50 For 50: Sizable Expectations 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 26 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 24 |

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

Ohio State CB Denzel Burke vs. Oregon WR Evan Stewart

Evan Stewart was arguably the top receiver in the transfer portal this year. Oregon didn’t really need another receiver but that didn’t stop them from adding to an already productive room. Stewart hasn’t had any amazing production yet in his first two years, but did lead Texas A&M as a true freshman with 53 catches for 649 yards in 2022. When the Ducks host the Buckeyes, Stewart will see cornerback Denzel Burke lined up across from him more than a time or two. Burke is one of the best corners in the country and he’ll need to prove it all game long in this one. A busted coverage or a random stumble could be the difference between a win and a loss. Burke will no doubt be looking forward to this game and will almost certainly have something to say about it in the week leading up.

Most Important Games

Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, November 9 (NBC)

Bobby Bowden and Lou Holtz made this a fun rivalry back in the day. The two teams played three years in a row from 1993-1995, with each game being decided by seven points or less. The rivalry got less fun in the years after that but maybe business can pick back up in this one. Notre Dame will come into this game off of a bye week, so they’ll be rested and ready. Florida State doesn’t necessarily need this game, but they’d sure love to have it.

Things To Look Forward To

Lathan Ransom being healthy all season long.

The Ohio State defense is better when safety Lathan Ransom is on the field. He missed the final five games last year following a Lisfranc tear in his foot. Would his presence have changed the outcome of the Michigan game last year? Ransom had a career-high 13 tackles in the win at Notre Dame last year. He probably would have set another career high in Ann Arbor. Ransom will be full-go for the Buckeyes this year at strong safety, pairing with sophomore free safety Caleb Downs. Ohio State will have the best secondary in the nation this year, and Lathan Ransom’s presence is a large reason why. He is one of the best blitzers on the team, has seen it all as a safety, and is a sound tackler. Ransom will be overlooked by many this season but he shouldn’t be.

National College Football Predictions

Colorado will not be going to a bowl game.

I don’t think the Buffs are going to a bowl game. Yes, I know that predicting Colorado to do something they’ve done 14 of the last 17 years isn’t much of a prediction, but here we are. They’re going to start the season with a ton of attention, just like last year, but the good will may not last nearly as long. This isn’t a terribly difficult schedule for the new (old) Big XII member, but games at Colorado State, Nebraska, Arizona, Texas Tech, UCF, and Kansas could all be losses. And I’m not ready to chalk up home wins against the likes of Kansas State, Utah, and Oklahoma State. Colorado won four games last year. I think they can improve on that this year but not by much.

Big Ten Football Predictions

Washington will have a losing conference record.

Washington went 10-0 against Pac 12 conference opponents last year. Not only will they not go undefeated in the Big Ten this season, but they will actually lose more games than they win. How do I know this? For one, Michael Penix isn’t walking through that door. And neither are his three NFL wide receivers. For two, a bunch of other talented players jumped ship when Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama. For three, you don’t just go into Rutgers and Iowa and expect to be 2-0 when you’re a West Coast team. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face by a farmer or somebody who “works collections.” The Huskies also have to go to Penn State and Oregon, though they do kind of own the Ducks. Regardless, I see five losses on this schedule: at Oregon, at Penn State, at Iowa, Michigan, and either at Rutgers or home to USC.

Ohio State Football Predictions

Carnell Tate will outproduce OSU’s 2022/2023 transfer receivers.

Ohio State signed four receivers in each of their 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes. Four of those eight players have since transferred: Caleb Burton, Kaleb Brown, Kyion Grayes, and Noah Rogers. I am predicting that one of the four remaining receivers — sophomore Carnell Tate — will have more receptions, yards, and touchdowns than the four aforementioned receivers combined. Burton is at Auburn, Brown is at Iowa, Grayes is at Cal, and Rogers is back home at North Carolina State. Rogers could be the fly in this particular ointment, however. And it will be interesting to see what Grayes does with more of an opportunity to play. Still, the four of them are each going to have to have the best years of their respective careers to compete with Carnell Tate, who will also be having the best year of his career.

Go to discussion...