{mosimage}The party is over for John David Booty, time to turn off the lights and leave the keys under the mat for heir apparent, Mark Sanchez. It's bad enough that Booty did not play well in a close game against Washington, but to throw four interceptions in the loss to Stanford is totally unforgivable. Add to it the fact that he fractured a finger in the process, and you got to sit the kid down and allow for Football's version of Darwinism to take place. That's right, survival of the fittest, and right now the fittest is Sanchez.

Like a lot of USC fans now calling for Sanchez to start, I was never really sold on Booty. Mark Sanchez on the other hand has the right pedigree for the job. Hailing out of Orange County California, like previous USC wonder boy Matt Leinart, Sanchez is a classic drop back passer who was once ranked the best high school quarterback prospect in the country.

The 6-2, 215 lbs, Sanchez, had a distinguished high school career at Mission Viejo High School in California, leading the school to a state title in 2004 and picking up a few Player of the Year honors in the process. His Awards, after a senior season that saw him throw for over 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns, included the Gatorade California Player of the Year and Parade All-American Player of the Year.

The coaching staff at USC has been equally impressed with Sanchez, with head coach Pete Carroll saying that Mark has the strongest arm the team has seen since NFL superstar Carson Palmer played for the Trojans. Complementing his arm are the intangible leadership skills that make him the perfect QB candidate for USC. A red shirt freshman that only saw light mop up duty last season, Sanchez put in a good spring practice in which he battled Booty for the starting job. Though no decision has been made yet, it looks like Sanchez will be taking snaps with the starting team, while USC coaches wait for the medical evaluation of Booty's fractured finger to come back. Will Sanchez be ready to start and succeed if he gets a chance? I personally do not see him doing any worse than Booty, who has been picked off eight times this season. Part of the probably is that Booty visually locks in on a receiver early and tips off the defense, a lack of mobility and mental quickness does not help him either. So let's usher in the era of the next great USC quarterback a little earlier than anticipated. Perhaps with Sanchez at the helm, the season will not continue to go south.

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