USC Spring Game: Back-Up QB Battle Will Take Center Stage

When USC opens its 2012 season in the fall, all eyes will be on Matt Barkley. The star quarterback spurned the NFL draft for a shot at a national championship, and he's likely to compete for the Heisman Trophy this season as well.

Barkley will be out on the field in pads and in uniform this Saturday, as USC is slated to play its spring game this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. local time at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team's website has all the necessary information.

Barkley is going to be one of many star attractions on Saturday, but don't expect to see him log that much time out on the field. Lane Kiffin knows what he has in Barkley, and Barkley doesn't need to prove anything to anybody at this point.

Garry Paskwietz of ESPN.com expects to see Barkley get merely a little "token" work, and then he'll step aside for the back-up quarterbacks.

That's nothing to be disappointed about. On the contrary, the battle that will take place between Max Wittek and Cody Kessler promises to be very intriguing. 

At the begging of the month, Kiffin said he was pleased with the progress of both of them, but he hasn't made any decisions as far as which one of them will back up Barkley.

Via ESPNLosAngeles.com:

"

I’d be very comfortable with both of them. I think they’re both doing a great job. Neither of them has gone beyond the other one to know who the No. 2 is yet, but I think both of them would play really well.

"

Both Wittek and Kessler were big acquisitions for the Trojans. Wittek was rated as the No. 3 quarterback in the country by Rivals.com when he signed, and Rivals rated Kessler as the No 2 quarterback in the country when he signed. Both of them redshirted in 2011.

Winning the back-up quarterback job will be a minor victory for either quarterback as far as the short-term is concerned. Barkley's only going to head to the sidelines in garbage time or if he suffers an injury, which isn't likely to happen (jinx) given the strength of USC's O-line. The No. 2 quarterback on the Trojans isn't going to see a whole lot of action this season.

But winning the backup job is pretty important for both Wittek and Kessler in the long-term. This is going to be Barkley's last season at USC, so whoever wins the backup job is going to have the inside track at starting in 2013.

It's not going to be easy for either of them to stand out in the spring game. Neither of them is going to get clobbered, mind you, but they'll be throwing passes against a Trojans secondary that is shaping up to be very strong this season. Since it's not in their interest to do Wittek or Kessler any favors, the secondary should bring its A-game.

Given the general uncertainty of the situation, it's safe to assume that whoever performs better will win the job. In a game that is decidedly meaningless, this is one storyline worth tuning in for.