RoT Madness, First Round: Voting for USC Football Quarterbacks

RoT Madness continues with a competitive subregion of USC football quarterbacks who led the Trojans to glory.

Sam Darnold is not eligible for the bracket, as his career is still active, but the talented young quarterback might’ve changed the completion of these match ups.

Who should advance to the 2nd round? It’s time to vote.

No. 1 Matt Leinart vs. No. 8 John David Booty

Seeding this subregion was extra difficult, but it should make for a fascinating debate in the later rounds. As it stands Matt Leinart took the top seed among quarterbacks while John David Booty took the lowest, so it’s those two who face off in Round 1.

Leinart’s accolades are nearly endless. He did it all, winning two national championships and getting to a third title game. He was a three-time All-American. He won the Heisman Trophy, AP Player of the Year, Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Manning Award, the Victor Award, the Archie Griffin Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Pop Warner Award, and on and on.

He went 37-2 as a starter. He was the face of one of the most successful era’s in USC football history.

In this bracket, as it seems is his destiny, Booty can’t shake the comparison to Leinart.

Still, he accomplished his fair share at USC. The Louisiana-native took the Trojans to two Rose Bowls in two years as a starter, earning MVP honors for a stellar performance in 2008. He still holds the record for most Rose Bowl touchdowns with seven in his career.

1st Round Matchup: Matt Leinart vs. John David Booty?

No. 4 Matt Barkley vs. No. 5 Paul McDonald

The No. 4 vs. No. 5 match up is a clash of eras, accolades and abilities, creating some nice intrigue.

Matt Barkley was gifted with immense quarterbacking ability, but cursed with the worst of circumstances. Such were his abilities, that he emerged as the first USC true freshman to start a season opener at quarterback ever, but his learning curve season in 2009 gave way to chaos.

In 2010 Pete Carroll left for the NFL, then the Trojans were hit with harsh NCAA sanctions. To his credit, Barkley stuck around through a two-year bowl ban. In doing so, he climbed atop USC’s career passing charts for completions and touchdowns and led the Trojans to a magical season in 2011.

Though he never reached the heights of success which other USC quarterbacks managed, what he did achieve despite the setbacks was exceptional.

McDonald did reach those heights, in an entirely different era.

Though his numbers don’t add up to the modern quarterbacks of this age, the Bishop Amat-grad led the Trojans to a national championship in 1978 while also leading the Pac-10 in passing.

He was a winner, plain and simple, posting a 31-5-1 record in his Trojan career.

He achieved All-American honors in 1979 — the first quarterback at USC to do so since 1939 — while finishing sixth in Heisman voting.

1st Round Matchup: Matt Barkley vs. Paul McDonald?

No. 3 Rodney Peete vs. No. 6 Pat Haden

Rodney Peete redefined the quarterback position at USC. Pat Haden set the standard.

Peete was the 1988 Heisman Trophy runner-up. He was a Barry Sanders away from becoming USC’s first every Heisman quarterback a decade and a half before Carson Palmer grabbed that honor.

He did, however, win the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Pop Warner Award in addition to recognition as the 1988 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.

More than a decade earlier, Haden was a part of two national title teams, in 1972 while sharing duties with Mike Rae and in 1974 as the main man at quarterback.

1st Round Matchup: Rodney Peete vs. Pat Haden?

No. 2 Carson Palmer vs. No. 7 Mark Sanchez

Two of the more gifted of USC’s modern quarterbacks, Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez square off in the No. 2 vs. No. 7 match up.

Palmer was the first USC quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. He was so prolific that he set or tied 33 Pac-10 and USC records for total offense and passing.

His rise — capped by an MVP performance and victory in the 2003 Orange Bowl — coincided with the rise of Trojan football under Pete Carroll.

Mark Sanchez represented the final hurrah of that era.

Sanchez waited his turn behind Booty, and took his chance to shine during his one season as a starter in 2008.

That team might be the greatest Trojan outfit which failed to win a national title and Sanchez was the driving force behind the dynamic offense that season, throwing 34 touchdowns.

His 2009 Rose Bowl performance against Penn State was one of the all-time great showings by a USC QB.

1st Round Matchup: Carson Palmer vs. Mark Sanchez?

Be sure to vote in the first round of RoT Madness for running backs, receivers, defensive backs, and special teams players, then sound off in the comments to explain how you voted.

Was our seeding off? Did you vote for an upset? What was your criteria? Let us know.