For being 2,600 miles apart, the similarities surprisingly abound between USC and Boston College. Take a look at the most glaring parallels between the two programs:

• Freshman quarterback: USC starts 19-year-old Matt Barkley; Boston College starts 25-year-old Dave Shinskie
• 1,000-yard running back: USC has Joe McKnight (1,014 rushing yards in '09); Boston College has Montel Harris (1,355 rushing yards in '09)
• Wideout who was the team MVP: USC has Damian Williams; Boston College has Rich Gunnell
• All-conference linemen: USC has All-Pac-10 selections Jeff Byers and Charles Brown; Boston College has All-ACC selection Anthony Castonzo
• Off-field adversity-turned-inspiration: USC has tailback Stafon Johnson, who endured a life-threatening weightlifting accident in September; Boston College has linebacker Mark Herzlich, who was diagnosed with bone cancer and missed the entire '09 season