USC Football: Why Matt Barkley Will Regret Coming Back in 2012

USC received an early Christmas present in late December when its star quarterback, Matt Barkley, elected to stay in school.

Trojans fans rejoiced as Barkley's return to Troy makes USC an instant national title contender in 2012.

There are many reasons that support Barkley's decision to stay in Los Angeles, some of which include the possibility of playing for a national championship, the chance of taking home the Heisman Trophy and the opportunity of improving his draft stock in 2013.

Although these reasons are all viable, Barkley's decision will undoubtedly come back to haunt him in the end. The 21-year-old gunslinger has gone on record saying he will have no regrets about his choice to return, but let's examine some reasons as to why he will.

Money

From a purely economic viewpoint, Barkley's decision to turn down the NFL wasn't a smart one. Barkley would have likely made $15 million had he entered the draft and been selected in the top 10. This estimated figure does not include advertisement and endorsement dollars, which would tack on an additional few million.

At USC this season, Barkley won't be making a penny as he is still a collegian. Barkley could go on to win a title or even a Heisman, but the fact of the matter is the Trojan signal-caller is playing for free while he could be cashing in, which will go on to cost him a few million dollars over the course of his career.

Injury factor

No one enjoys addressing the issue of injuries, but you can't ignore the possibility of a serious injury damaging Barkley's pro prospects.

First off, Barkley will be playing his senior year at USC without protection from All-American left tackle Matt Kalil. Kalil, a likely top-five pick in April's draft, played the entire 2011 season without allowing a sack and his presence will sorely be missed.

USC is planning on filling the void left by Kalil with Kevin Graf, a converted right tackle who hasn't played the position of left tackle yet in his collegiate career.

Again, no one ever anticipates an injury, but it is always a feasible occurrence. A injury to Barkley could severely hinder his draft stock, his long-term viability in the NFL and his bank account.

Goals may not be attainable: national title

Barkley has always made a point of keeping his goals to himself, but one can imagine two of his primary goals include winning a Heisman Trophy and a national championship.

For Barkley, these goals will not be easy to achieve.

As far as the national championship picture is concerned, it could prove to be a tough road to Miami for the Trojans.

USC's 2012 schedule features a cross-country trip to play Syracuse, an early-season visit to the Farm to play a Stanford team that's won four of five versus SC, a Thursday night road test at Utah and potentially two matchups with reigning Rose Bowl champion Oregon, one on Nov. 3 and another in the Pac-12 title game.

If the Trojans are able to emerge unscathed from the regular season, a national championship matchup against an Alabama or a LSU would be no easy test.

Goals may not be attainable: Heisman Trophy

Barkley's road to the Heisman is equally as challenging. Quarterbacks Landry Jones of Oklahoma and Aaron Murray of Georgia are formidable contenders, as are running backs Montee Ball of Wisconsin and De'Anthony Thomas of Oregon.

Barkley may be the preseason favorite to win the award, but as Andrew Luck proved in 2011, the favorites don't always come out on top.

Furthermore, the stellar wide receiver duo of Robert Woods and Marqise Lee could put together a Heisman campaign of their own with monster seasons, which in all likelihood would steal votes from Barkley's own campaign.

Deep 2013 NFL draft quarterback class

Barkley appears to be at top the draft board in 2013 as far as quarterbacks are concerned, a claim he would not have had in 2012 thanks to Andrew Luck.

However, there is no guarantee Barkley will be the top quarterback selected in 2013, especially if the aforementioned Jones and Murray put together spectacular seasons in the fall.

It's possible Barkley could find himself playing second fiddle to another quarterback prospect in 2013, just like this past season when Luck stole the spotlight.