ESPN College Football

With two weeks left until spring practice begins for USC on March 6, we thought it would be a great time to start our position-by-position previews leading up to the festivities.

For the next 10 weekdays we'll break down the depth chart for one position group each day, paying special attention to potential things that can change in the spring.

There is no position at USC more clear-cut than this, at least as far as starters go. As long as he stays healthy, Matt Barkley will take every single meaningful snap for the Trojans in the 2012 season.

What isn't clear-cut, though, is who his backup is. It was complicated last season, and could be similarly so this season.

Freshman Cody Kessler was listed at No. 2, but the goal was to allow him and fellow freshman Max Wittek to redshirt. So, until Jesse Scroggins' throwing thumb healed last October, walk-on senior John Manoogian was the practical backup. (He has not yet decided whether he will return for a fifth year in 2012.)

The underlying sentiment all season was that whomever finished the season behind Barkley would be the early favorite to replace him if Barkley left school early for the NFL draft. Of course, that didn't happen.

And USC coach Lane Kiffin also maintained all year that the depth chart would reset whenever Barkley did depart. It's likely he'll take the same stance again this year.

So what, if anything, is there to watch in spring practice from the quarterback position? Plenty, actually. Remember, all three quarterbacks have already used their respective redshirt seasons, so there will be no confusions like there were a year ago with one guy being listed over another but playing behind him.

The player who wins the No. 2 spot will be the player who replaces Barkley, whether that's due to injury or a late-game, out-of-reach situation.

Someone is going to emerge from the trio this season. The spring is the first chance to do it.

Check back Wednesday for the running backs preview.

Ted Miller discusses what Cal needs to do this offseason at the quarterback position.

Who doesn't love cheat sheets? They make life so much easier. And the folks at Scouts Inc. have the complete cheat sheet breakdown for the NFL combine.

Here's their look at the offensive side of the ball and how some of the players stack up in various categories.

QUARTERBACKS

• The quarterbacks are broken down by mental makeup, accuracy, release/arm strength and pocket mobility. In the accuracy category, Stanford's Andrew Luck, Arizona's Nick Foles and Arizona State's Brock Osweiler all rank favorably.

RUNNING BACKS

• The running backs are broken down by competitiveness, vision/patience, agility/acceleration, power/balance and passing-game skills. Oregon's LaMichael James checks in on the agility/acceleration list and Washington's Chris Polk gets high marks in the passing game.

OFFENSIVE LINE

• The offensive linemen are broken down by pass protection, run blocking, awareness and toughness. Scouts Inc. further breaks it down by the top three tackles, guards and centers. Not surprising to see USC tackle Matt Kalil and the Stanford pair of Jonathan Martin (tackle) and David DeCastro (guard) on most of the top threes.

WIDE RECEIVERS

• The wide receivers are broken down by separation skills, ball skills, big-play ability and competitiveness/toughness. Not much of a Pac-12 showing in their breakdowns. Only Arizona's Juron Criner appears in the ball skills category.

TIGHT ENDS

• The tight ends are broken down by separation skills, ball skills, big-play ability, competitiveness and blocking. Stanford tight end Coby Fleener ranks No. 1 or in the top three of all the categories except for blocking. Cal's Anthony Miller makes an appearance in the blocking category.

BCS powers that be -- read: AQ conference commissioners -- have been meeting in Dallas this week, and potential changes to the postseason have been -- you might have heard -- a hot topic.

The bottom line: While we appear closer to something resembling a playoff than ever before, no major changes will be announced this week.

Still, the BCS commissioners did self-impose a summer deadline for announcing changes -- if any -- to the present system.

Here's the entire news release:

Statement by the eleven BCS Commissioners and the Notre Dame Athletics Director

In an effort to grow college football's great popularity and success, we just completed two days of productive meetings in Dallas, Texas.

We have until the fall of this year to finalize any possible changes to our current structure. That's when contractual obligations require us to begin negotiations with our television carrier for future coverage decisions. We have a self-imposed deadline of sometime this summer to decide what changes we will propose to our governing bodies for football's post-season. It's still early in our process and we will continue to meet with our conferences and review options.

Whatever we do, we want to protect college football's regular season which is the best and most meaningful in sports. We want to preserve the great bowl tradition while making it better and more attractive. We also have heard the message about playing bowl games closer to or on January 1, the way it used to be.

As we proceed, we will evaluate the many pros and cons of numerous possible changes. Every idea has exciting up sides, as well as complicated consequences. From the realities of the calendar to the issues presented in terms of venues such as who hosts games, we have tremendous responsibilities and opportunities.

The bottom line is we will continue to talk about how to make a great sport even better for student-athletes, fans and everyone who loves college football.

Success at sports is the province of the almost empty head.

• Some thoughts from an Arizona perspective on Davonte' Neal odd recruiting journey, which ended at Notre Dame. More details here.
• Former Arizona State CB Omar Bolden has a lot to prove at the NFL combine.
• Here are the Bay Area players headed to the NFL combine, and a quick preview of them here.
• Former Colorado QB Tyler Hansen has been working out with Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn, and he senses no tension between the two.
• What are the odds Oregon wins the national title?
• Oregon State might undergo a recruiting realignment with its coaches.
• Former Stanford QB Andrew Luck is working out with a QB guru before he heads to the NFL combine.
• Former UCLA defensive coordinator Joe Tresey found another job. A review of the Bruins highly rated recruiting class.
• How do things stack up at QB for USC behind Matt Barkley?
• A shot at casting a movie about Washington State football.

Erik McKinney writes: While Matt Barkley and Robert Woods grab the headlines, several under-the-radar Trojans are looking to make a name for themselves in spring practice.

Kyle Williams writes : A look at the main exercises that USC's seven prospective draftees will face this week at the NFL scouting combine.

Erik McKinney writes : New wide receivers coach Tee Martin is getting his feet wet with the Trojans and is excited about the talent in his position group.

Garry Paskwietz writes : Notes from USC's throwing and conditioning session on Tuesday.

We're looking at the top individual performances in the Pac-12 in 2011.

Up next: Rebounding Duck.

Who & against whom: Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas leads a 0-1, 13th-ranked Oregon team to a 69-20 blowout win over Nevada.

The numbers: Thomas threw for 295 yards and six touchdowns on 13 of 19 passing.

A closer look: After an error-plagued season opener against LSU, Thomas and the Ducks went wolf hunting and found themselves with a 41-7 lead before the bands even came out for the halftime show. Thomas threw five of his six touchdowns in the first half -- to five different receivers. He added his second of the game to De'Anthony Thomas (also his longest, 69 yards) midway through the third quarter before being spelled by Bryan Bennett. Consider Thomas' numbers from the week before: 31-of-54 for 240 yards and one touchdown. In this instance, Thomas definitely proved that less is more. The win launched a nine-game win streak and was the 17th straight victory at Autzen. The five first-half touchdowns were a school record and the six matched a school record for total touchdowns, which had been done three times (the last by Joey Harrington in 2001).

What is it with defensive backs driving in the state of Oregon?

Oregon State cornerback Malcolm Marable has been suspended indefinitely after he was cited for driving 104 mph on Interstate 5 in a 65-mph zone around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

You might recall that former Oregon CB Cliff Harris, who was heading into the 2011 season as a returning All-American, was stopped last June while driving 118 mph at 4:30 a.m. That began Harris' downward spiral into suspension and then dismissal from the Ducks.

So you could conclude that Harris was a bit quicker than Marable, but neither was able to outrun the ole blue lights.

This is further bad news for the Beavers' defensive backfield. Coach Mike Riley previously suspended two other cornerbacks indefinitely: Sean Martin for an alleged DUI and Mishawn Cummings for an undisclosed team rules violation.

None of these three, however, are returning starters. Jordan Poyer and Rashaad Reynolds started every game last year at the two corners.

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top-25 players continues.

You can see Ted Miller's preseason top 25 here.

No. 15 Keenan Allen, WR, California

2011 numbers: Allen caught 98 passes for 1,343 yards with six touchdowns. He averaged 13. 7 yards per reception.

Preseason ranking: Unranked.

Making the case for Allen: Allen earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors after ranking second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards. His 103.3 receiving yards per game ranked 10th in the nation in third in the conference. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior put up his huge numbers despite Cal quarterback Zach Maynard -- Allen's half-brother -- ranking 69th in the nation and 10th in the Pac-12 in passing efficiency. If Maynard improves in 2012, Allen's numbers should go up, particularly with the graduation of second-leading receiver Marvin Jones. If there was a downside to Allen's 2011 season, it was him playing better over the first half of the season -- he averaged 138 yards receiving per game in the first six games -- than the second, when he failed to eclipse 100 yards receiving over the final seven games. And you can be sure he'd like to reach the endzone a few more times.

16. Marquis Lee, WR, USC

17. Nick Perry, DE, USC

18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC

20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

21. John White IV, RB, Utah

22. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC

24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

25. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

We're looking at the top individual performances in the Pac-12 in 2011.

Up next: Welcome to the Holy War, Mr. White.

Who & against whom: Utah running back John White IV, playing in just his third major-college football game, scorches in-state rival BYU in the second half of the lopsided victory.

The numbers: At the time, it was a career high 174 rushing yards (he would add a 205-yard game and a 185-yard game later in the season) to go with three touchdowns on 22 carries for a 7.9 yards per carry average.

A closer look: It was the first time in 113 years the schools had met as non-conference opponents -- and White's introduction to the rivalry. After being held to just 9 yards on nine carries in the first half, White erupted for three scores in the second half. White's first score, a 1-yard push up the middle, put Utah ahead 30-10. The second was an ankle-busting 62-yard touchdown run that showed off his speed and athleticism. And on his 35-yard touchdown run to put the Utes ahead 46-10, White looked like he was shot out of a cannon after he made his first cut at the line of scrimmage. Utah went on to a very satisfying 54-10 win to stretch its overall hold on the series to 55-34-4.

Ted Miller discusses what Arizona State has to do this summer.

The Davonte Neal drama is over.

Neal (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral) finally showed up Tuesday, and Notre Dame is glad he did. Neal, the nation's No. 8 overall prospect, picked Notre Dame over Arizona after standing up a gathering of 600 students at Kyrene de la Esperanza Elementary earlier in the morning.

Neal, who could play receiver or defensive back, gives the Fighting Irish a needed boost of athleticism.

While new Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez missed out on an A-list recruit, the embarrassing way this day played out for Neal and his family probably introduced a modicum of relief to the rejection.

Here's the Arizona Star on Neal's decision.

And the Tucson Citizen.

With the NFL combine coming up, Steve Muench of Scouts Inc., took a look at three players who could see their draft stock increase dramatically with a strong performance. His list of three includes former Washington running back Chris Polk.

Muench on Polk:

Polk is coming off a somewhat underwhelming performance at the Senior Bowl, where he didn't look as quick as he appears on film, so running well in Indianapolis would help Polk regain some momentum. He's said he expects to run in the 4.4-second range in the 40, which would be well below the four-year combine average (4.60) for running backs.

The link also includes a very cool, behind-the-scenes video of former USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil training for the combine, plus five additional players to keep an eye on, including former Arizona State defensive back Omar Bolden, who enters the workouts with some medical questions.

The Pac-12 will send 45 players to the NFL combine, which starts Wednesday in Indianapolis.

You can see the complete list of invitees here. And here's the schedule -- things don't really start rolling until Thursday.

There are plenty of subplots for the Pac-12 players on hand.

• Arizona quarterback Nick Foles is among a handful of quarterbacks vying to be the third quarterback off the board after Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin. And, by the way, you might want to toss Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler into the mix there, too.
• Arizona State cornerback Omar Bolden, who sat out the entire 2011 season, will try to prove his knee is 100 percent.
• Will Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict be able to rehabilitate his image, both with a strong performance and convincing interview? The scuttlebutt for him since the start of the season has been almost entirely negative, with the latest being this: He's a "fake tough guy." Even worse than rumors like that is the more measurable claim that he may show up out of shape.
• Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris, who essentially missed the entire season due to suspension, will need to show some newfound maturity. And he'll need to test well to distract from the challenge he may face producing that.
• Oregon running back LaMichael James could substantially boost his stock will an impressive 40-yard dash, which would prove he has elite speed and offset size concerns.
• The same could be said for Washington running back Chris Polk, whose biggest knock is an apparent lack of top-end speed.
• Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas, a surprise early entry into the draft, will get a chance to prove he's worthy.
• Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu entered the 2011 season looking like a potential first-round pick, but his stock slid with a lackluster season. He also didn't impress during Senior Bowl practices. But 330 pound DTs are hard to find, particularly ones as athletic as Ta'amu. A good combine could get him back on the first-day radar.
• Receivers Chris Owusu of Stanford and James Rodgers of Oregon State also need to overcome health issues. Rodgers needs to show his quickness is back after major knee surgery. Owusu will need to address issues with multiple concussions.
• A guy the Pac-12 blog is curious about: Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks. The conference defensive player of the year seems like a guy who might surprise folks and push into the early rounds.
• The Pac-12 is sending a strong group of offensive linemen into the combine, with USC's Matt Kalil and the Stanford tandem of Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro likely first-round picks. But what about the other seven guys? Who might step up and generate some buzz? Perhaps Cal's Mitchell Schwartz?

Steve Bisheff writes : Steve Bisheff selects the best of the best from his 50 seasons of covering USC football.

Erik McKinney writes : WeAreSC's list of top 10 out-of-state prospects the Trojans will be pursuing for the Class of 2013.

Video: Go behind the scenes with USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil to see how he trains for the NFL combine.