USC / Ohio State Already Written

Week One of the 2009 college football season did its part in sorting through the season's contenders and pretenders, and revealed some glaring weaknesses in what many of us thought were solid teams (i.e. Is Joe Cox really 'the man' in Athens?). A top three team fell and lost their Heisman-winning quarterback, a freshman or two came storming onto the national scene, and we witnessed a game for the ages on Labor Day night. But the year's first big-time-uber-mega game with BCS implications has yet to take place. That is, until Saturday when USC and true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley make their way to the 'Shoe to take on an Ohio State team who just barely squeaked out a victory against Navy in the season opener.

Hmm. Somehow I feel like I've already seen the game thanks to the nonstop coverage, speculation and hype surrounding us from all fronts. (It's pretty difficult filing 24 hours of sports news when nobody's being bad. If it weren't for Merriman's and Roethlisberger's accusers, we'd already know the game's final score.) I've heard more about this game from the media than I've heard about the President's back-to-school address to children that has been covered, criticized, defended and brushed off by political pundits and 'analysts' on CNN, FOX News and MSNBC.

The day begins with Barkley stepping off the Trojans bus with his IPod drowning out harassing catcalls and incessant questions from reporters. "How are you feeling?!" they ask. Another shouts, "Nervous, Matt?!" "Buckeye Revenge!!" is screamed from the mouth of an excited student sporting a red and white 'Live Strong' bracelet, khaki cargo shorts and a t-shirt with an ironic slogan printed across the front.

Game time. Barkley and the Trojans take the field to a chorus of boos and more catcalls from amped up and beered up students. Commentators and play-by-play announcers in the booth recall last year's 35-3 Trojans victory. They also discuss the change in the game's location from the Coliseum to the 'Shoe, and wonder if the new Trojans quarterback can handle the pressure of the moment.

Kick off. This is where things get hazy. It's where the streamlined, chronological order of events branches off into two possible scenarios. And the split banks on quarterback play. The winner of this year's USC/Ohio State showdown will come down to which quarterback (OSU's Terrelle Pryor or USC's Barkley) can effectively manage their team and lead their offense down the field. A couple mighty defenses stand in the way of the young quarterbacks.

Advantage Barkley. And it has something to do with Michael Vick. Unbelievably, he's made his way into the USC/Ohio State game having attended neither school nor having ever played against either team in his two years as the Virginia Tech quarterback.

According to some writers, when Pryor paid tribute to Vick via an eye-black patch with 'Vick' inscribed on it, he lost the respect of some loyal members of Buckeye nation. Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote, "…Pryor has shown that he might be the Buckeyes' best player. But now he is sure not their leader." Quarterbacks who fail as team leaders rarely win against a team whose quarterback embraces the role.

Not to say that a true freshman can nab the role of team leader after a single blowout of a much lesser opponent. But I'm not sure that Barkley has done anything to so irk his teammates as Pryor may have done. So based on the leadership issue, and if writers like Livingston are correct, Pryor may face a pitfall or two in leading his the Buckeye offense down the field against the Trojans defense.

So it has been written. An epic battle with two possible outcomes that bank on the welfare of the story's main foes. Of course, this could just as easily turn out to be another flop that gives away its ending in the first twenty minutes. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.

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