Arizona vs. USC: Are Matt Barkley's Heisman Hopes Dashed?

Four games into 2011, USC QB Matt Barkley has compiled over 1,100 passing yards and thrown ten TDs to only three picks.

He has completed 101 of 149 passes for a 67.8 completion percentage.

The only problem is that two of those three picks came last week against the Arizona State Sun Devils, a game in which the Trojans never saw the lead, and ultimately lost 43-22.

So are Barkley's Heisman hopes dashed?

No.

However, last week's performance only makes it more difficult to put him on Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore's pedestal.

That being said,, Barkley and the Trojans still have a lot of solid opponents left to gain some notoriety amongst the voters.

After Arizona this week, USC travels to California and Notre Dame in consecutive weeks, then comes home to play No. 6 Stanford.

And that Stanford game may be the deal-breaker as to how the Heisman voters compare Luck and Barkley, since this will be the last time they're on the same stage at the collegiate level.

When the Cardinal comes into the Los Angeles Coliseum, Barkley must significantly outplay Andrew Luck if he wants to have a legitimate shot at winning the trophy.

Until then, he obviously has to play well, but that Stanford game must be his best performance.

After that, he must also play well on the road in Eugene, Oregon, in another big game against the No. 9 Ducks.

It's not as important as the Stanford game, but when the Trojans visit the Ducks in mid-November, Oregon could very well still be ranked in the top 10.

The Heisman trophy winner is without question the player who performs at a high level of consistency in each game, regardless of the opponent.

Matt Barkley gradually improved from his freshman campaign, during which he threw 15 TDs and 14 picks, to his sophomore year, in which he had 26 TDs to only 12 picks.

As long as he keeps improving, Barkley could find himself in the Heisman race.

That said, if he decides to stay for his senior year, he will definitely be a preseason favorite. If Barkley really wants to reach the pedestal by himself, he'll come back for his senior season.

Right now, the 2012 NFL Draft is QB-loaded with Luck, Moore, Landry Jones, Brandon Weeden, Nick Foles, Kirk Cousins, and Russell Wilson.

And being that Barkley can be discussed in the Heisman race this season despite all those highly touted QBs just shows you how good he really is.

To that end, however, coming back for his senior year will easily make him more NFL ready, and he'll be one of the top Heisman candidates, as opposed to being a few steps back like this season.

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