50 For 50: Can Carson Hinzman Make It A Rimington Repeat?

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 5 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 Carnell Tate, the Ohio State safeties, center Carson Hinzman, 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.

Previous | Day 45

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

OHIO STATE WR CARNELL TATE VS. MICHIGAN CB JYAIRE HILL

Jyaire Hill had an up-and-down season as a redshirt freshman starter last year. Everything was a learning experience and he’ll be better this year because of it. Hill has good size (6-2 185), which will make for an interesting matchup against Carnell Tate (6-3 191). Tate caught 52 passes last year as the Buckeyes’ third option. Expect him to move up a spot in that pecking order, which makes this one of the key matchups of this game. With so much defensive focus on Jeremiah Smith, the need for Tate to win his battles is even more important. He must be able to make opponents pay for their hyperfocus on his teammate.

Most Important Games

OREGON DUCKS AT PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS, SEPT. 27

Oregon will get to experience their first Penn State White Out as a member of the Big Ten. I suspect that it will not go well for them. The Nittany Lions need this game if they are going to run through the Big Ten as expected. Surely, the expectations won’t be too much for the players and coaching staff. The Ducks, meanwhile, could use this game as an opportunity to remind everybody that they are the reigning conference champions and they will not die off quietly. If Oregon wants to drive their stake in the Big Ten even deeper, this would be one way to do it.

Things To Look Forward To

SEEING HOW THE THREE SAFETIES OPERATE ON DEFENSE.

One of the more interesting questions for the Buckeyes this season is where exactly will Caleb Downs be playing. He was the starting free safety last year, but also eventually moved down into the box quite a bit. Ideally, the Ohio State defense will be able to do that again, but that will also require the players around Downs to step up as Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom did last year. There is also the question of who will be playing next to him. When Downs is at free safety, is sophomore Jaylen McClain at strong safety? And when Downs is at strong safety, is junior Malik Hartford at free safety? And how much moving around does Lorenzo Styles, Jr. do? These are all questions that will eventually be answered, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop speculating up until that happens (and beyond).

National College Football Predictions

ARKANSAS WILL HAVE A FOURTH-QUARTER LEAD ON NOTRE DAME.

Any time Notre Dame comes to your cittaaaayyy, it’s a big deal. Even if that Notre Dame team already has a loss or two early in the season. This game takes place September 27 and follows a rough start for the Irish. Arkansas will be the third-best opponent that Notre Dame will have seen in four games, so they’ll be ready for whatever. I don’t think the Razorbacks win the game, but I do expect it to be interesting. The early tests for Notre Dame will pay dividends in this game. Arkansas, meanwhile, will need to make sure they’re not currently reeling after back-to-back losses at Ole Miss and Memphis before this one.

Big Ten Football Predictions

FERNANDO MENDOZA WILL LEAD THE BIG TEN IN PASSING YARDS PER GAME.

The Hoosiers should have one of the best offenses in the Big Ten. Senior receivers Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper have been productive throughout their respective careers. Tight end Holden Staes had some solid moments when he was at Notre Dame. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be able to use all of these guys to throw the ball around. The running game will be average enough. Expect Indiana to trail in a few more games this year, which should lead to a higher passing output.

Ohio State Football Predictions

CENTER CARSON HINZMAN WILL BE FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN.

Carson Hinzman saw his job as the Buckeyes’ starting center taken away last year when Seth McLaughlin transferred in from Alabama, but he never let it stop him from preparing to start once again. He eventually stepped in at guard, and then at center for the Buckeyes’ stretch run. Carson Hinzman may not follow in McLaughlin’s footsteps and win the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center, but he will have a very good shot at being the top center in the Big Ten. Ohio State is the only school with a Rimington repeat, doing so in 2016 and 2017 with Pat Elflein and Billy Price, respectively.

Go to discussion...