Oregon
The offense: Spread option
Almost entirely shotgun-based. Usually three-wide, with a lot of zone reads, counters and bubble screens.
How Pryor would fit:
Jay Allen, sideline reporter for the Oregon Sports Network, compared Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor to former Ducks' quarterback Dennis Dixon. Dixon, along with current starter Jeremiah Masoli, are smaller than Pryor.
"Would that make a difference having a 6-6 guy who isn't as shifty?" ESPN.com Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg said. "Oregon is awfully dynamic. The thing there that you don't have at Michigan is you have a ton of playmakers around you."
Pryor glides with the football deceptively fast to the outside, but completing the short- and medium-range passes on the move isn't Pryor's forte yet.
Where would he be?
Dixon would be exiting the program the time Pryor would be stepping in, and current Ducks' coach Chip Kelly is very high on Masoli.
Waiting in the wings is sophomore Darron Thomas, who is redshirting this year to save eligibility. Thomas grabbed the coaches' attention after throwing for three touchdowns in a comeback bid against Boise State last year.
Still, Allen said Pryor is a prototypical spread option quarterback, and after two or three years in the system, he would be great for the Ducks.
"I bet Pryor doesn't hit his stride until sometime next season," Allen said. "Then, if he stuck around for his senior year, he'll be lights out."
Penn State
The offense: Spread HD
Most pro-style variation of the spread offense. Requires a quarterback who can routinely connect on eight-to-12-yard completions.
How Pryor would fit:
Given Pryor's struggles to excel in the mid-range passing game, it's possible the Nittany Lions' offense would be maximized with a heavy dose of zone reads, similar to when Michael Robinson was the starting quarterback in the 2005 season.
That would go against the grain of what quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno told him during his recruitment, and it's possible two years behind Daryll Clark would be enough time to develop his passing skills.
"We would've been in a very similar offensive system that we're in now," Paterno said. "That was one of the things we told him. Going into '08, we told him, I said, 'Look, this is the direction we're going offensively. This is how we can develop you.' "
Where would he be?
Sitting behind quarterback Clark with freshman eligibility. Pryor would have had two years to develop his throwing mechanics.
With Clark and Pat Devlin out of the picture in 2010, Pryor would be the front-runner to step in and start for as many as three years. Had Pryor chosen Penn State, would Kevin Newsome have come to Happy Valley?
"We knew we had Daryll coming back and we had Pat," Paterno said. "I don't think we envisioned him playing early like he did at Ohio State. From that standpoint, it's difficult to say what he would've done for us."
Michigan
The offense: No-huddle spread
The Wolverines' run-based system is largely dependent on the offensive line's zone blocking scheme. Michigan meshes multiple-back looks and quick, slashing receivers to essentially run a two-minute drill for four quarters.
How Pryor would fit:
"In our offense, if we had a great drop-back passer and he was the best quarterback we had, we could have tailor-made our offense around him," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. "If we had a guy who's athletic and can run like Terrelle can, then you can do a lot more with your offensive tactics."
Michigan is often viewed as the best fit for Pryor because he's a more accomplished runner than passer.
"He'd be better off at Michigan," Rittenberg said. "It's a system based a lot on quarterback runs and making plays, doing things outside of a pro system."
Where would he be?
Starting quarterback, but not as good a thrower.
"I don't think it's with malice that Terrelle Pryor's high school coach believes his former star would have been a better fit in another offense, specifically mentioning Michigan," ESPN's Joe Schad wrote in an e-mail. "Pryor may have had a desire to become a pro-style quarterback, but that doesn't work to his strengths. Trying to emulate Pat White or Michael Robinson certainly would have."
Rittenberg said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is comfortable running Pryor 15 to 22 times a game -- any more would be an injury risk.
"I haven't seen a team consistently stop him when he runs the ball," Rittenberg said.
At Ohio State
Ohio State is suffering from an identity crisis, and Pryor is left to improvise while orchestrating the Buckeyes' offense.
The pistol formation, I-formation and shotgun look have been recycled to cater to Pryor's raw talent and athletic ability.
Now, almost halfway through the former No. 1 high school recruit's college career, Pryor doesn't look any closer to being a pro-style quarterback than he did when he stepped on the Columbus campus last fall.
Even Pryor's former high school coach told ESPN he looked like "a robot" in the Buckeyes' offense, saying he needs to run more.
"In the passing game, besides from the big play, they have no bread and butter," Rittenberg said.
"That's their staple. They're being smart by running him more."
Ohio State is tussling with how to use Pryor -- let his freakish athletic talent win them football games, or develop him into a pro-style quarterback.
So, where does Terrelle belong? Is there a better school suited for Pryor's talent?
"Penn State would be the worst fit," Rittenberg said.
"He would fit best at Michigan and Oregon. I look at what Daryll [Clark] does, I don't think if Pryor could fit well to what Penn State does."
