshmen.)