There are obvious cultural divides and memes in college football; that's what makes it the greatest sporting experience in America.
The B1G has cliches and stereotypes and Northwestern Ferraris and Ann Arbor snobs and dangerous OSU fans and MSU bros and Indiana football basketball fans.
But really nothing says more about a program or an entire college football region than this video -
That is the future millionaire first round draft pick who plays probably the most coveted position (USC Quarterback) in college football. Furthermore, he quarterbacks the (formerly) #2 team in the nation who just had their national title hopes squished by Stanford...three days ago. Heisman hopes, dashed. The school's dreams of coming back from probation directly to the top of the CFB world...gone.
And yet here he is with Nelson Agholor, doing this wonderful Barkley Breakdown, teaching us about hot routes and admitting when he didn't make a great throw.
I mean this blows my mind - So many questions arise:
Can you think of another school where the star player would be doing this breakdown after a loss?
Isn't this completely representative of the California "it's cool bro" mentality?
When your actual goal is the NFL, as many of the Trojans will eventually play there, does it mean you aren't 100% emotionally invested in your college program? Is that okay?
Shouldn't losses like this hurt so much you can't bear to talk about them?
Personally, I love the hell out of this. Matt Barkley comes off as humane and humble, a star athlete who loves the game and loves working with his wide receivers. Football is everything, but it's not everything. The sun still rises and we move on, even though it stings.
But I'll be interested to hear your opinions -