With the future of Terrelle Pryor’s career at Ohio State in doubt, there’s speculation that he could apply for the NFL supplemental draft this year.

On Tuesday, an NFL official told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the supplemental draft would be held sometime in July – as long as there are applicants, that is.

“So far, there have been no applicants,” a league official told ESPN. “If there is one, the supplemental draft would be held mid-to-late July, no later than 10 days before the first training camp opens.”

A total of 45 players have been selected in the NFL supplemental draft since its inception in 1977. The supplemental draft is intended for players who missed the filing deadline for the annual NFL draft or had issues that affected their college eligibility. (You know, like if some player swapped championship memorabilia for tattoos or were given the opportunity to ride around in cars they never paid for.)

In order to be eligible for the supplemental draft, players have to be out of high school for at least three years. That’s obviously not a problem for Pryor, who is heading into his senior season at Ohio State. Teams then submit picks to the league and if their bid is the highest, they receive the player but lose the corresponding draft pick the following year. So in other words, if the Dolphins took Pryor in the third round this year, they’d forfeit their third round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Seeing as how Ohio State and the NCAA are investigating whether or not Pryor received cars and extra benefits during his playing days as a Buckeye, now might be the time for him to jet off to the NFL. There’s no guarantee of course that he’ll be taken in the supplemental draft, but he may wind up being suspended for the entire 2011 college season. If that happens, he’ll have to wait an entire year to see if some team will take a flier on him in the 2012 NFL Draft, which seems highly unlikely.

If Pryor did apply for the supplemental draft, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for Ohio State. He has already been suspended for the first five games of the season and with Jim Tressel resigning on Monday, the program doesn’t need this Pryor investigation hanging over its head all year. Granted, just because he’s gone doesn’t mean the university or the NCAA will halt their investigation, but at least from a media standpoint, Pryor wouldn’t be around.

Ohio State has enough on its plate then to worry about the constant stream of questions from the media regarding Pryor’s eligibility in 2011.

According to 10 TV News in Ohio, the NCAA and Ohio State University have opened a separate investigation into quarterback Terrelle Pryor and whether he received cars and extra benefits as a Buckeye. This news comes on the heels of head coach Jim Tressel’s resignation on Monday.

Records obtained by 10 Investigates showed that Pryor owns a 2006 Dodge Charger. However, video taken by 10 Investigates showed Pryor entering a 2009 Dodge Challenger with dealer license plates, 10 Investigates’ Paul Aker reported.

The 2009 vehicle was tracked to Auto Direct, located at 2300 E. Dublin-Granville Rd.

NCAA rules prohibit players from getting free access to cars because of their status as players.

10 Investigates spotted Pryor in the performance car from late March through mid-April at his home, around Columbus and at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, where the football team practices.

Traffic tickets showed that Pryor was pulled over at least three times in the past several years, driving cars that belonged to dealerships, Aker reported.

One of the vehicles was a GMC Denali that belonged to car salesman Aaron Kniffin. In the past, Kniffin and Pryor denied any wrongdoing involving the vehicle. Kniffin recently told 10 Investigates that he gave Pryor the Denali because he wanted to trade his Hyundai and planned to take the Denali to Pennsylvania to show his mother.

The story goes on from there but you get the point: Pryor is in deep trouble here. His career as a Buckeye is certainly in doubt and while we can only speculate what the fallout will be from this NCAA investigation, there’s reason to believe that Pryor has taken his last snap at OSU.

It seems pretty clear from these reports that Pryor was receiving more than just free tattoos. I’m sure it’s like this for other major college programs across the nation, but that doesn’t matter. Ohio State has gotten caught and they’re the ones in the spotlight right now. You get the feeling that things are only going to get worse for the Buckeyes before they get better.

First, the news: Terrelle Pryor and four other Ohio State players, including star receiver Devier Posey and star running back Daniel “Boom” Herron, have been suspended by the NCAA for the first five games of the 2011 season for receiving improper benefits.

There were items sold and money made. There’s also some word about some free tattoos. The NCAA is forcing the players to repay the money to charity. OK, that’s fine. They screwed up, they have to suffer the consequences, we get it. It might seem a little harsh, but rules are rules, right?

Well, in the NCAA that’s a matter of opinion.

First of all, the players have not been suspended for the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas because there was a misunderstanding of the rules. To some, this might seem like a very transparent attempt to have Ohio State’s best players available for the game, which figures to be a huge money maker. If you’re thinking that, you’re right.

The NCAA and the BCS — two separate entities, mind you — are consistent when it comes to one thing, and one thing only: We make money, you don’t. It’s that simple, and until we all just accept it, we’re going to spend a lot of time getting pissed off about things like this. Not that we shouldn’t be pissed off, but I’ve found the games are more fun to watch if I just pretend the NCAA and the BCS don’t exist when it comes to college football.

Then there’s the whole, “Hey, didn’t the NCAA find wrongdoing in the Cam Newton case, but not suspend him at all?” Why yes, that’s also true. Sure, these are two different transgressions, but transgressions nonetheless. The NCAA interpereted its own rules to allow Newton to play for Auburn. The fact that he’s the best player on perhaps the nation’s best team probably had everything nothing to do with it.

Newton — the NCAA, SEC and Auburn decided — didn’t know what was going on behind his back as his father shopped him for $180,000 to Mississippi State. Newton’s ignorance of the situation wasn’t not knowing the rules, his was not knowing his own father was shopping him. Completely different.

There is one thing that’s similar in these two cases, however. The BCS and the NCAA don’t suffer anything when it comes to their bottom lines, as Newton gets to keep playing, and will be in the NFL by the time the NCAA decides to actually make a real punishment in this case. Pryor, Herron and Posey, along with the other two Ohio State players, also get to play on the big BCS stage and keep the game against Arkansas interesting. Without them, who really thinks we have a competitive Sugar Bowl?

So yes, the NCAA does actually enforce its rules — when it realizes it’s not the only one making money, that is. And that enforcement is also subject to whether or not its BCS brothers will have as much of an opportunity to make money as possible.

Glad we’re all clear on that.