Matt Barkley: 6 Reasons Why He Should Go to NFL After Stanford Loss

Anyone watching the remarkable game between Stanford and USC this past Saturday will tell you that Matt Barkley is NFL-ready. 

It's not hard to see that.

Barkley not only has a golden arm, but off the field, it's extremely difficult to find anything negative to say about him. He's like Tim Tebow in that sense, but at the same time he can actually throw a spiral and play football.

The huge question after this season is whether this golden boy will head to the NFL or stay another year with USC.

The benefits of coming back for another year are clear. 

Barkley will be able to improve his draft stock and perhaps get drafted No. 1 overall. His main target, Robert Woods, will also be in this third year, compete with Barkley for the Heisman and help provide an unstoppable offensive attack.

USC is also in the weak Pac-12 South division which means there is a good chance they'll be playing for a spot in the Rose Bowl against Oregon next season since Andrew Luck will leave Stanford and their play will decline. A win in that Pac-12 Championship Game and Barkley can play in his first Rose Bowl and establish his Trojan legacy. 

That being said, the decision is not easy for Barkley. It's selfish for a Trojan fan to think that Barkley will automatically decide to return one more year. Barkley is his own man and he has the right to make his own individual decisions. 

Here are a few notions that will be racing through his mind when it's time for him to make a decision and eventually make him decide to bolt to the NFL. 

Strike When You're Hot

The old adage goes that one must strike when the iron is hot. This is why professional athletes ask for long term contracts after a great season before they hit free agency.

Similarly, Barkley's draft stock is rising quickly after his great performance against Stanford. USC has a great chance of going 9-3 this season, and perhaps even 10-2. If Barkley is able to lead a sanctioned USC team to ten wins, then it will only exemplify his great talent and exemplary leadership. All that does is make teams desire Barkley more.

Some people say that if he returns next year he can possibly go number one overall, but that's not a guarantee. Anything can happen from now until 2013. All it takes is one big hit from a Vontaze Burfict and Barkley's draft stock may plummet.

Also, there just aren't too many teams in an absolute need of a franchise quarterback right now. Minnesota seems happy with Christian Ponder. Denver is locked in with Tebow. Indianapolis still has Manning and will probably draft an offensive lineman if they don't get Luck. St. Louis already has a franchise quarterback with Sam Bradford.

The only teams absolutely in need of a quarterback are Miami, Seattle, and Washington. These three teams are going to do their best to address this concern this offseason in the draft so there's a good chance that by next year's draft most every team will be happy with their quarterback for the time being. 

This may make Barkley plummet to the mid first round rather than being a top ten pick this year. 

Avenge Loss to Andrew Luck

If Matt Barkley stays, next year he's not going to be playing against Andrew Luck's Stanford Cardinal. Luck will be in the NFL.

There's a good shot that Luck goes to Miami because they're absolutely atrocious right now. Another team that will get a top-10 pick next year is the Seattle Seahawks.

Next year, Seattle plays Miami for the first time since 2008. This means there's a chance that Barkley will face Luck in a battle of two promising rookie quarterbacks. What better way to avenge Saturday night's defeat than to do it on the NFL stage? 

Even if that matchup doesn't pan out, Barkley can enter the league at the same time as Luck to usher in the rivalry of these two gunslingers. 

Possibility of Reuniting with Pete Carroll

As mentioned in the previous slide, there's a possibility the Seahawks use their top-10 pick on Matt Barkley. Their head coach is Pete Carroll, who coached Barkley when he was a freshman at USC. He would be thrilled to have Barkley as his franchise quarterback.

On the other side, Barkley would be able to adjust to the NFL more comfortably because of his familiarity with Carroll. 

Seattle isn't bad enough to win the Suck For Luck sweepstakes. But they are bad enough to get a top-10 pick though. With Barkley's stock rising and Carroll already a fan of Barkley, it wouldn't be crazy to see the two reuniting in Seattle next year.

Plus, Barkley will have the benefit of playing weak defenses like St. Louis and Arizona twice a year and this will help him gain confidence in the NFL. It's a great place to start and the great fanbase in Seattle will openly embrace Barkley. 

USC May Be Good, but National Championship Unlikely

One of the arguments Trojan fans have are that if Barkley stays, they will be competing for the national championship immediately. 

It's not that easy. USC still has stiff competition from Oregon and they have plenty of weaknesses. For one, because of the limited scholarships, they won't have that much depth and this could be a problem if the injury bug hits.

Matt Kalil will also be leaving USC after this season and the offensive line will be weaker. The running game has always been consistent even though Curtis McNeal has been playing well as of late. Finally, the defense has been extremely suspect this season and it's not going to magically improve in one year. 

With Barkley, USC will probably make it to a Rose Bowl game. However, the BCS National Championship game is still a few years away. Teams like LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas are gonna dominate the SEC and make a major run at the championship. It's just hard winning the National Championship and just because Barkley stays it doesn't guarantee a championship. 

He's Not Bailing

In the last slide, it was mentioned that USC would not be able to win a national championship even with Barkley. This is why he should go to the NFL. However, by going to the NFL, he really isn't bailing on the Trojans.

This team still has plenty of talent without Barkley to win the Pac-12 and compete in a Rose Bowl as soon as next year. Max Wittek and Jesse Scroggins are two quarterbacks who will be competing for the No. 1 quarterback position and with Lane Kiffin's offensive-minded game plan, it won't be shocking to see one of these two succeed immediately with the Trojans.

They'll still have Robert Woods for one more year and Marqise Lee is emerging as another great wide receiving threat for the Trojans. So whoever replaces Barkley is going to have plenty of help surrounding him with a great offensive-minded head coach. 

Better Development in the NFL

Doesn't it make more sense for Barkley's development if he plays against NFL defenses rather than Pac-12 defenses?

He has pretty much mastered the Pac-12 and shown that he is NFL-ready. As the season progresses, Barkley will continue to play well and show that he will be a solid quarterback in the NFL. It only makes sense to take the next step now and play against stiffer competition.

In any life endeavor, people improve when they face adversity. Staying an extra year at USC means that he has to play against the same old teams. If he goes to the NFL, he'll have to read tougher defenses and improve in his position to a greater extent than he would if he stays one more year.

It only makes sense for him!