Pebbles

Well... if you're not into wild-ass internet speculation just skip this one.

Still here? Okay. I present this thing from the CBS Sportsline message boards:

I just flew back from Pittsburg and guess who sat nect to me on the flight. Jerome Bettis. I sat and talked football with him for about 2 hours. Guess what he told me. Terrell Pryor is going to Michigan. Was never a doubt in his mind after the official visit. This was passed onto him from Charlie Batch who he had just been out with the night prior to his flight with me. As a Buckeye fan I'm crushed, and don't want to believe it. It even took away from the fact that I was sitting next to an NFL future HOF player and talking with him. I can furnish a photo upon request of myself and "The Bus" if needed. I hate when Darth Rodruigez and the evil empire wins.

The horrible grammar and spelling immediately raises suspicions until "As a Buckeye fan" explains them away. That's verisimilitude, baby.

A check of this guy's posting record reveals this is not a driveby; "bolosak" has 200-some posts and was a frequent participant in the pissing matches between LSU and OSU fans in the run-up to the Not Sugar Bowl.

This, by itself, might not be worth posting. Bolosak could be going for a hoax. However, the College Football Talk post referenced this morning is another piece of information in Michigan's favor; I also received an email from a reader who seemed connected* during the coaching search indicating that a Western PA source was also claiming Pryor would choose Michigan. These are three hopeful signs, and I want you to think of me when Pryor picks Ohio State tomorrow.

*(odd phrasing, yes. Normally I would go with "previously reliable," but in this case the emailer was one of a number sending information along the lines of "there's a power struggle going on but Les Miles is close to a done deal" in the week before the Herbstreit "newsflash." The information ultimately turned out to be incorrect, but I believe that was more because the situation changed than anything else.)

Update: Another "probably OSU" piece from a reputable source to offset any flickering optimism you might have:

Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor plans to announce his college choice Wednesday and indications are it will be Ohio State.

A few of Pryor's friends and acquaintances told the Post-Gazette Ohio State is Pryor's top choice. One unnamed source said Pryor told him recently he would sign with Ohio State.

Who knows? Bleah!

Update II: Forgot a hat tip to The Only Game That Matters on the message board thread.