USC QB Battle: Who Will Be the First Man Standing?

Take a long hard look at the guy on the left of this picture. He is Aaron Corp, and he will be USC's starting quarterback come Sept. 5.

The last four quarterbacks who started the famed Trojan Spring Game have started the first game of the regular season in the fall, and this year will be no different. Carroll named Corp the starter, and we're going to stick with the numbers.

But don't think that means there isn't any competition. From the sounds of it, Matt Barkley is in hot pursuit, and Mitch Mustain has made it clear that he doesn't have an ounce of quit in him.

Remember: Mustain gave eight quality starts as a freshman for the Darren McFadden-led Arkansas Razorbacks a few years back and then jumped ship to sit in line behind John David Booty, Mark Sanchez and now Corp (and it appears Barkley as well).

Either way, let's introduce you to this amazing trio of gunslingers that any team in the country would be happy to have running the show (except for Florida, yes, we know).

Aaron Corp

How dominant is USC's offense going to be with Aaron Corp under center? At 6'4", 195 lbs. he's a bit lighter than the past three starters, but he could probably outrun each of them backpedaling. Corp runs the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, which means that he can make plays with his legs.

That being said, the No. 1 concern for a mobile quarterback is whether he's a good decision maker, and whether or not he can make all the necessary throws on the run accurately.

All reports are that he's got it all covered. He can drop back in the pocket, move through his progressions quickly, and shoot out of the pocket if things collapse to make a throw on the run. He can also get into the open field with his legs.

Corp could, however, pose a few problems since USC has not had a real runner leading the team in years. Lineman have to be more aware of the line of scrimmage, wide receivers need to know how to switch deftly between running routes an throwing blocks, and everyone needs to be a little more improvisational.

Playing with Corp will require more maturity from the entire team and also much more playfulness.

After the spring game, he seemed quite humble about being named the starter, saying, "I just can't wait 'til there are 92,000 people when I come out of the tunnel."

Sanchez, Booty and Leinart were all named the spring game starter as they battled for a vacated quarterback position, and each retained the spot for the season opener. It looks like the Trojans have found their new signal-caller, and I don't think anyone will be missing Sanchez in Los Angeles.

Matt Barkley

Barkley is an All-Everything kind of player. Sources close to him say that he's a fantastic kid with a tremendous upside and he will find great success at USC.

I have to wonder if he's a little bit of a system quarterback (which wouldn't be a bad thing for USC), but I think that his skills, ability to learn the offense and talent will take him a long way.

If he and Corp were truly neck-and-neck for the starting position (which I don't believe they are, regardless of how the media is reporting it), I honestly would give the edge to Barkley because he is the traditional USC quarterback mold.

He's a pocket passer, and while it appears he can hold his own scrambling and tossing outside the pocket, he doesn't require everyone on the team to play a different style of game.

Should there be any question, though, Barkley is beyond capable. Make no mistake, if he wasn't at USC behind Corp, he'd be starting nearly anywhere else. I think he'd unseat returning starters in some programs—he's that good.

Mitch Mustain

The first experience that Mustain had with the Trojans was as an opponent. He took over in the second half for the Arkansas Razorbacks and faced the vaunted USC defense in the 2005 season opener in Fayetville. He showed flashes of brilliance, but eventually was crushed under the weight of a Trojan team that was in the middle of a huge undefeated run.

He went on to a fairly successful freshman campaign for the Razorbacks, but transferred with high-school and Arkansas teammate Damian Williams to USC at the end of the year.

He competed last year for the backup spot behind Sanchez and oscillated between the second and third string. In limited time last year, he was 11-for-16 for 157 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Mustain is another former Gatorade National Player of the Year, and will be fighting all season long for the backup slot and any playing time that could come his way. Since he runs well (40 time of 4.7), don't be surprised to see Mustain in the backfield or split out to the sides in a two-quarterback formation, either as a decoy or as part of a trick play.