ESPN College Football

Typically, every preseason features a handful of quarterback competitions, even if we sort of feel like we know who will ultimately emerge.

Last fall, there was uncertainty at Arizona State, Colorado and Oregon.

At the end of the 2010 season, it looked like there would be plenty of ongoing quarterback intrigue. Arizona State was expected to feature another showdown with Steven Threet and Brock Osweiler. California was completely wide open with the departure of Kevin Riley. There was a new coach at Colorado, Jon Embree, who said every job was open. UCLA clearly had no clear No. 1. Washington had to replace Jake Locker.

But most of the mysteries were solved by the end of spring practices.

Threet was forced to retire because of multiple concussions, thereby handing the job to Osweiler. Cal coach Jeff Tedford surprised a few folks when he announced Zach Maynard had eclipsed Allan Bridgford and Brock Mansion. It was clear throughout spring drills that Tyler Hansen was the Buffaloes' best option. And Steve Sarkisian tapped Keith Price over Nick Montana before the spring game.

If you're looking for a potential source for making quarterback decisions before preseason camp, consider former USC coach Pete Carroll. He believed in "anointing" a starter after spring practices because he believed it helped them become leaders over the summer -- see Matt Leinart, John David Booty and Mark Sanchez. Notably, Sarkisian chatted with Carroll before tapping Price.

While coaches will still talk about competition, and it wouldn't be wise for any of these guys to take their job for granted, the only team with remaining uncertainty behind center is UCLA, and even then most would project a healthy Kevin Prince -- the incumbent starter who suffered a season-ending knee injury that also knocked him out of spring practice -- is the likely choice.

Still, let's look at where the Bruins' competition stands.

The candidates:

Kevin Prince: While Prince's passing numbers were horrid in his five 2010 games before getting hurt, he showed in 2009 that he can be a capable passer. And last fall, he showed he could do a pretty good job running a pistol offense. But Prince had suffered myriad injuries even before he hurt his knee last fall, and while he enters the preseason reportedly at 100 percent, keeping him healthy is the critical element for him to become a reliable starter. Recall that the Bruins' ragged start on offense in 2010 could be attributed to Prince not practicing until the week before the season opener -- an embarrassing loss to a Kansas State team the Bruins pushed around the previous season. So it's fair to expect less running -- or at least more running out of bounds -- for Prince. He will be given every opportunity to win the job.

Richard Brehaut: There's no other way to say it: While Brehaut didn't play terribly well after replacing Prince, his passing numbers were better than what Prince did in 2010. That fact has engendered some not unreasonable sentiments that coach Rick Neuheisel has some sort of issue with Brehaut, a summary of which is provided here by Adam Maya (by the way, former offensive coordinator Norm Chow doggedly believed Prince was a better option than Brehaut). While Neuheisel said it was "nothing personal," it is fairly clear that Neuheisel questions Brehaut's complete commitment, which is reflected in Brehaut's apparently incomplete absorption of the offense. Further, knowing Neuheisel and how he works with quarterbacks, I can tell you that those little tirades he seems to have with his quarterbacks after a bad play mostly amounts to Neuheisel asking the quarterback to explain what he was thinking. And if the player doesn't have an answer, it drives Neuheisel crazy. A bad explanation -- "I didn't see the safety cheating over" -- is way, way better than "I don't know."

Brett Hundley: Hundley is the hotshot incoming freshman -- one of the nation's top dual-threat prep quarterbacks during the 2010-11 recruiting season -- whom many fans have been making googly-eyes at. But it ain't easy going from high school quarterback to college quarterback, and it was clear during spring practices that Hundley had a ways to go (though he also had some "wow" moments, too). Hundley was a bit of a long shot in any event, but after he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will be out most of camp, his chances of redshirting are now higher than of him winning the starting job. Still, if he comes back strong, he could earn playing time. And if the situation gets desperate, Neuheisel, under pressure to win now, might roll the dice with a true freshman.

Nick Crissman and Darius Bell: These are the two long shots. Crissman's career has been riddled by shoulder injuries, but he had a fairly good spring and he's got some skills. Bell, a JC transfer, is a far better runner than passer. Many Bruins fans probably recall his regrettable debut in relief of Brehaut during a loss at Washington: 0-for-3 with an interception and a tongue-lashing from Neuheisel.

Washington released its post-spring depth chart on the same day that the new Pac-12 TV deal was being announced, so I didn't get a chance to comment on Keith Price earning top billing at quarterback over Nick Montana.

But, of course, I want to comment on it, or at least make a connection that seems interesting.

Recall this item from Ivan Maisel on April 26.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, trying to decide when to name sophomore Keith Price or redshirt freshman Nick Montana as the replacement for quarterback Jake Locker, made a crosstown phone call Monday to his former boss at USC. Sarkisian asked Seahawks coach Pete Carroll about how and when to tell the team. “I know what I feel. I know what I want,” Sarkisian said. “How do you get it all across?” One hint regarding timing: Sarkisian recalled 2003, when Carroll waited until after spring practice ended to name Matt Leinart as the starter over Matt Cassel.

After reading this, I felt like I had a pretty good idea that Sarkisian was about to make a call at quarterback because I know what Carroll would tell him. Why? Because of a conversation I had with Carroll at Pac-10 media day before the 2008 season about his decision to "anoint" -- his word -- Mark Sanchez after spring practices.

"Part of the reason for naming him is to see [leadership] come out," Carroll said. "He wasn't able to show it. He hadn't been anointed yet."
Telling Sanchez he was The Man, allowed him to embrace the role and lead without looking over his shoulder.

"If he was going to win the job -- and it looked like he was because he had so much more experience than the other guys -- then he might help our team get ready for the season better if he was put in that position then," said Carroll...

There's an interesting dynamic at work here. For one, we've all recall Carroll's widely praised "culture of competition" at USC. The theory behind it was you compete every day and every week to hold onto your starting job: Seniority doesn't matter. What you did last week doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is being the best player at your position heading into Saturday.

Carroll, of course, didn't invent that. A coach just gets lots of credit for stuff when he's lording over college football for seven seasons.

But maintaining competitiveness at practices isn't everything, particularly at quarterback. Quarterback is a unique position. It's the most difficult job in all of sport in terms of physical, mental and emotional demands. It's clearly a first-among-equals spot.

For one, the starting quarterback needs to exude a contagious confidence. That becomes the foundation of his ability to lead, which is critical in the locker room as well as the huddle.

Thus the "anointing." For Carroll, naming a starting quarterback was like naming a team leader. He believed his quarterback needed to be out front over the summer during unofficial workouts as a prelude for a successful fall dynamic.

Thus Sarkisian's apparent rationale here after a conversation with Carroll. Price didn't just play better than Montana this spring; he asserted himself, including a standout performance in the spring game. He earned an anointing that will provide him the right to show a little swagger during seven-on-seven workouts.

Of course, no coach wants to hand over a starting job and announce a competition at an end months before the regular season. Price, of course, still needs to play better than Montana this fall. If Price decides to get fat and happy, he could get eclipsed before the season-opener against Eastern Washington.

But, apparently, Sarkisian doesn't see that happening, which is why he reached out to Carroll, and Carroll, subsequently, suggested his protegee head down to the corner store and pick up some anointing oil.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Last summer, four guys with a lot in common hung out in Manhattan and at the ESPN offices in Bristol, Conn. They had a good time. They traded war stories. But, no, Matt Barkley, Nick Foles, Jake Locker and Andrew Luck did not become good buddies. They didn't start firing off text messages talking smack to each other the way young men do when they bond. They didn't plan a Vegas get-away so they could radiate awesomeness as a foursome.

Locker is a likely first-round NFL draft pick next week. Luck will be touted as the likely top overall draft pick in 2012. Foles could join him in the first round, as Barkley likely would if he opted to leave after his junior season at USC.

"We're all good [with each other]," Barkley said. "But we're all kind of doing our own thing."

And, for Barkley, he admits that "our own thing" includes competing to be the best of the group.

"I definitely have them on the radar," Barkley said. "I'm aware of them. It is competition. Every quarterback wants to be the best at what they do. When I hear their name, I'm always trying to one-up them."

The best quarterback in the Pac-12 next fall likely will be the best quarterback in the nation. The second-team all-conference quarterback could end up a second-team All-American. Luck entered the offseason as the leading Heisman Trophy candidate. Barkley, Foles and Oregon's Darron Thomas will make most preseason watch lists for the award.

It seems a bit odd that the USC quarterback, a position in recent years that almost automatically included front-runner status for the bronze statue, is an underdog in the group. Luck is the decided front-runner. Thomas was second-team All-Pac-10 in 2010 and led the Ducks to the national title game. Foles has the best supporting cast of receivers of them all and could end up with the biggest numbers.

And Barkley? He's been running for his life this spring behind a patchwork offensive line.

Last year, Barkley went 1-3 against the group. He put up bigger numbers than Luck in a 37-35 nail-biting defeat at Stanford -- Luck was more efficient -- but put up inferior numbers against the other three, including a win over Foles and Arizona.

The first priority for Barkley and the Trojans is reversing those numbers and winning those games. But Barkley also is honest enough to admit that he wants to eclipse the other Pac-12 quarterbacks and, yes, he wants to push into the Heisman discussion.

"You grow up wanting to be the best and the Heisman Trophy is the mark of the best player in the country. So, yes, I've dreamed of that," he said. "It's kind of what you expect here."

Barkley has been the quarterback of record during a tumultuous time at USC. He won the job as a true freshman over Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain after Mark Sanchez surprised then-coach Pete Carroll by opting to leave early for the NFL. Carroll went from being perturbed with Sanchez to gushing over Barkley in rapid fashion, calling Barkley, the No. 1 high school prospect in the nation in 2009, an "outlier," a term Carroll adopted after reading Malcolm Gladwell's book titled the same.

"This is not a typical kid," Carroll said after Barkley won his first start over San Jose State.

Then Carroll bolted for the Seattle Seahawks, Lane Kiffin was hired and NCAA sanctions hammered the program. Along the way, Barkley's ride hasn't always been smooth. When his numbers are viewed from the perspective of being a starter as a true freshman and sophomore, 5,526 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and a 61 percent completion rate sound pretty darn good. But Carroll set him up as a mutant quarterback and he turned out to just be flesh and bone like everyone else -- see: 26 interceptions.

Further, going from Carroll's over-the-top praise to Kiffin's unadorned feedback was a challenge for Barkley. One of the first things Kiffin did was talk about how Barkley needed to lose some weight, and Barkley never seemed to be thrilled with his weight being an issue, even after he lost a few pounds.

"It was definitely different," Barkley said of the transition to Kiffin. "I didn't expect it. But you've got to learn to go with it and know how to react to him, what works with him and what doesn't."

But the tit-for-tat -- Barkley has made fun of Kiffin's inexperience on Twitter a couple of times this offseason -- doesn't seem to indicate tension between quarterback and coach.

"Everybody would ask me, 'What do you think of Kiffin?' expecting me to bash him. He's awesome," Barkley said. "He's a great playcaller. He pushes you to be the best."

And Kiffin likes what he's seen this spring from Barkley, who's the team's only returning captain while still being a young player (second semester sophomore).

"He's doing a really good job of being a leader," Kiffin said.

Other players have noticed. Said safety T.J. McDonald, "He's the centerpiece that's putting that all together, and you can see that by how the offensive members are responding."

Barkley wants to be the best. He admits that is a primary goal. He expects to become a Heisman Trophy candidate. And he expects to become a high NFL draft choice; though it's not a topic he will talk about, more than a few folks figure this is his last season at USC.

But the best way to accomplish his personal goals is to reverse the downward course of what had been a college football dynasty. Barkley's Heisman chances and perhaps even his NFL prospects will decline if the Trojans don't win.

"All that doesn't mean anything unless this year produces results," he said. "If this season doesn't produce what I want to do, which is be the best in the country, then it's worth nothing. If I'm playing my best football, it gives our team the best chance to be successful."

And if he plays his best football, Barkley believes he'll become the best quarterback in the land.

The SEC dominates college football, but the ACC and Pac-10 rock the NFL Pro Bowl.

Wheeeee!

As my esteemed colleague Heather Dinich pointed out in the ACC blog, the ACC led all conferences for the third consecutive year with 19 players selected to play in the Pro Bowl, which will be held on Jan. 30 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The SEC was second with 13 selections and the Pac-10 was third with 12. The Big Ten and the Big 12 had nine each.

But, of course, seeing that the Pac-10 at present has just 10 teams versus 12 for the ACC, SEC and Big 12, the numbers need to be adjusted for players per team. By that measure, the ACC is still No. 1 with 1.58 Pro Bowl players per ACC team, while the Pac-10 is second with 1.2 per team.

Here's the list of Pac-10 players in the Pro Bowl.

Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville (UCLA)
Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis (Oregon State)
DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia (California)
Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta (California)
Ryan Kalil, C, Carolina (USC)
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars (UCLA)*
Haloti Ngata, DT, Baltimore (Oregon)
Terrell Suggs, DE, Baltimore (Arizona State)
Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, Oakland (California)
Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh (USC)
Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay (USC)
Lance Briggs, LB, Chicago (Arizona)

*Out of game due to injury

You also may have noticed that a Jets-Packers Super Bowl would mean both starting quarterbacks -- Mark Sanchez for the Jets (USC) and Aaron Rodgers for the Packers (California) -- hail from the Pac-10.

With QB Nick Foles out with a knee injury, Arizona mostly relied on its defense for a 24-7 victory at Washington State.

The Wildcats held the Cougars to just 174 total yards.

Foles apparently has a dislocated knee cap. Coach Mike Stoops said he doesn't believe it will end his season, though Foles could be out a few weeks. Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez suffered a dislocated knee camp during fall camp in 2008 and he was still able to start the opener three weeks later.

Matt Scott took over for Foles and completed 13-of-18 for 138 yards with an interception.

For Washington State, it was another competitive performance. The Cougs lost to Arizona 48-7 last year. But the end result is falling to 1-6 on the year and 0-4 in the Pac-10. Things don't get any easier: Up next is a visit to Stanford.

No. 17 Arizona improves to 5-1 and 2-1. The Wildcats play host to Washington next weekend.

"Philosophical" is not a term that often appears next to USC coach Lane Kiffin's name, but it accurately describes how he's responding to his Trojans "good news, bad news" performance at Hawaii last Thursday.

The good news was his offense rolling up 524 yards and 49 points, with quarterback Matt Barkley turning in a nearly flawless performance with five touchdown passes and no picks.

The bad news was the Trojans yielding an eye-popping 588 yards and 36 points and not tackling worth a spit.

"One game will not define us," Kiffin said. "Just like it will not define Matt on offense. Let's take a couple of games before we evaluate, before we make big statements about sides of the ball."

That said, Kiffin understands the concerns over his defense, which looked to be a strength entering the season, no matter a completely rebuilt secondary. The hand wringing over one bad game that, nonetheless, still ended up being a win is understandable, he said.

"That's who we are right now because it happened," he said.

See: Philosophical! The Trojans defense fell on a island and everyone saw it.

Therefore, that defense will be looking for redemption against Virginia on Saturday in the Coliseum, USC's only home game until Oct. 2. The Cavaliers beat Richmond 34-13 last weekend, the debut for new coach Mike London, but the Cavaliers only welcome back 12 starters from a 3-9 team that got Al Groh fired.

Moreover, Barkley might be working against a secondary minus its two best players: All-ACC cornerback Ras-I Dowling and junior strong safety Rodney McLeod didn't play against the Spiders. Dowling missed much of fall camp with a hamstring injury, while McLeod has a knee injury.

Another boost for the USC offense: The return of freshman running back Dillon Baxter from a one-game suspension. Kiffin has called Baxter USC's "most talented player."

The last time these two teams met in 2008, Mark Sanchez and the Trojans bludgeoned the Cavaliers 52-7 in Charlottesville. But the circumstances are much different this time. For one, there are two new head coaches. For another, USC is no longer riding a run of Pac-10 dominance to a certain BCS bowl berth. The rest of the Pac-10 took care of the former last fall, and the NCAA took care of the latter this summer.

Still, London said he doesn't see a neutered team.

"When you look at the game [film], you see athleticism -- from everybody," he said. "Even the water boy is athletic and fast."

So what went wrong at Hawaii on defense? Kiffin cited a number of things. For one, yes, it did hurt that the Trojans didn't do much full-contact work during fall camp in order to avoid injuries. That's an explanation for the poor tackling. Further, the Warriors surprised USC when they tweaked their spread scheme with a "pistol" formation.

Kiffin also gave credit to Hawaii: "That is a really good offense, and I think we'll see that throughout the year... They are going to put up lot of yards and points on people if they stay healthy."

Kiffin seemed excited that Virginia's style of offense will be more in the Trojans' comfort zone. He called the Hawaii game "a wake-up call" and expects his defense to be highly motivated after turning in an embarrassing performance.

And, no, the Trojans defense, which started hemorrhaging last year (though USC still led the Pac-10 in scoring defense at 19.8 ppg), hasn't lost its confidence. At least not yet.

"I look for us to play a lot better this week," Kiffin said. "If we play like that three weeks into the season, yeah, we're going to have a confidence issue. We're going to have a lot of issues. But I don't think that's going to be the case. I think our guys are going to really respond well this week."

Oh, and by the way, overconfidence shouldn't be a problem, either

"How we can be overconfident; we haven't done anything yet," Kiffin said.

USC got a look at what its offense might look like without starting quarterback Matt Barkley during the spring game. The verdict? Not too shabby.

With Barkley sidelined by a bruised hand, Mitch Mustain threw five touchdown passes while completing 19 of 29 for 299 yards to lead his team to victory.

While ESPN's College Football Live rates Barkley as "irreplaceable," the Trojans coaches doesn't seem too worried about the prospect of potentially turning to Mustain, a fifth-year senior.

"We'd be very comfortable," quarterbacks coach Clay Helton said.

Mustain is probably the nation's best known backup quarterback. He went 61-2 at Springdale (Ark.) High School and was named the 2005 Gatorade, USA Today and Parade Magazine National Player of the Year before becoming the biggest recruit in Arkansas history. He went 8-0 as a true freshman starter, yet things turned sour between Mustain and Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt -- let's just say it was complicated -- and Mustain opted to transfer to USC.

The Trojans offered a new start, but Mustain couldn't manage to win the starting job after sitting out a season, per transfer rules. He first served as Mark Sanchez's backup in 2008 and then failed to beat out Barkley last fall. He saw limited action in 2008 -- he passed for 157 yards with two TDs and two interceptions -- but didn't throw a pass last year and was a mostly a forgotten man under coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.

With the arrival of new coach Lane Kiffin, however, the message was no job was safe. Even Barkley's.

"Mustain really wanted to come and compete and show that he's a big-time quarterback who can help the team in any way," Helton said. "We were very proud of the way Mitch responded during the spring."

While few expected Mustain to beat out Barkley, who emerged as a clear No. 1 when spring practices ended, he impressed the coaching staff, Helton said.

"I thought he really put in the extra effort and the extra time of really understanding the system," he said. "We're extremely pleased with him."

The good news is that Mustain's game experience likely means he won't be too wide-eyed if he's needed to step in for an injured Barkley. The bad news is that he's the last line of defense -- or offense. This spring, after Aaron Corp opted to transfer to Richmond, he and Barkley were the only two scholarship QBs on the roster, though James Boyd was moved from defensive end to fortify depth. In the fall, touted freshman Jesse Scroggins arrives, but turning to a true freshman quarterback is rarely a good thing in the Pac-10.

If Barkley is lights out and doesn't get hurt, it seems unlikely that Mustain will see much playing time. His future hope, of course, is to copy the path of Matt Cassel, Matt Leinart's backup at USC, who signed a six-year, $63 million contract in July 2009 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

But Helton isn't writing off Mustain.

"I think he is going to be a guy who definitely helps us in his last year," he said.

LOS ANGELES -- When Pete Carroll was hired at USC in December of 2000, Matt Barkley was 10 years old. While the shock of Carroll's departure to the Seattle Seahawks hit Trojans fans hard -- weren't they going to "win forever" together? -- imagine what it was like for a kid from Orange County, Calif., who grew up rooting for the Trojans and became their starting quarterback as a true freshman.

"That's what I grew up knowing," Barkley said. "That's all I knew about. That's all I thought USC football was."

So it's understandable that Barkley felt "weird" early in spring practices watching Lane Kiffin call the shots and then seeing Carroll on the NFL channel wearing Seahawks colors.

"But I'm embracing the change and I think all the guys on the team are as well," Barkley said.

Couple of reasons for the embrace. For one, there wasn't much choice. Kiffin didn't bring in a warm-cuddly approach. Sad about Carroll bolting? Get over it. Get good or fall down the depth chart.

Kiffin immediately made it clear that Barkley wouldn't be handed the starting job, despite his passing for 2,735 yards and ranking third in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency as -- again, worth noting -- a true freshman.

Further, USC went 9-4 in 2009. It had lost nine games over the previous seven seasons. Carroll's wasn't the only big ego that was wounded last year, and those left behind are motivated to confront their newly empowered doubters, whoever captains the ship going forward.

"Last year was unacceptable, uncharacteristic of USC and this football program," Barkley said. "We expect something greater than that. We hold ourselves to a higher standard."

And, finally, Barkley intimates that -- just maybe -- change is good, particularly for him, considering how consistently mediocre the Trojans' offense was last year under coordinator Jeremy Bates.

He said he understood the concepts of Bates' offense. He said he was physically up to the job. He said that he was confident in himself and his supporting cast. And yet he kept recalling as the season progressed how past USC offenses looked different. You know: Good.

"I was kind of wondering,'Why aren't we there right now?'" he said, leaving it up to the audience to answer the question.

Barkley has appeared a lot closer to "there" this spring. In the last three scrimmages, he's thrown 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions. He's moving better in and out of the pocket. He seems to have quickly grasped Kiffin's offense, which is critical because Kiffin will call the plays.

While Kiffin started out seeming to want to challenge Barkley and perhaps even rattle him a bit and see how he responded to talk of competition, it appears Kiffin has been won over.

"He makes it very easy to forget he's a true freshman," Kiffin said. "I think a lot of people forget that. He's so far beyond a normal kid his age."

Still, Kiffin doesn't appear eager to mythologize Barkley, as Carroll did -- recall all that "outlier" talk that some reporters (cough, cough) ate up. In fact, one of the first things Kiffin told Barkley was he believed the quarterback was chubby.

How did the golden boy former super-recruit respond to that?

"He's bought into our conversations about changing his body," Kiffin said. "His body fat is way down. He's dropped weight and worked extremely hard. He's moving around completely different than he was a year ago on film."

Fact is, Barkley was fairly solid last year, though his 14 interceptions were more than any other Pac-10 quarterback. Watching him this spring -- the liveliness of his arm, his mechanics and accuracy -- it's easy to wonder if he might end up being mentioned along with Washington's Jake Locker and Stanford's Andrew Luck as the best quarterback in the conference by season's end.

When asked what he is working on, he mentions subtleties: mastering protections and check-downs, anticipating blitzes and coverages. He also seems to now better understand that, as cool as he might be, it's a mental and emotional challenge to be the USC quarterback, a position that produced two Heisman Trophies and three top-10 draft picks under Carroll.

"Being a quarterback here -- I don't consider it pressure -- but it has that weight from the fans, from the media, from even the students here at school," Barkley said. "You know that coming in. There's only one quarterback. You have to take that responsibility."

As for that quarterbacking legacy and all the acclaim -- and awards and NFL attention -- that come with it, Barkley ranks them behind a goal that will, in any event, have to be accomplished first in order for him to join the ranks of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez.

"Getting back to the point where winning is the only thing we know and not accepting anything less," he said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

BERKELEY, Calif. -- The Matt Barkley Experience is moving forward. It's not taking baby steps. That sells his rapid maturation short. But, as prodigies go, USC's touted true freshman quarterback is not yet blowing anyone's mind.

His performance in USC's methodical 30-3 demolition of California suggested that he and the Trojans aren't going away quietly in 2009, either in the Pac-10 or, perhaps, in the national race.

	Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
	USC quarterback Matt Barkley is progressing nicely in the starting role.

Barkley completed 20 of 35 passes for 283 yards against Cal. He tossed an interception, which was basically him just launching a ball skyward and hoping his gleaming smile might guide it to somebody in the right jersey. That experiment failed.

He was good enough to win, though, and even better than that at times.

"He is playing as good of football as anybody we have ever had, already," coach Pete Carroll said.

Holy Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez -- that's high praise!

The No. 7 Trojans piled up 457 yards but only scored two offensive touchdowns. Jordon Congdon was called on to boot three field goals of under 30 yards when the offensive sputtered in the redzone.

No worries.

"If our defense is playing like that, then we don't need a whole lot of offense," Barkley noted.

That's true. USC's defense entered the game ranked among the national leaders in nearly every category and it surely will rise a couple of clicks after nearly pitching a shutout and holding the Bears to a scant 285 yards.

Cal running back Jahvid Best never got any momentum, finishing with just 49 yards rushing, and that basically was the end of the Bears struggling offense -- which, by the way, also scored only a field goal a week ago at Oregon.

"We never let him get into a rhythm," Carroll said. "Because of that they had to pass the football, and that's what we wanted."

Best was outplayed by USC's Joe McKnight, who had 119 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns.

While the Trojans defense is almost completely rebuilt from last year, Carroll always puts together a good defense. Barkley is the main source of intrigue, and his ability to quickly grow with the offense will probably reveal whether USC is going to win an eighth consecutive Pac-10 title or yield the floor to another.

Barkley said the bruised shoulder he suffered at Ohio State that forced him to sit out the upset defeat at Washington is "feeling a lot better."

It also feels good that Carroll and play-caller Jeremy Bates are allowing him to throw the ball downfield more.

"I think they've had faith the whole time, but they've decided to open up the playbook now," Barkley said.

Barkley obviously likes finding his tight ends -- Anthony McCoy and Blake Ayles combined to catch four passes for 66 yards. And he really likes getting the ball to playmaker Damian Williams, who hauled in eight passes for 101 yards in addition to going 66 yards for a touchdown on a punt return.

Barkley also figures to get a kick out of speedster receiver Ronald Johnson, who will return to practice during the bye week and may play at Notre Dame on Oct. 17.

USC started the week dealing with the serious neck injury suffered by running back Stafon Johnson. Johnson required emergency surgery after dropping a 275-pound bar on his throat while doing bench press.

Johnson's absence was felt in the redzone -- he's the designated touchdown-maker. And everywhere else.

"He was in our hearts the whole time," Barkley said.

Johnson's condition has improved dramatically. And so has the Trojans.

While there's immediate work ahead, it now appears that the biggest turn in the conference this year will happen when the Trojans visit Oregon on Oct. 31.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Jedd Fisch's cell phone blows up at all hours of the night, but the Minnesota offensive coordinator doesn't mind.

Golden Gophers starting quarterback Adam Weber is studying the game, and that's the way Fisch likes it.

"I gets calls from Adam at all times," Fisch said, "asking, 'Hey, I just got done watching practice. Was I supposed to check to this protection or that one?' I tell him and all of our players that if there's ever a time they want to watch their practice tape on their own, it's now available to them. And call me."

Minnesota's film review doesn't end when Fisch or one of the other coaches switches off a TV or a laptop in a team meeting room. It doesn't end when players walk out of the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex.

Thanks to Hudl Pro, Gophers players and coaches are just a few mouse clicks away from all the essential information they need to prepare for the football season. Hudl Pro allows teams to keep practice tapes, coaches' notes, scouting reports, news feeds, PowerPoint presentations (a Fisch favorite) and much more in an online library that all team personnel can access through their PCs.

So even after players retreat to their dorm rooms or apartments, they can stay very much in the game. Same with the coaches, in those rare occasions where they actually leave the office.

"It allows you as a player to put in that extra time," Minnesota running back Duane Bennett said. "Maybe you’re not able to stay at the complex for extended hours, but being able to come home and see practice after you just got done, being able to make corrections on the fly and then being able to come in to the next day with a sense of what you need to correct and what your opponent’s going to be doing, it’s a great addition for us.

"The program really helps."

Minnesota is one of only three FBS programs that uses the Hudl software, joining Tulsa and Nebraska, where the idea was conceived and developed by three students several years ago. Former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan brought the program to the New York Jets, where he now serves as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. The Cleveland Browns also use the Hudl programs.

Fisch, an NFL assistant before joining Minnesota's staff in January, visited several of his former colleagues with the Jets this spring and learned about Hudl.

"As I was watching it, I was infatuated with the things it could do," Fisch said. "Mark Sanchez is there, and they're teaching the quarterbacks [how to use it]. It's a tremendous learning tool."

Fisch had no trouble selling Gophers head coach Tim Brewster on adding the Hudl programs at Minnesota. Both expect to discuss the new programs with recruits, especially quarterbacks.

"It's been great for the quarterback to learn from," Brewster said.

Minnesota's practice tapes go online five minutes after they're complete. Fisch can log on and see his scheme installation from the first day of training camp until today. Bennett uses Hudl every day during the preseason and expects to do so three or four times a week after classes start up.

Almost every team makes DVDs of practice, which usually are distributed at the end of the work week. With Hudl Pro, Minnesota players and coaches no longer have to wait.

"As it's been publicized recently, you're only with your players about 45 minutes a day [for film] in college football," Fisch said. "This is an ability [for players] on their own time, at their own leisure, to be able to flip on their computer and instead of surf the Web for 45 minutes, they can watch themselves compete."

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Read in a handful of places that the Pac-10 might be down in 2009.

Balderdash.

Three teams will begin the season as top-25 certainties: USC, California and Oregon.

Two others are close: Oregon State and Arizona.

And the bottom will be much better. Stanford, Arizona State and UCLA, if things fall right, could end up being bowl-eligible. Washington should be much improved with quarterback Jake Locker back and new coach Steve Sarkisian lighting a fire under the program. And Washington State, if the team can stay healthy (knock on wood) will be more competitive than they were in 2008.

Still, there are issues. Here are five to consider.

1. Will quarterback play return to the Pac-10 standard? In 2008, only USC's Mark Sanchez (No. 6) and Arizona's Willie Tuitama (No. 22) ranked in the nation's top 44 in pass efficiency. And both are gone. Yikes! While the post-spring quarterback vibe at most schools was positive, the summer is often when a new starter can build up chemistry with his receivers in "unofficial" workouts. So get on it, fellas.
2. Will the rebuilding offensive lines come through? With all five starters back, USC is the only stone-cold certainty on the offensive line. As we noted before: "Three teams that ran the ball well last year -- Arizona, Oregon and Oregon State -- lost three starting offensive linemen, including early-round NFL draft picks. Four others -- Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Washington State -- were just lousy up front last fall. Even Stanford and California, which should be fairly stout, lost their best blockers from 2008." The depth in the conference (read: number of bowl teams) probably hangs on the depth of quality offensive line play.
3. Can the Pac-10 send a message with nonconference success? A handful of early-season nonconference defeats in 2008 allowed the gadflies to claim the Pac-10 didn't measure up. A 5-0 bowl record mostly reversed that, but at least a few months of trash-talking were lost. The 2009 schedule is, as usual, loaded with big nonconference games: Arizona at Iowa, Arizona State at Georgia, USC at Ohio State, UCLA at Tennessee, LSU at Washington, Stanford at Wake Forest, Oregon at Boise State, California at Minnesota and Washington State vs. Notre Dame in San Antonio, among others. Yes, a lot of these are on the road. Yes, a lot of these don't look good for the Pac-10. But if the conference doesn't want to again listen to the yammering of 2008, it might want to win a few of these games.
4. Can anyone dethrone USC? Seven consecutive titles is an amazing feat. Yeah, yeah -- three, technically, were shared, but the Trojans always were the first choice either in the bowl selection or the national rankings. So the question that has been asked since 2002 endures: Can anyone slay Tommy Trojan and earn a Rose Bowl or, heck, a BCS title game berth?
5. Will the conference earn a second BCS berth for the first time since 2002? The Pac-10 placed two teams in BCS bowls in 2000 and 2002. Since then, it's been all about the Trojans. Sure, a couple of times the conference got screwed -- California in 2004 and Oregon in 2005 come to mind. But those teams didn't help the cause by subsequently losing in the Holiday Bowl. If the above four questions get answered, however, the Pac-10 should have a solid shot of getting two teams invited to the fancy dances.

	Photos by Getty Images and US PRESSWIRE
	Is quarterback Mark Sanchez ready to make an impact in the NFL?

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

The last image many USC fans have of Mark Sanchez is the bizarre news conference in which Trojans coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Sanchez was wrong to enter the NFL draft a year early.

"The facts are so strong against this decision," Carroll said at the time. "After analyzing all the information, the truth is there -- he should've stayed for another year."

Carroll cited a 62-percent failure rate for quarterbacks who entered the NFL draft as underclassmen. He said that Sanchez would have made a lot more money in the 2010 draft.

He also said Sanchez was projected to go in the second round, which we all now strongly suspect isn't going to happen: Sanchez almost certainly will be picked in the top half of the first round and could even go in the top-five.

So is Sanchez ready to take the reins of an NFL offense? Is he more Ben Roethlisberger or Alex Smith, two quarterbacks of recent note -- and divergent success -- who declared for the draft after their junior seasons?

The Pac-10 blog enlisted the help of Scouts Inc., NFL draft guru Steve Muench to debate the subject.

1. How much of an impact should Mark Sanchez' experience have on the evaluation process?

Steve Muench: Experience is key when it comes to evaluating top-tier prospects such as Sanchez. Sound investments in the first round can be the difference between going to the playoffs or finishing in the bottom of your division. As a result, organizations want to compile as much information as possible in order to make the right decisions. The bigger body of work they have to break down, the better. USC head coach Pete Carroll made waves when he said he felt that Sanchez should stay in school, but the truth is Carroll offered his admittedly talented quarterback sound advice. After all, eight of the last 11 underclassmen quarterbacks taken in the first round are either failing to live up to expectations or are complete busts. Not an encouraging trend. Now obviously you can't base a decision solely on experience and Sanchez' natural ability as well as intangibles make him an early first-round value as far as I am concerned. That said, I think that Matt Stafford being a three-year starter gives him an edge over Sanchez.

Ted Miller: It should have a lot of impact -- impact in Sanchez's favor. No other quarterback in this draft has spent the past four years running a sophisticated pro-style offense playing against an NFL defense -- the unit Sanchez faced every day in practice. Let's recall that the Trojans' 2008 defense, one of the best collections of talent in the history of college football, lost three first-round picks and a fourth player taken in the second round the previous spring. Moreover, Sanchez has been in the spotlight since he was named Parade All-American Prep Player of the Year in 2004. He's shown poise and charisma under the brightest media glare in college sports and he's already demonstrated he can work a room full of reporters with the best of them. So when you talk about experience, it's not just about 16 starts. It's about the total package.

2. Where's the best fit for Sanchez -- a team that's going to give him a rookie-year test or a team that's going to let him sit the bench?

Miller: Hey, it's always great for a guy to get to be mentored for two years by a future Hall of Famer before ascending to the front of the huddle. But that's not the reality. Sanchez is an ambitious competitor. He'll want to play now. And he's up to the job. For one, Sanchez is smart. He'll know his place. He'll ingratiate himself with veterans and win their trust, knowing it doesn't happen during a single minicamp. He also takes instruction, see how he without complaint worked within the Trojans' conservative system in 2008 that leaned heavily on an impenetrable defense. Further, he's mentally and physically tough. Sanchez already has shown an ability to shake off mistakes and bounce back from poor performances, as well as an ability to play through injuries. If a coach holds up the keys to the offense and asks Sanchez if he's ready, let there be no doubt what his answer will be.

Muench: I think it's critical that Sanchez land on a team that doesn't need him to step into the starting role Day 1. He certainly has all the physical tools to contribute early on and he is a charismatic leader who I think can win the hearts and minds of the players in the huddle. But the NFL is bottom-line business. He'll have to win for his teammates to keep their faith in him and the NFL is a whole different animal when it comes to reading defenses. The speed and size of NFL defenders effectively shrinks the field and forces quarterbacks to throw into tighter spaces. Just as important, complicated blitz packages and coverages and quicker pass rushers will force him to get rid of the ball. He'll have to make sound decisions much quicker than he did at USC, even if the Trojan defense was arguably the most talented in the nation last year. He's going to need time to adjust. In addition, a team that drafts him with the intent of starting him his rookie year more than likely won't be able to put him in a position to succeed because they will have too many needs outside of quarterback.

3. In 2010, will Sanchez look back on this decision with any regrets? Would another solid year at USC have made him the No.1 overall pick in the draft regardless of what Texas' Colt McCoy and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford did?

Muench: I can't seem to find my crystal ball here but I think that Sanchez will end up with the Seattle Seahawks and play behind Matt Hasselbeck for a year, possibly two. Giving him that time to get comfortable with his new offense/teammates/coaches and adjust to the speed of the NFL game will put him in position to succeed and I think he develops into an excellent NFL quarterback in that kind of environment. However, I think he struggles if he somehow ends up on the New York Jets' roster, which seems unlikely at this point but can't be ruled out. The Jets play in a big market, they play in a tough conference and they need a starter right away. If Sanchez struggles early, the media there will most likely skewer him. Remember a couple Jets' players were quick to place blame on future Hall of Famer Brett Favre for their demise last year. How is a former Parade All-American and star USC quarterback going to handle that kind of criticism, learn the offense on the fly and get his teammates to believe in him? Again, I think Sanchez has a bright future but that's a lot to ask of anyone, certainly someone who started just 16 games in college.

Miller: Maybe, but not going No. 1 this year means he doesn't have to go to Detroit, and how is that not a good thing? Look: It's impossible to look at a USC offense that welcomes back nine other starters and not wonder what that crew would look like with Sanchez running the show. It's conceivable that the Trojans' 2009 offense would approximate the Trojans' 2008 defense. And that could have buoyed his draft status ahead of every other quarterback. But another year at USC also would mean another year of not getting paid and another year in which
something terrible could happen that damages, shortens or ends a career. Sanchez's potential regrets probably hang more on where he ends up than over his decision not to return to USC for his senior year.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

USC's recruiting prowess is an obvious benefit but it also can be a burden. When hot-shot prospects meet with other programs, an intimidating visual aid is often produced: The Trojans depth chart.

It takes a certain sort to smirk and think, "So what?"

	Shelly Castellano/Icon SMI
	Aaron Corp has the lead in the Trojans' QB derby, but he knows the competition is far from over.

The challenge of that depth chart didn't bother Aaron Corp when he was a Parade All-American quarterback at Orange Lutheran High School in Villa Park, Calif., in 2006. And the allure of topping it was beguiling.

"I saw Matt Leinart on TV one time and I said, 'I want that.' I thought I'd just go for it," he said. "It's the elite program to play quarterback for. And I believed in myself. I thought I could pull through for myself."

Corp, who picked USC over California, UCLA and Arizona State, appears poised to do just that. He's taken a clear lead in his competition with Mitch Mustain and true freshman Matt Barkley to take over the job that became vacant when Mark Sanchez opted to enter the NFL draft a year early.

While Corp is reluctant to claim he leads the competition, he admits that the practice order reveals a pecking order.

"They have done that through the reps [with the No. 1 offense]," Corp said. "It seems like that [Corp is No. 1] now but I can't get complacent at all. I'm still trying to push myself."

That's probably wise. Coach Pete Carroll always preaches endless competition, so a lead now doesn't mean a lead later, particularly when the challengers are as talented as Mustain and Barkley.

On the other hand, Carroll also likes to "anoint" his starting quarterback during spring practices, see Mark Sanchez last year. So Corp may get tapped not too long after the April 25 spring game -- or perhaps even before.

"Maybe. I know they want to make a decision early," Corp said. "But even if they do anoint someone, it's still going to go into fall that if someone is playing better than the other guy he is going to play."

When news broke of Sanchez's decision to bolt on Jan. 14, it didn't take long for Corp's cell phone to fill up with voice mails and text messages: "I got a bunch saying, 'It's your time now. Congratulations!' All that sort of stuff."

Corp seemed a little bothered last spring that the media didn't see him as a player in the quarterback competition. Reporters focused almost entirely on Sanchez and Mustain. Still, he said coaches assured him he was getting a thorough look and equal opportunity.

But Corp, then a redshirt freshman, also knew he needed to get physically stronger and refine his knowledge of the Trojans' complicated offense.

Corp and Mustain -- and Garrett Green -- went back and forth as the backup last year. Corp played in five games, completing 2 of 4 passes for 50 yards.

Mustain has more experience. He started and won eight games for Arkansas in 2006 before transferring. Mustain and Barkley have better arms.

But Corp has a quality that neither of them have and, for that matter, no quarterback during the Carroll era has offered: speed.

Corp, 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, can run like a free safety, not that he wants to be seen as merely a runner.

"It's there, but I'm still a pass-first guy," he said. "But if the opportunity presents itself, I can make a play with my feet, if there's pressure or something."

Whoever ends up as the starter, it will be a baptism by Horseshoe: After opening at home against San Jose State, the Trojans head to Ohio State for a game that again has national title implications.

The Buckeyes figure to be smarting from their 35-3 loss in L.A. last fall.

Whoever ends up the starter, however, is going to get plenty of help. USC welcomes back nine starters on offense, including all five starters on what may be the nation's best offensive line.

"It's definitely going to make the new quarterback's job easier," Corp said.

And it's looking more and more like Corp will be that guy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

If you're going to San Francisco. Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. But that won't fly in Oakland.

• Arizona is hoping to infest the Pac-10 with a Bug this fall. 
• Kyle Williams is ready to fill Arizona State's void at receiver.
• This Bishop hopes to checkmate a spot in the California linebacking corps.
• Oregon State wants this tight end to be defensive.
• Oregon is missing its Blount force this spring.
• All signs point to a new Prince of UCLA this fall.
• Mark Sanchez has some advice for the future USC quarterback.
• Bob Condotta is never out of his depth, even if the Huskies are.
• Washington State appears to have lost linebacker Andy Mattingly for the spring.
  

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take me out and do whatever I wanted. Now I wanna link, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so link good.

• An Arizona cornerback has talent, but is still working to regain his team's trust. 
• An early review of Arizona State's football schedule.
• Oregon will play Boise State on Thursday night, Sept. 3 instead of Sept. 5.
• Talk about bloodlines: Jerry Rice, Jr., is headed to UCLA. 
• Who's the next (great?) USC quarterback? The battle to take college football's highest profile position begins Saturday. It's not as sexy, but the Trojans have some big holes with their specialists.
• The countdown of the top Washington players in 2009 continues.
• Washington State, with a year to get to know coach Paul Wulff, should move forward, starting this spring.
• Jon Wilner considers the new Pac-10 commissioner, Larry Scott.