STATE COLLEGE — Don’t hold Penn State coach Bill O’Brien to the timeline that he would settle on a starting quarterback in a couple weeks.

There’s a lot to analyze when the top two candidates to take over one of the Big Ten’s top offenses each hasn’t ever taken a Division I snap.

For now, junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson has a slight edge on prized freshman Christian Hackenberg in large part because Ferguson has more experience with the offense.

That’s saying a lot given he just arrived in January and has never played in a major college football game. But that’s still more experience than Hackenberg, who was playing high school ball a year ago.

“I said that in Chicago (at Big Ten media days), but I hope you didn’t mark it in your calendar,” O’Brien said Thursday at Penn State media day when asked if he still planned to settle on a starter by the end of next weekend, which would be two weeks before the season opener Aug. 31 against Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“Just hold your horses,” O’Brien said.

It’s a big responsibility for someone with so little experience, especially following the success of last year’s starter Matt McGloin. He set school records in deftly guiding the offense in O’Brien’s first year on the Penn State sideline.

Last year’s backup, little-used Steven Bench, transferred to South Florida after spring practice, leaving program newcomers Ferguson and Hackenberg as the top quarterback candidates.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ferguson threw for 2,614 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 games for the College of the Sequoias last season, completing 55 percent of his passes. He enrolled in school in January, so was eligible to take part in spring ball.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Hackenberg played in the Under Armour All-American game after playing for Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.

As of Thursday morning, Ferguson was taking most of the first-team snaps.

“After three days, I would say that Tyler is a little bit ahead, again because he has knowledge of the offense,” O’Brien said. Hackenberg, on the other hand, “must be staying up late at night studying the playbook because from Day 1 to Day 2 to Day 3, he’s improved. These are two very talented quarterbacks at the Penn State football program right now.”