50 For 50: James Peoples Is Next Up For The Buckeyes

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 44 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, tight end Max Klare, 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 CB Davison Igbinosun vs. washington wr denzel boston

Denzel Boston exploded last year as a redshirt sophomore, catching 63 passes for 834 yards and nine touchdowns. He caught multiple passes in every game, but did not reach the end zone in his final six games. Boston will be one of the best receivers on the schedule for Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. This will be a fun match between two physical players. Boston’s 6-foot-4 frame can allow him to impose his will, but Igbinosun isn’t just going to get pushed around without doing some pushing of his own.

Most Important Games

alabama crimson tide at auburn tigers, november 29

Hugh Freeze’s tenure at Auburn is not going that well. A cynic would say that it’s because everybody else is paying players now too, so nothing Freeze does is special any longer. But a win against Alabama could change some momentum. At least for a few weeks. Auburn hasn’t won this game since 2019. They are due.

Things To Look Forward To

max klare emerging as an offensive weapon.

We saw a glimpse in the spring game of what Max Klare could bring to the Buckeyes this year. With receivers Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss garnering the majority of the secondary’s attention, quarterback Julian Sayin dropped back and hit Klare down the seam for a touchdown from about 25 yards out. With the Buckeyes’ offensive weapons, a defense can’t afford to focus too much on stopping Klare. He may not catch the 51 passes he did a year ago at Purdue, though he might get awfully close in a 16-game season. Klare may even have OSU’s first 100-yard game for a tight end since Jeff Heuerman went for 116 yards against Purdue in 2013.

National College Football Predictions

clemson and georgia tech will be close in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Tech is going to be a fun team to watch this season. They played in some of the most entertaining games of the year last season, and I’m expecting that trend to continue this year. Quarterback Haynes King would throw himself off of a bridge if it would win a game. Clemson comes to Atlanta on September 13 and they are going to chase King like he jumped bail. Clemson is favored to win the ACC, but the Yellow Jackets may have other thoughts.

Big Ten Football Predictions

iowa will win at iowa state.

Iowa State beat Iowa 20-19 last year in Iowa City, giving the Cyclones their second win over the Hawkeyes in a decade. Those two wins have actually taken place in the last three years, so maybe the tide has turned. Still, Iowa State hasn’t won this game at home since 2011. Believe it or not, this is actually a game between two prospective playoff teams. A loss won’t impact the conference standings (which is how both teams would make the playoffs), but it is going to put a dent in somebody’s early-season momentum.

Ohio State Football Predictions

james peoples will rush for at least 1,249 yards this season.

Sophomore running back James Peoples is going to rush for the most yards in a single season for a Buckeye since JK Dobbins went for 2,003 in 2019. Fortunately for me, the mark he needs to hit is much lower than that. TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 1,248 yards as a freshman in 2021, so I’ve got Peoples doing at least a yard better than that. Depending on how long the season goes for the Buckeyes, I don’t think 1,400 yards is out of line.

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