50 For 50: Is James Peoples Ready To Be A Road Warrior?

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 15 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season. Today’s edition features Ohio State running back James Peoples, offensive lineman Luke Montgomery, 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

OHIO STATE LG LUKE MONTGOMERY VS. MICHIGAN DT RAYSHAUN BENNY

Run the ball, win The Game. That’s the story of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, and that’s going to be job one for junior left guard Luke Montgomery. Montgomery was inserted into the offensive line in the playoffs last year and things went just fine. He did not, however, play a single snap on offense against Michigan last year. Barring anything unforeseen, that will change this year. And when Montgomery is on the field, there will be times he finds himself matched up with Michigan defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny. Benny was a valuable reserve and spot starter last year. He’s active and mobile, so this will be a matchup between two athletic big men.

Most Important Games

FLORIDA GATORS AT OLE MISS REBELS, NOV. 15

This game comes towards the end of the season, which means somebody’s playoff hopes could already be over. That could mean the eliminated team is going to want to bring the other team down with it. Misery loves company, after all. This could also be a game between two three-loss teams, which means we don’t need to discuss it any further. Whichever head coach wins will have some breathing room, and will also be much more smug than they should.

Things To Look Forward To

THE FRESHMEN LINEBACKERS MAKING A MARK.

The Buckeyes signed three linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class and all three were in for spring ball. Riley Pettijohn, TJ Alford, and Eli Lee went through winter workouts, spring camp, and now they’re getting their summer workouts in. Any — or all — of the three could be involved on special teams this season, but the real tell of how advanced they are is whether or not they get on the field defensively. Then if they do see time on defense, what do they do with it? Pettijohn and Alford were two of the top linebacker recruits in the nation, while Lee is a tackling machine from Ohio. There’s a lot to like about each of them, and there’s a pretty good chance that somebody’s going to step forward and catch your attention this year.

National College Football Predictions

CADE KLUBNIK WILL BE A HEISMAN FINALIST.

Cade Klubnik opened last year with an uninspired performance in a loss against Georgia. That performance by both him and his team essentially wrote Clemson off a year ago. This year, however, they open against LSU, which is generally great news for opposing offenses. Klubnik has an outstanding set of receivers at his disposal, and they should be able to put some points on the board against the Tigers. A Clemson win will be the first step towards Klubnik getting to New York in December. The LSU game won’t be his last impressive performance this season.

Big Ten Football Predictions

INDIANA CB D’ANGELO PONDS WILL LEADS ALL B1G CBS IN INTS.

D’Angelo Ponds is one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten, but he’s not so fearsome that quarterbacks are going to avoid him. He’s not a tall guy, so there’s always a draw to throw it his way when he’s battling a bigger receiver. Ponds came away with three interceptions last year and it won’t be a surprise if he increases that number this year.

Ohio State Football Predictions

JAMES PEOPLES WILL RUSH FOR 100 YARDS AT WASHINGTON.

James Peoples is going to rush for over 100 yards at Washington. In doing so, he will become the first Buckeye to rush for 100 yards in a Big Ten opener since 2022 when TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams both did it at Wisconsin. Washington allowed 200 yards rushing in three of their last four games last year, so the Huskies have a history of being a little soft against the run. The Buckeyes will want to take the crowd out of this game early, which may mean some deep shots to a receiver or two. But they’ll want to keep the crowd out of it by feeding the ball to James Peoples.

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