Andrew Luck vs. Matt Barkley: Tale of the Tape for CFB's Top Prospects

The state of California boasts two of the nation's top college quarterbacks, Stanford's Andrew Luck and USC's Matt Barkley.

Both are eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft and both are expected to forgo their final year of college to enter the draft.

Luck and Barkley are quarterbacks for high-profile programs and are pro-style quarterbacks—qualities that NFL teams covet.

Given that they both come from Pac-12 schools and could be drafted together in the first round, the two will likely continue to have their careers intertwined.

Let's take a look at their past, present and future.

Andrew Luck Specs

Stanford Cardinal's Andrew Luck:

- Three-year starter

- Redshirt junior from Houston, Texas

- 6'4", 236 pounds

Matt Barkley Specs

USC Trojans' Matt Barkley:

- Three-year starter

- Junior from Newport Beach, California

- 6'2", 220 pounds

Luck's Football Pedigree

Andrew Luck isn't the only quarterback in his family.

His father, Oliver Luck, played quarterback at West Virginia and was a second-round pick by the Houston Oilers in 1982.

He was primarily a backup throughout his career, but is now the Athletic Director at West Virginia.

He was also the president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo. In both 2006 and 2007, the team won the MLS Cup under his watch.

Barkley's High School Years

Coming to USC from Santa Ana, California's Mater Dei High School, Matt Barkley was used to playing at a high-profile school.

Barkley became the starting quarterback as a freshman and played very well, including winning the 2007 Gatorade National Player of the Year Award.

He was so good in high school that he committed to USC as a junior, putting even more pressure upon himself.

Luck's Recruitment

Andrew Luck wasn't a very high-profile recruit coming out of Stratford High School in Houston.

Besides Stanford, the 4-star recruit got offers from Virginia, Rice, Northwestern, Purdue and Oklahoma State.

Barkley's Recruitment

Matt Barkley, on the other hand, as previously mentioned, was one of the biggest recruits in recent history.

Barkley garnered interest from Cal, UCLA, Washington, Colorado, Florida State, Stanford and Tennessee.

But none of those schools ever stood much of a chance against USC once Barkley committed his junior year of high school.

Luck at Stanford

After Andrew Luck red-shirted his first year on The Farm, he has looked very good in each of his three seasons since.

His first year starting at Stanford, he had running back Toby Gerhart as a nice crutch.

Last year, in 2010, he exploded onto the scene as Stanford's star quarterback and could have been the top pick in the NFL Draft.

Instead, he decided to stay and is now the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. He has been compared to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

Luck has shown athleticism to go along with his great arm, as seen with his great run against Cal last season and his one-handed catch against UCLA this year.

Barkley at USC

Barkley came into USC with sky-high expectations and he has done a very good job playing under the spotlight the past three seasons.

Each year, he has improved his completion percentage for the Trojans and has completed 66.8 percent of his passes this season.

Barkley also has a better touchdown-to-interception ratio than Luck, 29-6 compared to 29-7.

He knows the game of football very well and is only getting better.

Luck's NFL Future

Andrew Luck is on his way to a Heisman Trophy.

He's also on his way to being the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

While he may not have a shot at a National Championship or even a Pac-12 Championship, he is still in a very good position.

He's arguably the greatest college quarterback since Stanford's John Elway.

Barkley's Decision

Matt Barkley has a decision to make at the end of the 2011 season.

Should he stay or should he go?

On one hand, he has an outside shot at a National Championship and improving his draft stock.

On the other hand, he is already considered a first-round pick and one of the top three quarterbacks available in the draft. Should he risk injury?

In the end, both he and Andrew Luck should have long and successful NFL careers.