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Troy did not start that Texas game and did not get a chance to lead the comeback as Zwick came out and fumbled. Troy led the only TD drive of the game for OSU for what its worth. Pryor racked up tons of Stats against bad teams but was pretty awful against the better defenses he faced. Troy his last two years lost only 2 starts and 3 for his entire career. He won on the big stage when the pressure was on. Pryor helped beat an Arkansas team with a crap D and an Oregon team with a crap D. That USC team in 09 was really bad they were a 4 loss team that got lit up but pryor missed a wide open duron carter at the end of the game that would have gotten is into FG range if not win it. Duron was that wide open. Troy Smith was simply a better college QB people just fall in love with Pryor the athlete. When Troy Smith became the starting QB OSU was on a 3 game losing streak his sophomore year we were not very good on either offense or defense. In 05 after the Texas game the seniors went to Tress and begged him to make Troy the starter. They lost at PSU to a PSU team that only lost one game that year. His senior year he lost to a national champion florida team and beat two teams that were ranked 2 when we played them. Pryor was a better athlete but not nearly as good a passer. Finally ask yourself one question when Troy was the starter did you go into a game knowing we would win because I always did where as with Pryor I was never sure.

Because those guys can move around. Are you saying you would take Doug Datish (or someone else) as your LG over LeCharles Bentley just because Datish actually played there for OSU and Bentley did not? Give me the better O-lineman and I'll find him a position. If you can play center, you can play guard. Also, guys move around so much that many of the guys on our list played several positions on the OL during their OSU careers. Same deal for DL and LB.

I shared my own All-Tressel era team in my column on July 14, 2011:

http://ohiostate.247sports.com/Article/DBC-July-14-All-Tressel-Team-31510

It was:

QB -- Troy Smith over Krenzel and TP
TB -- Mo Clarett, Beanie Wells
FB -- Jamar Martin
WR -- Mike Jenkins, SanAntonio Homes over Ginn, Gonzalez, Vance, Gamble, Robo, Hartline, Posey and Sanz (what an embarrassment of riches this position was!)
TE -- Hartsock and nobody else even close
OT -- Barton and Boone
OG -- Stepanovich and Clarke
C -- Mangold over Bentley and Brewster
Utility OL -- Datish and Cordle

DE -- Smith and Gholston
DT -- Pitcock and Tim Anderson
LB -- Laurinaitis, Hawk, Wilhelm (another great position when Carpenter, Homan and Rolle can't crack top 3)
CB -- Gamble and Jenkins clear and easy
S -- Doss and Whitner over Coleman and Allen
Return -- Ginn, we'll never ever see another like him with his speed, cutting ability and instincts.

K -- Nuge
P -- Groom

My Tressel era top 10 overall:

1. Doss (they don't win the national title without his play, leadership ... period)
2. Troy Smith
3. Krenzel (see No. 1)
4. Ginn
5. Gamble
6. Laurinaitis
7. Hawk
8. Jenkins
9. Pryor
10. Beantown Wells

Same for DL? Really? We saw the impact on our defense last year of not having a true Leo. Do you really ever want Hankins playing end again?

I previously posted why I like TP over Smith, and I've read Steve, Duane, and others post. What everybody is failing to bring up is the talent around Troy and Krenzel. Compared to TP I have to say Beanie (who he had all of 5 months as a true freshman) was the only great talent his whole 3 years here. Say what you want about his off the field, and erratic games, but when I think of TP I think 3 & 10 at Iowa Posey drops our season. Next play TP easily gets it back without being touched (WE DEPENDED SOLELY ON HIM). I think if you plug TP in on either of those teams, and vice versa with Troy & Craig TP gets better results everytime. The big stage? We get insulted about our OOC big stage resume last 6,7 years thanks to Troy not TP, sure he beat ND but TP would've destroyed that defense with that team guys wakeup. He got drafted higher than Troy for many reasons even in a supplemental one, he's a bigger talent bigger results also was a bigger program problem I admit IMO! But he's got this university more rings, and trophies than Troy who yea got us the Heisman (which is an individual award not team)! TP played against a 2 team B1G (which it was that year not even close) with all that 1st-4th round talent same result maybe even a BCS win because he did SHOW UP THEN! If you think Troy ran for his life in the title game imagine if he had to deal with what Braxton dealt with last year, and TP dealt w/ for 3 years. Hate to sound like Troy hater because I love all 3 my favorite buckeye QBs the title game and the rose bowl that year made me take my homer glasses off. Troy had the best talent in a conference that was absolutely terrible look across the OOC landscape that year. UofM wasn't as good as we were we should've won that game by 2 scores they close it to 3, they didn't belong on the field with USC! I'm sorry but 06 was just simply OVERRATED 05 much better! Plus you guys bring up better passing, look at the stats I like Troy too but look at their QB coaches solves the mechanics debate. It also proves my point with worst o-line play, worst skill play, worst QB coach & AWFUL gameplanning! TP did in 3 years more than Troy with all those facts if you reverse its not same result, and TP probably gets a heisman too! I watched both individually, and our teams with them Troy made our offense go TP simply makes ANY offense better with better results come bowl season because of it!

I like all 3 but gotta take the guy that gets it done:

1. Krenzel
2. Pryor
3. Smith

What HARDWARE other than the Heisman, he doesn't have 3 B1G titles or 2 BCS wins nor even 2 MVPs? Sorry but TP simply WON, 1 defensive stop from 3BCS wins in 3 years, I look at the 2005 team the same as I do the 2010 Sugar bowl squad. Both could've won it all, but got tripped up along the way at UW 2010 we could've beat Auburn, or Oregon in my opinion for 1 reason we had a trumpcard at QB we hadn't had before #2!

One-year aberration. Are you saying players like Cam Heyward, John Simon and Darrion Scott didn't move around a lot on the DL during their OSU careers?

Quit confusing the argument with facts, Heater. I much prefer detailed analysis like "I guarantee Pryor would have won the Heisman if he played as a senior."

1) TP didn't put up better numbers than Troy. Not on a per game basis. Remember Pryor played in more games than Troy. About the only stat TP beats Troy on is yards per rush. And that's by a whopping 1/2 yard (18 inches per carry). And for all of TP's rushing prowess, he scored exactly 3 more rushing TD's than Troy, while playing 5 more games than Troy. (I won't even get into the games where Troy split time with Zwick, or where Troy only played 3 quarters because we were blowing teams out. Pryor never really split time with Todd and my guess is there were far fewer games where TP left early due to a blowout)

2) I would argue that had TP played with Ginn, Holmes, and Gonzo, they would have felt the same utter frustration Hartline, Robo, Posey, Small and Sanz all felt. Running wide open in the secondary while TP tucks the ball and runs. Troy made those guys look goods, as much as those guys made Troy look good. Final point.

3) Everyone says Troy having Pittman was better than anything TP had. Well at least TP had Beanie for part of his first season. Troy had freaking Lydell Ross and Mo Wells for the love of God. TP then had Saine and Herron his second season, while Troy had Mo Well and Eric Haw and then Pittman (Pittman came on mid-to-later on that season). So I'd argue Pittman during Troy's 3rd season and Boom for TP's 3rd season is a wash.

It's a fallacy that TP didn't have talent to work with. His freshman season, he has who many think was the best RB of the Tressel era in Beanie Wells. Huge advantage for a young QB to have a veteran, stud RB to hand off to. At WR, he had a second-round NFL draft pick in Robiskie and a fourth-rounder in Hartline. Turns out Hartline was the better of the two WRs by NFL standards, but Robo was a very good college wideout.

At tight end, Pryor had Jake Ballard for 2 seasons, who proved he was an above-average NFL tight end last year. Nice luxury to have a TE like that, even though they didn't throw to him enough (not Pryor's fault; offensive game plan was flawed at times).

Also, and most-importantly, why do OSU fans write off Dane Sanzenbacher as an excellent college WR? He was fantastic. Is it because he went undrafted in the NFL? Well, what did he do about it? He made the Chicago Bears' active roster and had a very-solid rookie season. Pryor also had a third-round pick in DeVier Posey to throw to. Then at RB, even after Beanie left, for Pryor's final two seasons, he had a pair of future NFL RBs at his disposal in Boom Herron and Brandon Saine.

Come again on Pryor not having a good supporting cast? Exactly.

better Quarterback - Troy Smith and its not even close
more important to his teams - TP2 and its not even close.

Take away Troy Smith from the years he was there, those teams still win at least 9 games per year
Take away Pryor from his teams, those teams arent bowl eligible every year.

and someone mentioned the game at Wisconsin Pryors soph year and how he stunk it up. you need to go watch game film again, our defense sat there and watched wisky run the same 4 running plays all game and couldnt stop them from avg well over 5 yds per carry, and if i remember correctly Pryor had to convert many 3rd and longs by himself, that loss isnt on his shoulders

Disagree dave - yes Sanz was a very good college WR, maybe as good as Gonzo, but not approaching the dynamic that Holmes or Ginn gave the team, not even close. You are way overrating Robo