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.

“He’s got a clear mind, a real focus about him going into the game -- that’s what our guys have done over the years,” Sarkisian says.

But can Sanchez, 22, stay clear-headed?

The Rose Bowl will be Sarkisian’s final game before leaving to coach at Washington. Receivers coach John Morton will replace Sarkisian as coordinator, but Carroll has not determined who will call plays next season. It could be Morton, or perhaps Carl Smith, who is the front-runner to succeed Sarkisian as quarterbacks coach.

Also looming for Sanchez: A Jan. 15 deadline to declare for the NFL draft.

Sanchez has said that he would monitor the decisions of other draft-eligible junior and sophomore quarterbacks such as Florida’s Tim Tebow and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford -- the last two Heisman winners -- before making a decision.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently took a step to discourage Sanchez and other players from leaving school before exhausting their eligibility.

Rumors have been circulating that an NFL rookie wage scale could be implemented in 2010, fueling speculation that there might be a flurry of declarations for the draft by players hoping to cash in before the money spigot dries up. Goodell conferred with conference officials, Carroll and other college coaches before saying the soonest any action might occur regarding rookie payments would be 2011.

Sanchez’s father, Nick, reiterated Sunday that there was “very little chance” his son would leave USC. But the family will continue to gather information.

Goodell’s comments, Nick Sanchez says, “do have an impact, not only on Mark but underclassmen in general. . . . For us and a lot of kids that was good information.”

Regardless, an NFL scout projects that Mark Sanchez will be drafted in the latter half of the first round or the top half of the second if he comes out.

“He’s got to work on going through his progressions, his accuracy, his mechanics,” said the scout, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record. “He’s got to tighten a lot of things. He’s a little raw right now.”

Booty has remained in communication with Sanchez and says he is certain his former teammate will make the right decision for himself.

But Booty also ticks off a checklist of why Sanchez should stay at USC including: gaining experience in more game situations; having a shot at a national championship and the Heisman; the fun of being in college and playing for a winning team.

“If they were 6-6 and it was really tough, you might consider moving on,” Booty says. “But I don’t see why you would unless you were a for-sure top-five pick.”

Meanwhile, Sanchez continues to prepare for the Nittany Lions.

He looks forward to processing draft information but not before Friday. “I want to win this game,” he says. “I just feel lucky to be in a position with those options.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com