What now?

Tired of hearing about the Terrapins football team's quarterback controversy yet?

Get used to it, because it's not going anywhere soon. In opting to keep quarterback Danny O'Brien in for much of the second half of Saturday's loss to Florida State despite C.J. Brown's medical clearance after a head-to-head hit, coach Randy Edsall reopened the debate over his team's starting signal caller.

Since that 41-16 loss, there's been no quarterbacking clarity. For the second time in three weeks, Edsall has declined to name a starter for Saturday's game against Boston College.

And this time, the plot has thickened: Edsall didn't rule out the possibility of a platoon-style approach to the Terps' quarterback situation versus the Eagles.

"It'll be a game-time decision," Edsall said at his weekly press conference yesterday. "We'll go out to practice today and they're both going to work with the [first string], and by the end of the week we'll make a decision as to which way we'll go.

"We might play both on Saturday, I don't know. Everything we try to do is whatever can give our team the best opportunity to win, and if there's somebody that's a little bit better in one area, then we'll do that."

Edsall's decision has left the sophomore duo in limbo.

After starting the team's first five games and winning two, O'Brien got the hook in the second quarter of an Oct. 8 loss to Georgia Tech.

Brown shined in O'Brien's place and nearly led a second-half comeback against the Yellow Jackets.

The following weekend, Edsall kept Clemson guessing as to who would start under center. After Brown ultimately got the nod in pregame warm-ups, he led the Terps to a season-high 45 points.

That performance earned Brown the start last weekend, but against a Florida State defense that had prepared for his run-first style, he enjoyed far less success. O'Brien stepped in after Brown's injury and led two second-half touchdown drives under center.

All of which again leaves the team — and Boston College — guessing. Brown and O'Brien will share snaps in practice this week with the first unit, and while the newfound competition hasn't impacted their friendship, the pair admitted they'd like to know who's starting Saturday.

"I really can't make that decision. The sooner the better, of course, for me and Danny," Brown said. "But we're going to go out there every day in practice and just compete, and coach will make the decision accordingly."

"I think there's positives either way," O'Brien said. "I think keeping the other team guessing, just because we bring different things, might be a positive. That's something that's up to Coach and that's his decision, and all we can do is make the most out of our reps in practice."

Although neither quarterback is hiding his belief that he should be the starter, they're maintaining a team-first approach.

"We're very supportive of each other," O'Brien said. "It might be hard for people to comprehend that, because we're fighting for the same spot. We both see the big picture — that we're going to compete — and I feel like I'm the guy and he feels like he's the guy, and that's how it should be. But whoever's out there, you have to support him because we're one team."

It's a battle few foresaw entering this season, with O'Brien the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year and Brown returning from a season-ending collarbone injury. But O'Brien clearly hasn't been the same quarterback this year. He's thrown more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five) and has appeared disjointed for large portions of his time under center.

And while Brown's been equally inconsistent — especially through the air, having completed just 48.7 percent of his passes — his explosiveness on the ground has provided a spark to a sputtering Terps attack.

The quarterback position isn't the only source of the struggles that have driven the team's three-game losing streak and slide out of relevance in the ACC. The Terps, to be sure, have been inconsistent in every facet of the game.

But the constant flux at the team's most important position hasn't helped.

"Just got to prepare like any other week, prepare like you are the starter," O'Brien said of his approach. "Me and C.J. are both going to be ready to play."

And whether Edsall hopes to settle the quarterback controversy down the stretch, he said, remains to be seen.

"That'll depend on them," Edsall said of his signal callers. "That'll be up to them to determine that."

cwalsh@umdbk.com