Matt Barkley Stays at USC: Will Lane Kiffin, Trojans End SEC's BCS Title Streak?

The SEC has dominated college football in recent years. It is widely believed to be the best conference in the country, and it consistently goes out and proves it every year. Oh, and it has won the past five national championships and will win its sixth this year because LSU and Alabama are playing for it.

But Matt Barkley’s decision to return for his senior year at USC certainly throws a wrench into this whole situation. He has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country this year, and he should continue to improve with another offseason to work with stud receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods.

Does that mean that the Trojans will end the SEC’s BCS title streak? The odds dramatically go up with Barkley’s return, but winning the national championship is far from set in stone.

Obviously, there is a reason we play the games on the field every year. Appalachian State can beat Michigan, James Madison can beat Virginia Tech and a 30-point underdog can beat USC.

Until defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin figures out how to effectively stop the plethora of spread offenses used in the Pac-12, there is no reason to assume that the Trojans will even go undefeated next year. They rank 101st in passing yards allowed per game compared to 19th against the rush. The entire secondary is returning, but Kiffin hasn’t shown any improvement in his play-calling against the spread.

Plus, Oregon will contend for a national title next year, and while USC came out on top this year, nothing’s to say that won’t change next year. And don’t forget about Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, because no one has seen his offense since he was fired from Michigan.

Luckily, the Trojans won’t have to play Mike Leach’s Washington State team unless, of course, it wins the Pac-12 North division.

Before people start anointing USC as national champions now that Matt Barkley has returned, let’s keep the focus on winning all of the regular season games, because that is a challenge in and of itself.