50 For 50: Will Caleb Downs Be The Difference In Ann Arbor?

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 one day away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season. Today’s edition features Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, some thoughts and predictions about The Game, 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 49

Biggest Buckeye Matchups

OHIO STATE SAF CALEB DOWNS VS. MICHIGAN RB JUSTICE HAYNES

Running back Justice Haynes transferred to Michigan from Alabama where he averaged 5.9 yards per carry while rushing for a total of 616 yards during his two years in Tuscaloosa. Haynes will be a key part in the Michigan running game this season, which means he is going to meat up with Ohio State All-American safety Caleb Downs a handful of times in November. Too often in the recent past, a missed tackle or a bad angle has been the key difference for Michigan. Bad angles and missed tackles aren’t generally what Caleb Downs is known for.

Most Important Games

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES AT MICHIGAN WOLVERINES, NOV. 29

The Buckeyes haven’t gotten a win in this series since 2019. Michigan has won four in a row at the moment. They haven’t won five in a row in this series since a six-game run from 1922-1927. Michigan has made their breaks in the past four games — some of that even without the help of a low-level staffer. Ohio State didn’t need this win last year to make the playoffs, but that may not be the case this year. And if the Buckeyes are on the verge of missing the playoffs, a loss to Michigan will be even more devastating. It does make you wonder how much longer the Wolverines will be playing the role of wanting to ruin somebody’s season rather than maximizing their own.

Things To Look Forward To

THE GAME.

It is the horizon that comes to you. No matter the joys or anguishes during a season, there is always the possibility for healing or wounding. The Michigan game is always something to look forward to because the possibilities are so black and white. The only thing better than winning is the other team losing. Ohio State showed last year that this game doesn’t need to be won in order to win it all, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still just as important as it’s ever been when the game is being played.

National College Football Predictions

ARCH MANNING WILL NOT WIN THE HEISMAN.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but for the 91st season in a row, a Manning will not win the Heisman Trophy. Despite Texas redshirt sophomore Arch Manning’s considerable talents and living presence, he will not do enough statistically to win the Heisman this year. He does, however, have two of the three main ingredients in that he is a quarterback and people already know his name. But he’s going to need to be special on the field, rather than just very good. He’ll need a Heisman moment. If he gets it in Columbus to open the season, we may want to revisit this stance.

Big Ten Football Predictions

OHIO STATE WILL WIN THE BIG TEN.

The Buckeyes are going to be favored in every game this year, but they were last year as well, so it’s going to take more than just being favored to get the win. There is no trip to Oregon on the schedule, so that’s half the battle. Ohio State’s road schedule isn’t easy, but they should be at least a touchdown favorite everywhere they go — except for maybe their Big Ten Championship Game against Penn State in Indianapolis.

Ohio State Football Predictions

THE BUCKEYES WILL BEAT MICHIGAN.

It seems crazy to say that Ohio State hasn’t beaten Michigan since 2019. Following last year’s inexplicable loss, it would seem a bit bold to predict a Buckeye win in Ann Arbor, but the Wolverines are likely to have offensive line problems this season. That also means quarterback problems. Michigan has lost a ton on defense as well. Ohio State is breaking in a new quarterback, but the rest of the team is full of veterans who have never experienced a win over Michigan.

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