50 For 50: Get Ready For The Best Of Burke

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 29 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 21 |

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

Ohio State LB Cody Simon vs. Penn State RB Kaytron Allen

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen is going to be one of the best backs the Buckeyes face this season. Last year, Allen was held to just 26 yards on nine carries in Columbus. He’ll be a much larger part of the game plan this year in Happy Valley. Ohio State middle linebacker Cody Simon will need to be at his best in order to 1) stop Allen; 2) keep the Penn State crowd from impacting the game. There’s still a chance this could be a noon kickoff. Whenever game time is, Simon will need to be ready. If Allen gets the better of him in this one, it could lead to a loss for Ohio State.

Most Important Games

Michigan Wolverines at Washington Huskies, October 5

This will be a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game, though both teams are going to look much different than they did in 2023. Still, there will be interest in every single Big Ten game this year featuring a blue blood heading out west to face one of the new members of the conference. Michigan will have already faced Texas and USC at home. This will be their first road game of the season, which could make this an even more interesting watch. The Huskies will come into this contest following a game at Rutgers, which means they will have spent the week leading up to this game canceling all of their credit cards after their wallets got stolen in New Jersey.

Things To Look Forward To

Cornerback Denzel Burke having his very best season.

Denzel Burke is about to become one of the very, very rare four-year starters at cornerback for Ohio State. He was a standout as a true freshman, then had an up-and-down season in 2022 — as did everybody in Jim Knowles’ first OSU defense. Burke bounced back last year and was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection by the conference coaches. He could have turned pro but came back to beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, win whatever else comes after that, and also improve his draft stock. Expect Burke to have his best season as a Buckeye. And expect it to be pretty fun to watch.

National College Football Predictions

Auburn will win at Alabama.

It took an absolute miracle for Auburn to lose last year’s game against Alabama, and while this game will be more difficult because it’s in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide may be taking a step back this year. Meanwhile, Auburn should continue moving forward in year two of Hugh Freeze. Last year, the Tigers lost to No. 1 Georgia 27-20, to No. 13 Ole Miss 28-21, and to No. 8 Alabama 27-24. (They also lost to New Mexico State 31-10 as 26-point favorites, but that’s not important right now.) Auburn is going to beat somebody, and the Iron Bowl is generally good for some out-of-the-blue craziness.

Big Ten Football Predictions

Ohio State and Oregon will play three times this season.

If Ohio State doesn’t play somebody twice this season, that’s going to either be a massive disappointment for the Buckeyes or somebody else in the Big Ten. For Ohio State and Oregon to play three times this season, that means they will obviously have to meet up in the Big Ten Championship Game. That would be the second matchup between the two teams this season. Even if one of those two teams loses both games, that doesn’t necessarily eliminate them from the playoffs. The College Football Playoff Committee will probably try to avoid a third matchup for as long as possible. It will then be up to the Ducks and the Buckeyes to survive and advance. Who has the advantage in a third matchup? I suppose it depends on what happens in the first two games.

Ohio State Football Predictions

The Buckeyes will rush for 300 yards in a Big Ten game.

Ohio State has played 27 Big Ten games over the past three years and rushed for 300 yards just once. They went for 340 yards against Indiana in 2022, averaging 7.9 yards per carry on the day. They had seven such outings combined in 2019 and the shortened 2020 season. As we know, the Buckeyes are going to have a renewed focus on the running game thanks to the talent on hand, the running of the quarterback, the involvement of Chip Kelly, and because this is supposed to be Ohio State. The Buckeyes will hit 300 yards rushing against at least one Big Ten opponent this season. Indiana has been a willing target over the years. Michigan State hasn’t put up much of a fight through the air over the years, so maybe Ohio State will switch things up on them this year.

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