Through half a season, though, Barkley is being heaped with praise as a guy that plays beyond his years. I suppose one has to be impressed with the early body of work given his inexperience, but can the Trojans really get away with a true freshman at Autzen Stadium in a game as hyped as any in its history?

I don’t think so (cue references to Notre Dame and Ohio State).

Of course, what I think is just an opinion so I went to work manipulating the numbers to back me up.

The first thing we need to look at is how Barkley stacks up relative to the rest of the nation.

What does this tell us?

1. This is a solid quarterback who could become great. He’s one of only 3 freshmen with a top 50 quarterback rating.
2. He passes for a lot of yards for a team that virtually never has to play from behind which indicates the yards are generally meaningful.
3. The high ranking in yards per attempt seems to support my thinking that he throws a good deep ball and will connect on those more frequently than his peers.
4. He has both a low number of TDs and INTs which indicates USC is careful in what they ask him to do.

Okay, with the setup out of the way, let the debunking begin.

When we look at who this body of work has come against, it’s revealing at just how poor the opposing pass defenses have been. Teams have played a minimum of seven games so it’s not like one can say Barkley’s performance is skewing opposing defense’s stats.

Four of the six pass defenses Barkley has faced are ranked 111 or lower in total yards per game. That’s out of 120 teams meaning he’s faced four units that are in the bottom 10 nationally. In other words, Barkley hasn’t just faced bad pass defenses, he’s faced the worst. He’s also only encountered two reputable pass rushes (Cal and Ohio State). In those two games, Barkley had no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Still there were two games against statistically respectable pass defenses. Let’s take a look.

• San Jose State, 41st: The Spartans have the third worst rush defense in the country, so this ranking is likely more a reflection of the fact teams are content to run all game. The low pass efficiency rating would seem to support that. Against San Jose State, Barkley passed for 233 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.
• Ohio State, 29th: To date, the only quality pass defense USC has faced. Barkley, on the road in a hostile environment went 15-31 for 195 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Everyone talks about the final game winning drive and completely forgets how inept Barkley and the offense were to that point. True, quarterbacks are judged on the end result and he deserves credit for the finish, but it’s also factual that much of the drive featured dump-offs and easy passes that allowed Trojan playmakers, namely Joe McKnight, to make something happen. I don’t want to to discount that he got the win, but that was less about Barkley and more about the team. He didn’t lose the game, but he didn’t win it either.

Saturday, he comes into Autzen Stadium on Halloween night and faces the best pass defense he has yet to see. It’s perhaps the best he will see all season. Of course, there’s a wild card in that Oregon’s secondary is depleted, but the group has held up admirably all year.

Does any of this prove that Barkley can’t handle the impending moment? No. But it does show that there is reason to believe Saturday’s challenge is greater than any other to date. I think it’s very possible this will be a historical  crescendo for Autzen Stadium and I’m afraid not even Tom Brady could escape what lies just 4 days ahead.

1. Revenge. I normally don’t get too hyped on the revenge angle. It has failed to matter so many times before, but this is different. From everything I’ve read this preseason (and it’s a lot), I get the sense Oregon has been locked in on Boise for a long time. They’ve been a little loose with the lips which, given Oregon’s usual reserved nature, tells me this really means something to them.
2. Jeremiah Masoli. As much as Kellen Moore can be a catalyst to a Boise win, his Oregon counterpart at QB will have a bigger impact. Given Masoli’s rather well-mentioned absence from quarters 2-4 last year, he has a chance to be the biggest difference in this year’s game for the Ducks. The fact that Oregon is guaranteed to complete at least one pass in quarters 2 and 3 should help.
3. The home factor for Boise isn’t that big of a deal. Oregon has played in bigger, more intimidating venues and done fine. Sure, the Ducks may not face a more rabid set of fans per person, but there’s only so much 30,000 people can do.  You can’t tell me Reser Stadium in all its processed foods glory isn’t a tougher venue with a Rose Bowl on the line.
4. Oregon’s Offense. This offense is really going to click this year. I know that’s saying a lot after the previous two record-setting seasons, but the talent across the board is amazing. They have a vertical passing threat in Jamere Holland and multiple playmakers that will line up all over the field whether it’s LeGarrette Blount, Ed Dickson, LaMichael James or even Kenjon Barner. I’m not in the camp that is concerned about Oregon’s offensive line. Steve Greatwood is a proven coach that will have his big uglies operating at a high level.
5. Defensively capable (I think, but I probably shouldn’t have said so…I’m sure to regret this). I’m not going to say Oregon has a defense you can count on to win a game. There’s just no proof of that. However, if practice means anything, it’s possible the Ducks are bringing a defense that can get after it. It’ll be interesting to see if Boise State can tax the Oregon defense as efficiently as they did last year despite major losses at wide receiver and running back. (EDIT: Giving this some more thought, I’m not sure I trust Oregon’s defense to handle all the misdirection and motion of the Boise offense. I’m certainly not expecting Oregon’s defense to be the cause of victory. More likely, it will do just enough to let the offense take control.)

1. Kellen Moore. I think we can all agree Moore can beat Oregon on his own. His 386 yards and three touchdowns last year in Autzen Stadium absolutely stunned everyone. I can’t think of another redshirt freshman that came into Autzen Stadium and put together the type of day he did. Most guys in his shoes probably would have let a little dribble down their leg as soon as they stepped on the field. A more mature and experienced Kellen Moore playing at home? The Duck defense better be ready.
2. Bronco Stadium. I let my feelings be known last week about what I think of Boise State’s home winning streak. I think it’s safe to say if they played a schedule similar to what the Pac-10 faces every year, that streak wouldn’t exist. Still, there’s no ignoring that number. 44 straight wins at home. That’s tied for sixth best all-time. Even if the competition was sub-par, you can’t deny the confidence the Broncos step onto the field with knowing they simply don’t lose at home. There is a comfort factor for Boise that will be sorely lacking for Oregon.
3. Oregon’s Unknowns. Ignoring for a moment Boise State’s own question marks, Oregon has enough issues to elicit genuine concern. Is the rebuilt offensive line going to pick up where the 2008 crew left off? Will the talented but untested wide receivers make an impact? Can the secondary and defense as a whole keep up with the constant misdirection Boise will offer up? Until game one is in the book’s we’re all just speculating.
4. Cheap Shot Late Hits. Given what happened last year, am I wrong? (I think that makes it 3 straight posts now…I’m not giving up!)

Sept. 3, @ Boise St., 7:15 pm on ESPN

• The Broncos are sorting out their starting linebackers in a competition that involves six players for two spots.
• The preseason hasn’t been kind to Boise’s defensive line and it just got thinner with an injury to freshman DT Greg Grimes. They also recently lost an offensive lineman that was in the mix for a starting spot at guard for the season.
• WR Titus Young will apparently be a handful for the Oregon secondary. Hopefully, the Oregon coaching staff and players did a crash course in “Boise play action 101.” The same article says replacing Ellis Powers won’t be a problem. Two players are vying to replace the departed safety, but no mention is made about the ability of either player to deliver cheap shots to quarterbacks (yeah, I said it).
• In the Broncos lone scrimmage so far, returning quarterback Kellen Moore “looked sharp” and Boise St. managed to slip in two successful trick plays. No doubt, Oregon had better be ready for something, well, unconventional.
• From reading through the many reports, it’s hard to say which unit is faring better, but it does seem like Boise’s passing game is going to be tough to stop.

Sept. 12, Purdue, 7:15 pm on FSN (note: FSN might suck but we don’t have to listen to 4 hours of “Did you know Bob Griese played at Purdue?” this year)

• Only four coaches remain from long-time and now retired coach Joe Tiller’s staff. For a team that struggled in 2008, new blood is probably a good thing.
• New coach Danny Hope is high on his freshman class which makes sense considering it’s his first recruiting effort. Expect to see more than a few freshman on the field in Eugene.
• It’s not on-the-field news, but Purdue adding names to the backs of their jersey’s satisfies one of my biggest pet peeves. Teams that think they’re too good for names have always bugged me. USC, Notre Dame, you get the idea.
• Uh oh. The same article mentions two quarterbacks will play this season. That’s always a kiss of death for your season. The instability probably has a lot to do with the fact potential starter Justin Siller was dismissed for academic reasons in the spring.
• Not  much is expected of the Boilermakers, but from various articles, I get the impression coach Da nny Hope doesn’t care what others are saying. He seems to be bringing a new, fresh attitude and is promoting as much competition as possible. He’s been quoted saying “we can field a very good football team in 2009.”

Sept. 19, Utah, 12:30 pm on ESPN

• The most important position is still up for grabs in Salt Lake. Coming off the heels of its second scrimmage, Utah has two quarterbacks in a dead heat even though true freshman Jordan Wynn was previously named #1 on the depth chart. One thing  is certain – the starter won’t be last year’s backup Corbin Louks who has announced he will transfer to Nevada after getting demoted.
• A redshirt freshman is playing defense for the first time ever and is already listed on the two deep.
• The Utes have suffered a couple season-ending injuries in camp, one to a senior running back, the other to a freshman defensive back.
• Program turnover seems to be a major theme. Both the offensive and defensive coordinators are new, though both were hired from within the program. Three other assistants were hired to replace departed coaches. Additionally, the team has to replace the face of its offense from a season ago, quarterback Brian Johnson as well as two defensive players that were drafted by NFL teams.