Troy's King Barkley? Wait One Minute

Is Matt Barkley, getting a congratulatory hug from actor Will Ferrell after USC's victory over Ohio State, the best thing to arrive on the Trojan campus since sliced bread? It's clear that coach Pete Carroll is infatuated with the freshman, but reporters who cover the team were stunned when he was named the starter over Aaron Corp.

Nonetheless, the hype machine has been running 24-7 after Barkley guided USC on a 14-play, 86-yard drive for the winning touchdown against Ohio State.

But the Daily Trojan's Pedro Moura has courageously stepped up to write what insiders have been whispering for weeks: It's too early to crown Barkley the King of Troy.

(Continue to The Wiz of Odds)

USC Looks to the Future

Pete Carroll’s decision to name Matt Barkley as the Trojans starter will pay tremendous dividends in the future. One thing that Coach Carroll always stresses is that he wants the Trojans to improve every week. Pete has gotten all his teams to do this since he took over the program.

There will be a big difference between the Trojan team that lines up on September 5th against San Jose State and the USC team that will play Arizona on December 5th. From September through December Matt Barkley will improve a lot and so will the Trojans' defense that had to replace seven starters from the 2008 season. The decision to name Barkley the starter may cost USC the chance to play for the National Championship this year, but starting in 2010 they might be the favorites to win it for the next three seasons.

(Continue to Inside the Pac-10)