Pryor In Memphis?

Does this picture make you nervous? According to AOL Sports, it should. Michael David Smith cites Phil Fritz’s story and reports that Terrelle Pryor visited Memphis this weekend. Fritz’s report suggests there is much more money to be earned in professional basketball as opposed to the NFL, and that John Calipari is offering Pryor the opportunity to play both sports. You can make your own judgment on this one, but it seems to be a classic Internet rumor if you ask me.

In fact, as pointed out by Michael David Smith in the AOL piece, Pryor recently stated that basketball would no longer play a role in his decision:

"No, it won't," Pryor said. "I really like playing basketball and I'm still considering playing both football and basketball in college, but I'm not sure. I'm leaning toward just football, but I haven't decided for sure."

And, I take issue with the assertion that basketball may be a better sport for Pryor because there is less risk of injury and more money to be made. I seem to recall Michael Vick getting a contract in the neighborhood of $100M and I am sure Vince Young will command similar cash soon. I know that talent like Vick does not grow on trees but if Pryor is as good as they say he could reach that level.

There may be fewer injuries in the NBA but injury is a risk in any sport. Besides, football (especially the NFL) is America’s game now. The NBA is played at night during the week and broadcast on cable networks (mostly). Football owns the weekend and even Monday nights depending on your perspective. Football is king. If Pryor wants to play on the biggest stage he needs to be on one made of grass, not hardwood.

Most valuable college team: Back in November, ABC News and Forbes reported on the income and net worth of major college football teams. The Buckeyes are ranked 10th on the list with a mythical value of $71M. According to Forbes, Ohio State is the second most valuable team in the Big Ten behind Michigan whose $85M valuation placed them 4th on the overall list. Notre Dame, buoyed by its own television contract and not saddled with a conference, is at the top of the list.

Surprisingly, you have to scroll through most of the list until you see USC. I would have guessed their valuation to be much higher. After all, USC is a high profile, successful program in the nation’s second largest city with no NFL team to compete. Maybe unofficial coach/spokesperson Snoop Dogg needs to get the word out.

Another Early Top 25: I stumbled upon Sports Projections.com and if you are anything like me you cannot get enough prognostication (hey, it's what I do). They recently published their NCAA Football Top 25, which has the Buckeyes pegged at #2 behind Georgia, with Oklahoma, Florida and USC rounding out the top 5. Other ranked Big Ten include #8 Wisconsin, #18 Penn State, and #21 Illinois. Ohio State plays USC, Wisconsin, and Illinois on the road in ’08.