Hype is one thing, reality is another. This is the reality for the five biggest frauds in college football this season:
SUBHD: No. 1: Terrelle Pryor
He's not an average quarterback. He's not a below-average quarterback.
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Mirror file photo by Patrick?Waksmunski
Terrelle Pryor, here against PSU last season, had a rough game Saturday in Ohio State’s loss at Purdue.
Terrelle Pryor is a bad quarterback whose lack of progress midway through his sophomore season has to be alarming at Ohio State.
Pryor is a phenomenal athlete with great potential. But it's looking more and more like he's a phenomenal athlete who's playing the wrong position.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder has wide receiver written all over him, and that's where he likely will play in the NFL.
Pryor looked terrible Saturday as the Buckeyes were shocked, 26-18, against a Purdue team that came in with a 1-5 record.
His final numbers - 17-of-31 for 221 yards - were decent but very misleading. Pryor looked lost nearly every time he dropped back as the Buckeyes fell behind, 26-10.
As crazy as it sounds now, it may be a good thing Pryor did not come to Penn State.
He would be in his second year sitting behind Daryll Clark - a much, much better quarterback at this point - and given that he hasn't developed much as a starter so far, there's little reason to believe Pryor would be reliable after being a backup for two years.
The Buckeyes and coach Jim Tressel don't seem to know what to do with Pryor. Do they continue to try and make him comfortable as a drop-back passer, or do they revamp the offense and take advantage of his overall athletic abilities?
Pryor and Tressel are facing increasing scrutiny in Columbus, and it will only get worse if the quarterback continues to struggle.
"He's definitely a tremendous talent," Clark said when asked Saturday about Pryor.
OK, but is he a quarterback?
"I feel like he's a quarterback," Clark said. "He can definitely hurt you both ways [running and throwing].
"I feel like he's more of a runner right now, still has to work on becoming a polished passer," Clark added. "It could definitely happen for him."
Until it does, Clark knows Pryor will have to face criticism.
"It's going to be tough for him for the next couple of days or whatnot, but in this game and the position that we play, it comes with the territory," Clark said. "You've got to be able to take the good with the bad.
"The question for him is: How's he going to play next week? How's Ohio State going to play next week. And how will he be on Monday for practice?"
SUBHD: No. 2: Boise State
It's a joke that Boise State is No. 4 in the initial BCS standings, released Sunday.
Anyone who watched the Broncos' game at Tulsa last week already knows the team is pretty good, but nowhere remotely close to being worthy of a top-five ranking.
Oklahoma beat Tulsa, 45-0, without Sam Bradford.
Boise State needed a late stop on defense to preserve a 28-21 win. Had they destroyed Tulsa, maybe they could be in the conversation. But not now.
The Broncos beat a good Oregon team in the season opener, but the rest of their schedule is lousy: Miami (Ohio), Fresno State, Bowling Green, California-Davis, Tulsa, Hawaii, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, Utah State, Nevada, New Mexico State.
Boise, like all other mid-majors, deserves a shot to play for a national title if it's worthy. This team is not worthy.
Put the Broncos in a BCS bowl if they go undefeated. But for goodness sake, that team would go 9-3 at best in the Big Ten and probably 8-4 in the SEC.
SUBHD: No. 3: The Big 12
Overrrrrated!
Ta ta ... ta ta ta!
Overrrrrated!
Texas barely beat Oklahoma, 16-13, with Bradford injured. Can the Longhorns and Colt McCoy really be that good?
SUBHD: No. 4: Charlie Weis
No coach does less with more talent than Notre Dame's head guy. The Fighting Irish still get their share of elite recruits, but Weis is now 31-23 in his fifth season.
The only reason he kept his job after last season was because the university didn't want to pay $20 million to buy out his contract.
The Irish gave No. 6 USC a good battle Saturday, losing 34-27, but moral victories and Notre Dame should not appear in the same sentence.
The Irish's schedule sets up nicely for a possible 9-3 regular season, which should save Weis' job. But if they slip into the 7-5 range, the heat on the coach will intensify.
SUBHD: No. 5: Turning down millions
If you're a college junior majoring in business and IBM offers you a $5 million job, you would TAKE IT!
You go to college to get a good career. It's fun and all, and you make lots of memories, but don't lose sight of the ultimate goal.
Someone should have crammed that into Bradford's head after last season.
It's incredibly sad, tragic even, what may happen to Oklahoma's star quarterback. He had a chance to enter the NFL draft a year early, be the No. 1 overall pick and pocket upwards of $40 million in guaranteed money.
Now, his career may be in jeopardy because of a right shoulder injury, and he may never even play in the NFL.
Some players should stay in school and help their draft stock, making them more money the following year. But if the stock is already that high, it's foolish to go back to school and risk injury.
College will always be there. The NFL will not.
Cory Giger can be reached at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.
