Weekend Watch List: Ire over Pryor's role on rise in Buckeye-land

Congratulations, Ray Reitz. You said what a lot of us are thinking.

Terrelle Pryor's former high school coach suggested this week that maybe Ohio State coach Jim Tressel isn't using his quarterback quite right. Reitz says that now he sees "a robot" when watching the former No. 1 prep prospect in the country. Pryor should be running more, Reitz added.

Whatever, it's clear Pryor has regressed as a sophomore to the point that LeBron James feels compelled to mentor him.

What type of offense does Ohio State want to run under Terrelle Pryor? (Getty Images)

Just what the Buckeyes quarterback needs after a four-turnover game, advice on how to dribble between his legs.

As you can imagine, Reitz's comments haven't gone over well in some precincts of Buckeyeland. First, The University has to sit back and take it this week from Cincinnati which is ranked ahead of Ohio State for the first time -- what, ever? Then came Reitz, Pryor's coach at Jeanette (Pa.) High School but now in Latrobe, Pa.

"I've got people e-mailing me and telling me to shut up," Reitz told WWL. "I wasn't throwing Jim Tressel under the bus. I just said they weren't using him right."

Reitz isn't the only one. Pryor came to Ohio State because he wanted to play in a pro-style offense. In his freshman season, he led the Big Ten in pass efficiency and laid the groundwork for a breakout sophomore season. Hasn't happened.

In Pryor's second year, Ohio State's offense has morphed into more of a spread, a spread that doesn't seem to suit Pryor's talents. He looks indecisive. He has thrown twice as many interceptions (eight) as he did as a freshman, on six fewer passes.

He looks worse.

Against Purdue last week, Pryor turned it over four times and became a piñata for those who are wondering just when his breakout is coming. It doesn't help that Michigan (Tate Forcier) and USC (Matt Barkley) have budding freshman quarterbacks ahead of where Pryor is now.

The situation is also aggravated by the fact that No. 18 Ohio State, 5-2, is out of the national championship race after that embarrassing loss to the Boilers. The Bucks still control their Rose Bowl destiny but you'd hardly know it heading into Saturday's game against Minnesota.

"I came here to be a quarterback and for the rest of the season we are going to be pretty darn good," Pryor told reporters this week. "I love the offense here and it is just going to keep getting better and better here."

For the record, Tressel said he will not replace Pryor with backup Joe Bauserman against the Gophers. Scoreboard, Terrelle. You've beaten out Bauserman, who spent three seasons in the minor leagues. Joe Bauserman, who the school says was third in the team bowling competition.

So ... who is T-Pain? Is he a Troy Smith clone? Is he supposed to be more like Vince Young? Or is he just an athlete playing quarterback? Critics are suggesting he should be replaced or moved to receiver.

Part of this is on Pryor himself.

"Remember when he didn't sign?" Reitz asked. "Some people perceived that as arrogance."

Pryor dragged out his college signing until March 2008 after purporting to take an extra look at Oregon and Penn State. He picked Ohio State, declaring that it was the best fit to prepare him for the NFL. Seems that he could have reached the league and been just as successful playing for Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. Didn't West Virginia's Pat White get to the NFL?

Part of this is on the Ohio State coaches who haven't found a comfort level for their centerpiece. That left an opening for Reitz to have his say. Now he has to keep his head down.

"I don't think I can go in Ohio now," he said.

Five on the clock

Bizzaro conference races: Every team in the ACC Atlantic Division has at least two conference losses. ... Virginia -- Virginia -- is the only undefeated ACC team in league play and leads Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami in the Coastal Division. ... Pittsburgh leads the Big East. ... Temple is tied for the MAC East lead. ... Idaho leads the WAC.

Which team doesn't belong? Pretty much all of the above. Maybe it's parity gone mad, or a whole lot of bowls are going to make room for a whole lot of new teams. The Big 12 North Division is such a mess that WWL ran across this possibility this week:

Colorado, 2-4, visits current division leader Kansas State this weekend, and still could conceivably win the division in a tiebreaker and go to the Big 12 title game at 5-7. If it somehow pulled the upset, that's where it really gets weird. Colorado would be Big 12 champ, but would require a waiver from the NCAA to go bowling. If approved the Buffs would then have a spot reserved for themselves in a BCS bowl. Bet the commissioners never thought of that one.

It's a long shot that all this could happen, but so was that tiebreaker in the Big 12 South.

Dan Mullen: His dog is named Heisman. He used to sit next to Tim Tebow on team flights. Hell, he made Tim Tebow (and vice versa). But this is what Mullen wanted -- a head coaching job. This is what he didn't want -- having to fight family.

Florida's former offensive coordinator, now Mississippi State head coach, takes on his former club with both teams' seasons on the line. Florida's goals are obvious. The Bulldogs are 3-4 and need three wins in the final five to become bowl eligible. That's another way of saying must-win with Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss ahead.

The Holy War: A week after the USC heartbreak, Notre Dame begins another long, slow, uncertain climb toward a BCS bowl. All the sudden the second half of the schedule doesn't look so easy, starting with Boston College (5-2) and leading the ACC Atlantic. BC has won six in a row in the series and, if everything else goes wrong, the Eagles can start chanting "1993".

Mountain (Best of the) Rest: What's the fuss? If TCU-BYU is a game of the week, what are we supposed to do with Boise State? The Broncos are still No. 4 in the BCS. The Frogs and Cougars are playing an elimination game to determine if the winner can pass Boise State. Unlike Boise, both teams typically stumble before sealing the deal. Unlike Boise, neither has been to a BCS bowl. TCU whipped BYU last season, ending the Cougars' 16-game winning streak, then threw one away at Utah. BYU already has thrown up on its shoes, big time, against Florida State.

Jonathan (Peyton II) Crompton: Georgia did its best to keep the Tennessee quarterback in the lineup last week. Now it's Alabama's turn and, for some reason, folks are uber-geeked about the Vols and Tide. Yes, it's a traditional rivalry, but have you checked the product on the field lately?

People, 'Bama isn't Georgia. And Tennessee is going to revert to flirting with single digits.

Scouting the Nation

More bizarro: Michigan State (4-3, 3-1) is a victory over Iowa away from moving into, at worst, a tie for the Big Ten lead with three conference games to go. The Spartans would be tied with Ohio State, assuming the Buckeyes beat Minnesota. Following Saturday, Michigan State's remaining Big Ten games are at Minnesota, at Purdue and at home against Penn State.

That's not to disparage Iowa, which could get off to its first 8-0 start. The Hawkeyes are a sum of their parts, having won three games by three points or less.

Everything's swell(ing): It's all up to Blaine Gabbert's sprained ankle. If the Missouri quarterback's leg is healed, he can move around enough to give the Tigers a chance against No. 3 Texas. If not, then credit Ndamukong Suh, who rolled up on it during that Thursday night rainy mess against Nebraska.

Even if Gabbert is mobile, Texas is 11-0 under Mack Brown the week after Oklahoma.

Louisville West: Does this sound Petrino-ish? Arkansas is last in SEC defense but third (18th overall) in total offense. The Hogs try to climb out of the SEC West basement against Ole Miss.

Are they back? On the periphery of BCS discussion, it will be interesting to see how far USC (seventh in the BCS) moves up if it beats Oregon State. The Trojans haven't won in the state of Oregon since 2005. Last year's painful 27-21 upset in Corvallis has burned a permanent spot in Trojans' memories. Luckily for USC, the Beavs come to "The Coli," as Pete Carroll calls it. Oregon State hasn't won in L.A. since 1960.

Lane Kiffin quote of the week: "Florida is a great program, very successful, won a couple of national championships. They just do it a little different way. They play a different style. We want to play the way Alabama plays. Alabama comes more at you. They don't try to trick you. They're very physical on both sides of the ball. They play more like NFL teams do."

No comment needed.

Utility man: According to Oklahoma, Brody Eldridge is the only player in the country to start at three different positions this season (not including special teams). Eldridge opened the season at center then switched to tight end and, then last week against Texas, left guard.

Stoopses and schedules: Oklahoma's Bob and Arizona's Mike have played two of the top 10 toughest schedules in the country. Their alma mater, Iowa, has played the No. 9 toughest schedule, according to the NCAA. Oklahoma goes to Kansas, Arizona hosts UCLA.

Sliding: The last time Oklahoma was under .500 after seven games, it was the last year of the John Blake disaster. The Sooners were 2-5 in 1998.

Etc.

• Thoughts and prayers to UConn, which must press on after the murder of teammate Jasper Howard. Husky players will wear "JH" stickers on their helmets against West Virginia. At least two players on other teams will wear Howard's No. 6 on Saturday.

• LSU (hosting Auburn) still controls its own destiny in the SEC West despite fielding the worst offense in the conference.

• Iowa, 11 in a row, has the nation's second-longest winning streak.

• Don't Know What This Means Dept.: 32 percent of all SEC offensive "scores" have come via field goals (245 touchdowns, 114 field goals). That's the highest percentage since 1992.

• Nine of the Big Ten's 11 teams have winning records. That's the most of any conference.

• Even after giving up 27 to Notre Dame, USC is allowing only 11.7 points per game.

• Anybody notice the glancing mention Fox gave the BCS standings last week? You can tell the network's contract is coming to an end. Don't blink, you might miss the latest standings when they're revealed between 7:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.