| 17 October 2009
Today is a very big day! Not because we have some great college football matchups, but because the winner of the USC versus Notre Dame game will create pockets full of money for their starting quarterback. Now it's only one game and there's plenty of other games to look at when we see Matt Barkley and the Trojans travel to South Bend to play against Jimmy Clausen and the Irish, but this one game will determine a large rise in draft stock for whomever wins this game. Now they both could have great games and I don't think either can be hurt by this one game, but when two national powerhouses square-off then there's always a little extra aura to it. Maybe there's more fans watching, or scouts watching, or coaches watching, but something about the big games helps to bolster a player's stock. Matt Barkley is a freshman quarterback who won't be leaving USC anytime soon, but a win here will not only get him high on the 2012 mock drafts, but also will immediately put him in Heisman contention next year. Jimmy Clausen on the other hand has the most to gain in this matchup. He's only a junior so he still could have another year to play, but he definitely has the arm and attributes to be a NFL quarterback maybe even more then the top runners of Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. Notre Dame is a 10pt underdog, so if they can find a way to win, and Jimmy Clausen is a crucial part of the win, then he will propel himself up the mock draft boards and has a chance to be a top 10 pick. 
One game may not seem like much, but it means a lot. Perception is everything. If you see an NFL quarterback in either of these players then it immediately helps them. If you see USC or Notre Dame playing a cupcake team then nobody cares if either of them threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns. If you take a look back into the 2007 Sugar Bowl between LSU and Notre Dame where LSU clobbered the Irish you will remember two highly touted quarterbacks facing off against one another. We had JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn in a big time game that determined draft stock for both of them. Now neither of them has done much in their NFL careers, but that single game helped JaMarcus Russell become the #1 pick overall in the 2007 draft and Brady Quinn dropped down to pick #22 after being considered a top five player all year long. A lot of different analysts look for a lot of different things in a pro quarterback. Some want to see the arm strength, accuracy, can he make all the necessary passes, instincts, read coverage, footwork, and study habits, while others want to know one thing; can he win the big game! This game looks like the winning quarterback will have positives for any type of analyst out there. The bigger question is actually for Notre Dame fans; would you rather Jimmy Clausen be drafted higher and a win versus USC or do you want him back next year in hopes of a National Championship? We'll find out which one is praised mightily after the two teams play at 3:30 today.
