True freshman Barkley named USC's starter

[Color Me Badd Fan]

The 2005 Longhorns beat THE Ohio State by three points in Columbus. That was also the only non Pac-10 team that USC has lost to since the 2001 season and it's easily one of the top 4 teams from the past decade.

Ohio State's problems in bowls could be partially due to a lack of depth. Although Ohio State has great starters (and the success their starters have had in the pros is undeniable, especially on defense), they probably don't have the same kind of guys backing them up like they have at USC or Florida. So dealing with Ohio State at the beginning of the year could be a lot more different than playing them at the end of the year.

Although last year's game doesn't indicate this, USC is going to have its hands full this year. You can't have a freshman Qb and 8-9 new defensive starters and expect a good showing. USC very well could have been the best team last year and the buzzsaw they put Ohio State through last year was impressive. But that defense is gone and it will take a few games for those guys to play at the level USC fans are used to seeing. This year the USC offense would have been all world with Sanchez and think they would have scored points at will. Incredible o-line and a ton of great skill players. Carroll was supremely ticked for a reason, Sanchez's departure threw a real monkey wrench into what could have been USC's best offense since 2005.

[Katy Lied]

My guess is that Corp is more injured than we were lead to believe. Announcing this now will allow some time for the kid to gain some confidence, assuming he is the starter for the SJSU game.

Actually, this is my guess as well. Whatever his injury is, it's hurting his running game, which seems to cause him to hesitate before taking off running (one of the strengths of his game).

Starting Barkley is Win-Win. Barkley gets confidence for a tune up game, Corp gets additional time to heal. Mustain gets... well Mustain gets a chopped liver sandwich.

[Flystripper]

After listening to Colin Cowherd last week or two weeks ago, I can't remember, he made it sound like Barkley was ready to go. Shame on me for trusting Cowherd because it sounds like he's been stinking it up in practice.

It will be bad for USC if Barkley is the starter this year. USC will likely lose three+ games this year. Freshman QB + 8-9 new starters on defense= losses at THE Ohio State, Cal and Oregon.

USC Defense won't miss a beat. Whoever plays qb for the trojans needs to learn how to throw it away and limit turnovers and USC will be fine. If Corp is 100% I doubt Barkley starts at the Horseshoe.

[Flystripper]

You can't have a freshman Qb and 8-9 new defensive starters and expect a good showing. USC very well could have been the best team last year and the buzzsaw they put Ohio State through last year was impressive. But that defense is gone and it will take a few games for those guys to play at the level USC fans are used to seeing. This year the USC offense would have been all world with Sanchez and think they would have scored points at will. Incredible o-line and a ton of great skill players. Carroll was supremely ticked for a reason, Sanchez's departure threw a real monkey wrench into what could have been USC's best offense since 2005.

You keep saying this about USC D. While they may not be as good as last year on D they will still be the best defense OSU will face all year, and to the casual eye it won't appear as if they missed a beat.

[TripletDaddy]

USC Defense won't miss a beat. Whoever plays qb for the trojans needs to learn how to throw it away and limit turnovers and USC will be fine. If Corp is 100% I doubt Barkley starts at the Horseshoe.

This kid can hit.

[Coach McGuirk]

This kid can hit.

He's ridiculous. I still can't believe he came back for a senior year.

[smokymountainrain]

This kid can hit.

Go Irish!

[il Padrino Ute]

This kid can hit.

Does he hit as hard as Art's 9 year old?

[TripletDaddy]

He's ridiculous. I still can't believe he came back for a senior year.

by all accounts, a really good kid. Wanted to graduate (promised his dad or something like that).

Where is Sipi? He needs to be checking in daily now that the season is starting. He can probably share some insight.

There are times when I have seen him lay a guy out and you think for a split second that the guy that took the hit is paralyzed. I wonder how long a career you can have hitting other guys that hard?

[smokymountainrain]

Where is Sipi? He needs to be checking in daily now that the season is starting. He can probably share some insight.

Question of the day. Can't have a SC football thread without Sipi. Despite the fact that he's going to kick my ass for bringing up "Corp = bust" again, we need him here.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

You keep saying this about USC D. While they may not be as good as last year on D they will still be the best defense OSU will face all year, and to the casual eye it won't appear as if they missed a beat.

Are they going to be up to speed by the second game of the year (and I use the term "game" lightly considering the first game is against SJSU)? I think they'll be great at the end of the year, but you almost never see the same kind of dominance on any defense the first few games of the year when you replace 8-9 starters. USC had three NFL first round LBs leave, you just don't immediately pick up where you left off when you lose that kind of talent during the first few games of the season. The kids have to get used to the crowd and the speed of the game. I don't doubt that USC has a ton of defensive talent and I would have personally put USC as the #2 team this year if Sanchez had come back. Carroll has shown repeatedly that his teams improve, especially the defense, as the year wears on and that won't be any different this year. But the OSU game is basically the first game of the season after a light scrimmage with SJSU.

[Coach McGuirk]

Are they going to be up to speed by the second game of the year (and I use the term "game" lightly considering the first game is against SJSU)? I think they'll be great at the end of the year, but you almost never see the same kind of dominance on any defense the first few games of the year when you replace 8-9 starters. USC had three NFL first round LBs leave, you just don't immediately pick up where you left off when you lose that kind of talent during the first few games of the season. The kids have to get used to the crowd and the speed of the game. I don't doubt that USC has a ton of defensive talent and I would have personally put USC as the #2 team this year if Sanchez had come back. Carroll has shown repeatedly that his teams improve, especially the defense, as the year wears on and that won't be any different this year. But the OSU game is basically the first game of the season after a light scrimmage with SJSU.

I am not buying any of this. They reload every stinking year. How many out of conference games has USC lost since 2002? a total of two. One was to a National Champion in the NC game. The other to Kansas State. OOC games are played mostly in the beginning of the season, yes?

I am going to go out on a limb and say USC will be A O K.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I am not buying any of this. They reload every stinking year. How many out of conference games has USC lost since 2002? a total of two. One was to a National Champion in the NC game. The other to Kansas State. OOC games are played mostly in the beginning of the season, yes?

I am going to go out on a limb and say USC will be A O K.

Is 9-3 not "A.O.K."? If Corp can come back early in the season, they'll go 10-2 or even 11-1. Florida went 9-4 in 2007 coming off a NC season and then promptly won it all again last year.

My point is that you can't expect this defense to only give up 9 points a game early on in the year like their defense did last year. The same defense the year before gave up 16 points per game- also very good- but it gave up 19 points per game during the first half of the season that year. So my point is, don't be surprised if USC, replacing 8-9 starters on defense, gives up 21 points or more to the 6th ranked team in the country on the road for the second game of the year.

Over that period of time you cited (since 2002), USC has only played two teams early on that could arguably be of this Ohio State team's calibre: K-State and Auburn. As you pointed out, USC lost one but it also beat the crap out of the other.

Another reason why I think USC will have a tough time: Terrell Pryor is supposedly Vince Young's equal if not better and USC is, again, replacing all three linebackers who are supposed to be the ones to spy the Qb.

[TripletDaddy]

Is 9-3 not "A.O.K."? If Corp can come back early in the season, they'll go 10-2 or even 11-1. Florida went 9-4 in 2007 coming off a NC season and then promptly won it all again last year.

My point is that you can't expect this defense to only give up 9 points a game early on in the year like their defense did last year. The same defense the year before gave up 16 points per game- also very good- but it gave up 19 points per game during the first half of the season that year. So my point is, don't be surprised if USC, replacing 8-9 starters on defense, gives up 21 points or more to the 6th ranked team in the country on the road for the second game of the year.

Over that period of time you cited (since 2002), USC has only played two teams early on that could arguably be of this Ohio State team's calibre: K-State and Auburn. As you pointed out, USC lost one but it also beat the crap out of the other.

Another reason why I think USC will have a tough time: Terrell Pryor is supposedly Vince Young's equal if not better and USC is, again, replacing all three linebackers who are supposed to be the ones to spy the Qb.

er....they beat a pretty good arkansas team....twice. A kid named Mitch Mustain was the QB.

They beat Va Tech, as well.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

er....they beat a pretty good arkansas team....twice. A kid named Mitch Mustain was the QB.

They beat Va Tech, as well.

Arkansas in 2006 was good, in 2005 not so good. Looking back at that 2003 Auburn team, they were ranked high at the beginning but finished unranked. The 2004 V-Tech team was the third best early OOC game they've played since 2002 next to the 2002 K-State team. K-State finished #6, Ohio State #9, V-Tech #10 and Arkansas #15.

I think this year's Ohio State team, at least early in the season, is the best of the bunch. There are four, IMO, undisputed top 4 programs in the country: USC, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma. LSU is probably #5 but Ohio State is also right there. Unlike those other five programs, Ohio State doesn't have an immediate or neighboring recruiting bonanza. Ohio State doesn't have the depth of these other teams and that's why it loses so frequently in the big bowl games. But Ohio State does compare favorably to these programs in terms of the players it's put into the NFL in recent years. Its starters are always very good, it just doesn't always have the depth to back them up. I just remember Ohio State losing by three points at home to that loaded 2005 Texas team and then beating the crap out of Texas in Austin the next season when redshirt freshman Colt McCoy was playing in his second game.