Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian wins the Lou Holtz Award this week for propping up his upcoming opponent. On his weekly teleconference with reporters Sarkisian, who coached at USC from 2005-2008, dropped this thought about USC Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley, per Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times:
↵↵↵"If I'm an NFL coach right now I would pick Matt Barkley ahead of Andrew Luck."
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It seems like everyone and their father has already proclaimed Luck, the Heisman Trophy candidate from the Stanford Cardinal, bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, and several NFL teams at the bottom of the standings have been implored by their fans to "Suck for Luck" to secure the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. It is kind of shocking to see someone go against the grain.
↵But I don't think there was much to this from Sarkisian, who is simply crediting the upcoming opponent and not wanting to provide any kind of extra motivation for the Trojans. Then again, given that the Huskies have beaten the Trojans in back-to-back years on game-ending field goals, USC shouldn't need extra motivation this week.
↵For more news on Matt Barkley and USC Trojans football, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles.