50 For 50: Another Productive Homecoming 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 19 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season. Today’s edition features Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, defensive end Logan George, and more.

As always, 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.

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Biggest Buckeye Matchups

PENN STATE SAF ZAKEE WHEATLEY VS. OHIO STATE WR JEREMIAH SMITH

Penn State free safety Zakee Wheatley won’t necessarily match up with Jeremiah Smith in one-on-one situations, but he’ll be very involved in the two-on-one situations. Wheatley’s presence over the top of Smith could limit what the Buckeyes do down the field, provided he doesn’t let Smith get behind him. Wheatley tied for the team lead last year with three interceptions and was third with 96 tackles, so he’s an experienced and active defender. Smith had just four catches for 55 yards last year against the Nittany Lions, and it was one of just four games last season in which he did not score.

Most Important Games

ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS VS. NAVY MIDSHIPMEN, DEC. 13 (BALTIMORE)

One decade ago, Army stopped a 14-game losing streak to Navy. Army has won six of nine in this series since then, but Navy got the win last year. The last three Navy wins have been followed by an Army win and cover. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath is expected to beat those odds, however. Both teams are again projected towards the top of the American Athletic Conference.

Things To Look Forward To

LOGAN GEORGE MAKING THE STEP UP FROM IDAHO STATE.

Ohio State doesn’t normally go to the FCS level to bring in a transfer player, which is one of the reasons why it’s going to be so interesting to see how former Idaho State defensive end Logan George does this season. George had a productive spring and picked up the size and speed of the game well, but how well can he hold up over the course of an entire season? He is playing in a new style of defense with talented players surrounding him. There will be growing pains, but also perhaps a sense of freedom as an under-the-radar defender. Can he make a larger impact than people expect?

National College Football Predictions

COLORADO’S BOWL STREAK WILL END AT ONE.

Colorado’s postseason hopes will be determined by their first three games of the season. They open at home against Georgia Tech, host Delaware, then head to Houston in week three. If they beat GT and Houston, they can probably find three other wins on the schedule. If they go 2-1 in those first three games, I don’t see the postseason happening. Deion Sanders is currently one game over .500 at Colorado. He will drop below .500 if the Buffs don’t open 3-0 this year.

Big Ten Football Predictions

DASAN MCCULLOUGH WILL MAKE AN ALL-B1G TEAM.

Dasan McCullough was an Ohio State commitment five years ago. He eventually decommitted and signed with Indiana, where he posted 49 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, and 4.0 sacks as a true freshman in 2022. McCullough was named Freshman All-American and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten. He then transferred to Oklahoma where he was a part-time starter the past two seasons. Now he’s at Nebraska and he could be just the kind of pass-rusher the Huskers need. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, he’s a unique athlete with a varied skill set. But his ability to do one or two things very well is what Nebraska wants. I expect him to do pretty well and earn at least a spot on the All-Big Ten Third Team.

Ohio State Football Predictions

CARNELL TATE WILL SCORE TWICE AT ILLINOIS.

All Carnell Tate does when he comes back home is catch touchdowns. The Chicago native caught a pair of touchdowns last year in Wrigley Field against Northwestern as definitive proof. This year, he’ll head back to his home state on October 11 with a game at Illinois. The Illini are going to be focused on stopping the run and containing Jeremiah Smith, but they better not sleep on Carnell Tate. It won’t go well for them if they do.

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