Launching pad

Mark Sanchez knows an outstanding performance in the Rose Bowl could be a springboard to individual accolades and possible NFL riches.

"This game is a launch pad," the USC quarterback says.

But the fourth-year junior politely brushes off talk of next year's Heisman Trophy race.

Or the NFL draft, be it 2009 or 2010.

As fifth-ranked USC prepares for sixth-ranked Penn State, Sanchez insists his focus is on the present.

"The thing I get caught up in is not so much the outside stuff and what it could mean," Sanchez says. "I get caught up in how much fun I'm having out there on the field."

Watch Sanchez on New Year's Day when he takes the field before kickoff. He customarily skips across the turf, smiling and spinning as if to take it all in, seeming to enjoy every moment.

How many more moments Sanchez spends with the Trojans will not be determined until after the Rose Bowl. That's when he will huddle with his family and Coach Pete Carroll to decide whether he should give up his final season of eligibility and turn pro or return to lead the Trojans, who are expected to be in the chase again for the Bowl Championship Series title.

"It doesn't distract me," Sanchez says of the speculation surrounding his future. "It comes with the territory."

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Sanchez put himself in this position with a solid performance in his first season as a starter.

After sitting behind Matt Leinart and John David Booty for three years, Sanchez passed for 30 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, leading USC to an 11-1 record and a seventh consecutive Pacific 10 Conference title.

Now comes the Rose Bowl.

"It's just one game," Carroll says. "There's just as many minutes in that game as any other one."

That kind of attitude helped Leinart and Booty eliminate nerves and flourish in Rose Bowl games.

Leinart used the 2004 game against Michigan to kick-start what became Heisman Trophy and national championship-winning runs the next season. In 2006, Booty torched the Wolverines and opened the following season in the Heisman discussion.

"Mark's been around it so many times, he knows the whole preparation, the schedule, the buildup," said Booty, who also starred in the 2008 Rose Bowl. "Just like I watched Leinart and how you planned your preparation, he's watched me so that's going to benefit him."

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who coached Leinart and Booty, notes that Sanchez is similarly ready for the big stage.