Terrelle Pryor (right) took in a basketball game with new Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez during his official visit to Michigan last month. AP

MAILBAG Submit a question or an opinion to Stewart. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Terms like "impact" and "difference-maker" are the primary reason why Pryor is so coveted: He comes along at a time when the effect of dual-threat quarterbacks on college football has never been greater. Over the past several years, fans have watched the likes of Vince Young, Dixon and Pat White single-handedly elevate their teams to championship levels.

Pryor's performance in last month's U.S. Army All-American Bowl contained shades of all three. Operating out of the shotgun-spread, he ran 10 times for 79 yards and a touchdown and threw a 25-yard touchdown across his body on a scramble. (Warning: This highlight clip from the game includes offensive language on its soundtrack.)

Pryor most often draws comparisons to Young, Texas' former national-championship hero, two-time Rose Bowl MVP and Heisman runner-up. Young was also the nation's top-rated quarterback coming out of high school in 2002; however, he was a raw prospect who did not really take off until his third year at Texas.

Pryor, on the other hand, is already more physically developed and is unlikely to redshirt like Young did.

"He's Vince Young with about 35 more pounds of muscle on him," said Farrell. "When you see him physically, you're just like wow. He's not even close to the beanpole Vince Young was coming out of high school. He's a defensive end's size. He's stronger, equally fast, with the same instincts and vision. When the threat of the run is there from that kind of guy, it's impossible to defend."

With praise like that, it's easy to understand why Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly have both flown cross-country to visit him in recent weeks; why LSU's Les Miles jetted in from Baton Rouge when it appeared for a brief window that the defending national champs had a shot; and why Pryor merited a rare home visit from 81-year-old Penn State icon Joe Paterno last week.

With some of the most respected names in the sport flocking to see Pryor, it stands to reason that the rabid fans of those coaches' teams would be foaming at the mouth at the possibility Pryor signing with their school. It's also no coincidence that Pryor is a quarterback.

For nearly as long as they've been playing the sport, quarterbacks have garnered the most attention, and that's certainly held true in the recruiting annals. From Ron Powlus to Chris Leak to Tim Tebow to Jimmy Clausen, the most ballyhooed blue-chippers are almost always signal-callers.

However, all four of those players -- and practically every other high-profile quarterback recruit of the past decade -- announced their college destination long before signing day. Quarterbacks, much more so than any other position, tend to do that.

According to Wallace, all 22 of last year's SuperPrep All-America quarterbacks had committed by Jan. 15. Nine of the top 10 quarterbacks in this class -- most notably E.J. Manuel (Florida State), Blaine Gabbert (Missouri) and Dayne Crist (Notre Dame) -- have long since announced their intentions. Heck, even next year's top-rated QB, Matt Barkley of Santa Ana, Calif., has already committed to USC.

By drawing out his decision, the suspense will dwarf that of any previous signing day spectacles by players from other positions -- even more so if he does indeed delay it past Wednesday.

"It's hard to imagine a more dramatic situation revolving around a quarterback," said Wallace.

Which brings us to the single biggest factor behind Pryor-mania: The two parties believed to have the most riding on his decision just happen to be bitter archrivals. It's been anticipated for some time now that Pryor's decision would come down to a choice between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, though based on his statements Tuesday night, apparently Penn State remains in the running.

The biggest turning point in the entire Pryor recruiting saga came on Dec. 16, the now-infamous day when Rodriguez called the coveted quarterback to let him know he was leaving West Virginia for Michigan -- with Pryor in turn telling the recruiting services, "You can add Michigan to my list."

At the time, Pryor still held a fairly nebulous list of contenders that included Ohio State, West Virginia, Florida, Texas and others. It soon became apparent, however, that his choice would come down to long-time perceived front-runner OSU, where Pryor could step in to a national title-ready program, or Michigan, whose new coach happens to run Pryor's preferred spread-option offense and is in desperate need of a QB following one-time heir apparent Ryan Mallet's transfer to Arkansas.

Oregon apparently piqued Pryor's interest with the way that Dixon excelled in Bellotti and Kelly's spread-option, but basketball commitments precluded him from making a trip out west. Ohio State (last November) and Michigan (last month) remain the only schools to which he's made an official visit.

"If you were to list the negatives for each school," said Farrell, "Ohio State hasn't run an offense like he's used to running, Michigan is a perfect offense but they don't have the personnel in place to run it immediately, whereas Oregon has both. But he's close to his dad, who's in a wheelchair and can't travel easily."

Ohio State has won six of its past seven meetings with the Wolverines while reaching three BCS championship games. It's no stretch to suggest Pryor could singlehandedly alter the balance of that rivalry were he to head to Ann Arbor, both because of the weapon Rodriguez would be gaining and the long-believed quarterback-of-the-future the Buckeyes would be losing.

However, all indications are that Pryor, who maintains he's yet to make up his mind, is Columbus-bound. Roy Hall, Pryor's position coach at Jeanette, recently told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that, "A lot of things are telling me [it's] Ohio State. That's my gut feeling." Sources told SI's Jack McCallum on Monday the quarterback is leaning toward Ohio State. And according to Farrell, Pryor has remained in constant contact with several of Ohio State's committed prospects, most notably five-star Florida offensive lineman and U.S. Army All-American teammate Michael Brewster.

"We're talking about one of the biggest swing votes we've ever seen," said Wallace. "Every single Michigan fan would think if they can get Terrelle Pryor, this run by Jim Tressel is over. If Ohio State gets him, their fans will think, 'Get ready for at least three more years of dominance.' "

And if Penn State manages to sneak in and nab him, both Buckeyes and Wolverines fans will feel defeated.