As if this topic hasn’t been discussed enough in recent weeks, I thought I’d add my opinion into the warring world of those who love trojan football and those who wish they could love trojan football.
We all know that USC got jobbed out of the PAC 12 championship. The comments made by UCLA’s athletic director and some of their coaching staff revealed they had less than spectacular faith in their football team, and included a PAC 12 championship loss in their record when discussing the bowl game before they even played the PAC 12 game. It deeply bothers me when commentators talk about the “weak” PAC 12 south, and how they sent a team like UCLA to the championship game. Since aparently these commentators didn’t get the message, let me reiterate: USC WASN’T ALLOWED TO GO. lame, right? I know.
But let me get to perhaps my most important thought on all of these football shenanigans:
Please stay Matt Barkley.
Really, we need you. Yes, you could go play in the NFL and make loads of money, but you’re above that. You know the glory that awaits you if you stay just one more season at Troy. The heisman, a chance at a national championship, a BOWL GAME! I know that nearly anyone would still choose the NFL, but Matt Barkley has a different sort of character. He’s all about doing what is best for those around him- a truly honorable guy. And right now, I think staying at USC is what’s best. Matt Barkley famously organized the upper classmen players when the sanctions were placed on USC and essentially convinced them to stay for the remainder of their college careers and remain loyal to SC, instead of transferring to other schools where they would perhaps get more television time to catch the eye of NFL scouts. But nevermind what Barkley did for trojan football, Matt Barkley IS trojan football. he carried the team on his back and made those around him better football players. He gave Marqise Lee more catches than he knew what to do with and he even had Lane Kiffin saying, “I look up to Matt Barkley”. Lane Kiffin looks up to MATT BARKLEY. wow, impressive right?
And so with that, I beg: please don’t go. Yes, USC will still be a good team even if Matt goes to the NFL. Yes, we will still go to a bowl game in the first season after our sanctions are lifted. But this is about so much more. It’s about that eternal glory emerging from an ephemeral epoch at USC. It’s about running out onto the colliseum field to do what the NCAA kept us from doing for two long years. It’s about trojan football, and it’s about pride. We all know Matt Barkley is proud of what he achieved here at USC, so why not take one more year and go down in history as a guy who not only led his team through times of trouble, but who also shared his passion when he didn’t have to, who played for the love of the game, and who embodies the spirit of Troy.
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