Terrelle Pryor Quits Ohio State: 9 Things It Means for the Buckeyes in 2011

The Terrelle Pryor era that started with tremendous hype and electricity has ended with a thump.

The senior QB from Jeannette, PA has left the team according to his attorney and OSU beat writer Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland.

Pryor has been the face of the tattoo scandal that cost Jim Tressel his job as he resigned over a week ago.

But now with Pryor done as a Buckeye, what does it mean for the upcoming season?

Here are nine things that will change as a result of his departure.

1. Braxton Miller Will Likely Start over Joe Bauserman

The debate between Ohio State fans through most of the season would be who would start during Terrelle Pryor's five-game suspension: Braxton Miller or Joe Bauserman.

But with Pryor done for good as a Buckeye, the question should be simple: go with the freshman.

With Pryor gone, Ohio State's chances for a BCS bowl are virtually gone even if the school was not subjected to a bowl ban by the NCAA.

As a result, the team needs to go with the young guy and let him take his lumps in what essentially be a rebuilding year as the program must pick itself up off the floor.

Braxton Miller will be the future of this team, so Luke Fickell and Ohio State will be better served to let him get reps this season.

2. More Pressure Will Be Put on the Running Backs

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Dan Herron #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty

Pryor's departure from the team means that now even more pressure will be put on the OSU running back corps.

Without a doubt, most teams would be happy to have the depth at RB that Ohio State has with Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry, Rod Smith and senior Dan Herron who will still be under suspension.

But essentially now with potentially Miller being the full-time QB, that will put even more pressure on these RBs to get the job done, especially if opposing defenses lean heavily on the running game and force the freshman to beat teams with his arm.

These four backs will need to be absolutely monstrous if Ohio State has any chance of playing in the Big Ten Championship Game.

3. Chalk Up the Trip to Nebraska as a Likely Loss

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LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 26: Lavonte David #4 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during their game at Memorial Stadium on November 26, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska defeated Colorado 45-17 (Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)

Regardless of who starts at QB for Ohio State, now that Pryor is done as a Buckeye, the chance Ohio State goes into Lincoln and beats Nebraska drops astronomically.

No matter how good the Ohio State defense plays, which can be incredibly good, eventually a team has to score points.

And if the Huskers can stop the running game which they're very capable of doing, it's going to be incredibly tough for these QBs to beat the Huskers through the air, especially if Alfonzo Dennard is capable of being another good No. 1 corner.

Braxton can give the team a chance with his legs, but unless he can develop chemistry with his receivers, October 8 could be a long night for the Buckeye offense.

4. No Distractions or Time Wasted in Practice

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COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Assitant Head Coach Luke Fickell listens during a press conference before the start of Spring practices at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at The Ohio State University on March 30, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Ge

In a way, this may be one of the few good things about Terrelle Pryor leaving Ohio State when it comes to the team.

They can move past the idea of splitting practice time between two potential starting QBs and get behind one guy, whether it be Bauserman or Miller.

The new starter will get all the main reps in practice without having to split them with Pryor in getting him ready for the final seven games of the regular season.

Now that Ohio State can focus on getting just one QB ready to start each game for the whole season, it will only help these players be more focused and ready to go when they start the games.

5. Expectations Will Be Diminished

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COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Assistant Head Coach Luke Fickell speaks to the media during a press conference before the start of Spring practices at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at The Ohio State University on March 30, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. Fickell wil

It's probably time to cancel BCS bowl plans even if the NCAA will allow Ohio State to play in a bowl game this season.

With Terrelle Pryor gone, Ohio State fans should probably lower their expectations this season, where 10 wins would be a fantastic year.

This isn't meant to be a slap in the face to anyone on the team, but teams don't always lose a talented QB and turn out better because of it in the same season.

The defense and running game will be good this year, but at some point Ohio State needs to throw the football. And if they can't do that with most likely Braxton Miller, Ohio State will have problems.

6. More Games on the Schedule Become Toss-Ups

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CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 02: Nathan Scheelhaase #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks for a receiver against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Champaign, Illinois. Ohio State defeated Illinois 24-13. (Photo by Jonathan Da

Even after the five games on the schedule, very few games on the Ohio State schedule were toss-up games before Pryor left.

Now that he is gone, all of a sudden, not all of these games look like sure wins.

Going to Illinois becomes a toss-up as the Illini have played the Buckeyes tough in recent years.

Penn State will be tougher because they do have a young defense that should grow well during the season.

Michigan on the other hand...

7. Ohio State Loses Another Michigan Killer

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ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 19: Quarterback Troy Smith #10 of Ohio State runs through an opening against Michigan on November 19, 2005 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines 25-21. (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Image

Troy Smith, Jonathan Wells, and Chris "Beanie" Wells have been considered big Michigan killers in the past decade.

Terrelle Pryor could also make that list after going 3-0 against the hated Wolverines.

But now that he's gone, Ohio State will need to find a new player to keep the winning streak against Michigan going.

That will be something interesting to watch even though Ohio State can easily out-talent Michigan on both sides of the ball.

The margin of error will be smaller, but Ohio State still has a big edge over Michigan on November 26.

8. The Defense Must Pick Up Even More Slack

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IOWA CITY, IA - NOVEMBER 20: Tight end Allen Reisner #82 of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes is tackled by defensive tackle John Simon #54 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half of play at Kinnick Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Iowa City, Iowa.

While the running game for Ohio State needs to step up this season without Terrelle Pryor, the defense will need to be that much better.

With seven new defensive starters coming into the fold, the defense would already be considered somewhat of a reloading project.

But they do have defensive studs in DT John Simon and DE Nathan Williams, along with some young guns waiting to break out including LB Etienne Sabino, DB Travis Howard and S C.J. Barnett.

They will need to pick up even more slack, but knowing the caliber of defense Ohio State has produced in past seasons and with Luke Fickell still there, this is certainly in the realm of possibility.

9. Helps to Slowly Clean Image of the Program

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COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Head Coach Jim Tressel speaks to the media during a press conference before the start of Spring practices at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at The Ohio State University on March 30, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/

The main targets of the NCAA probe into Ohio State football, Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor, are both gone from the program.

With the main reasons for the problems gone, Ohio State can start to repair and rebuild it's tarnished image.

The two men were largely responsible for the brunt of the transgressions stemming from the tattoo scandal and the subsequent coverup.

Whether or not AD Gene Smith is the next to go, Ohio State needed to separate itself from Terrelle Pryor in order to restore the image that they had before these allegations came out.

They need to start from scratch, but the true mark of a great program is its ability to pick itself up off the mat and to dust itself off and get back to where they used to be.

But for now, the controversial run of Terrelle Pryor comes to an end, and he leaves a torn up and bloodied Ohio State program left to pick up the pieces.

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