Stanford vs. USC Pits Two of the Draft’s Top Quarterback Prospects

Finally, Andrew Luck will face his first real test of the season.

The Stanford Cardinal are set to travel to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans on ABC in prime time, one of the first times this season that Stanford will be truly tested.

USC is 6-1 and fresh off of a victory against Notre Dame on the road, and they boast arguably the nation’s top passing duo with Matt Barkley and sophomore receiver Robert Woods. The two have hooked up 72 times this season, eight for touchdowns including a couple of highlight reel plays against the Irish.

Andrew Luck has not really had to bring his team from behind this season, as Stanford has absolutely thrashed every team that stood in their way. The sixth ranked Cardinal are going to have to be on top of their game against the Trojans. One huge reason for Andrew Luck’s success this year (literally) has been the play of his offensive line, specifically Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro, who are both sure-fire first round draft picks when they choose to come out.

Luck is going to need all the protection he can get, because USC boasts a young, athletic defense that makes plays. The leader of that SC defense is safety T.J. McDonald, who is also a potential first round prospect. McDonald is a great athlete who flies all over the field.

The hype for this game, though, is going to focus all on the quarterbacks. By many accounts, Luck and USC junior Matt Barkley are the top two quarterback prospects in all of college football right now, but both have pretty different styles of play.

Still, this will be a great battle and definitely is something any NFL Draft fan should be tuning into on Saturday night. We will have more on this game as the week progresses. Check out our top prospects for both teams on the 2012 Prospects by College Team page.