Rose Bowl 2015: Oregon vs. FSU TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Time and More

Perhaps you have heard that there is a fairly important college football matchup on New Year’s Day that features the last two Heisman Trophy winners, the defending national champions and the opportunity to reach the national championship game.

Matchups like the one at the 2015 Rose Bowl between Oregon and Florida State in the inaugural College Football Playoff are exactly what fans dreamed about when they complained about the BCS. The fact that we get to do it all over again when Ohio State and Alabama face off in the other semifinal is an absolute treat. 

Here is a look at the essential information for Thursday’s Rose Bowl clash.

2015 Rose Bowl

Matchup: Oregon vs. Florida State

Date: Thursday, Jan. 1

Time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN 

Spread: Oregon -8, via Odds Shark, as of Wednesday at 12 a.m. ET

Injury Report (via USA Today)

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Colin Blake	S	10/29/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	shoulder
Demarcus Christmas	DT	12/26/2014	is questionable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Oregon	Questionable	ankle
Ronald Darby	CB	12/26/2014	is probable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Oregon	Probable	forearm
Ukeme Eligwe	LB	11/07/2014	was dismissed from the team	Out	disciplinary
Eddie Goldman	DT	12/26/2014	is probable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Oregon	Probable	ankle
Isaiah Jones	WR	08/16/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	academics
Nile Lawrence-Stample	DT	12/29/2014	is probable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Oregon	Probable	pectoral
Delvin Purifoy	LB	08/31/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	ankle
Karlos Williams	RB	12/26/2014	is questionable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Oregon	Questionable	concussion

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Bralon Addison	WR	08/05/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	knee
Pharaoh Brown	WR	11/10/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	knee
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	12/26/2014	will miss the Rose Bowl Thursday against Florida State	Out	knee
Hroniss Grasu	C	11/09/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	knee
Tyler Johnstone	T	08/11/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	knee
Thomas Tyner	RB	12/26/2014	is questionable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Florida State	Questionable	ankle
Andre Yruretagoyena	T	12/26/2014	is questionable for the Rose Bowl Thursday against Florida State	Questionable	leg

Preview/Prediction

Florida State has not lost a single football game since the 2012 campaign and won the national title last season, but it is Oregon that is the favorite. A large reason for that is the fact that the Seminoles sneaked past so many overmatched opponents, while the Ducks won by an average of 26 points in the eight games since left tackle Jake Fisher returned to the offensive line.

The offensive line is important, but having a Heisman winner at quarterback doesn’t hurt either for the Ducks.

Oregon was a high-powered machine behind Mariota’s 3,783 passing yards, 38 touchdown tosses, 669 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. Perhaps most incredibly, Mariota only threw two interceptions despite being in an uptempo attack that runs more plays than the vast majority of offenses across the country.

The Ducks also feature running back Royce Freeman, who became a force down the stretch and ended up with 1,299 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, and a number of receivers who can make big plays in space. Overall, Oregon was 11th in passing yards per game, 22nd in rushing yards per game and third in scoring.

Florida State will counter with a defense that was 58th against the rush and was just gashed by Georgia Tech for 331 rushing yards in the ACC Championship Game.

Oregon is a completely different animal than even the Yellow Jackets, and it will be a long day for the Seminoles if they cannot slow down Freeman and Mariota in the running game. They may even be forced to bring extra defenders into the box, which will open things up for Mariota and the passing attack.

On the other side, Winston may not have put up Mariota-like numbers this season, but he did throw for 3,559 yards and 24 touchdowns. His biggest problem, though, was 17 interceptions.

Still, he had the Seminoles at No. 14 in the country in passing yards, which is a worrisome statistic for an Oregon secondary that was 105th against the pass.

The Ducks will also have to stop leading receiver Rashad Greene without injured cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. The good news is that Oregon blew out so many teams that it gave the backups extra time to play. At least it will have experience heading into this one, although it wasn’t under the bright lights of the Rose Bowl.

Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum discussed that notion, per Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated:

"

I think the fact that we had [them in] at the end of some games, were able to put some guys in and get them some experience, that’s always valuable. I think even more valuable is the time the guys have rotated in the beginning of those games, because they’re different. That’s the battle-tested part of it, and I think our system has helped us from that standpoint.

"

Even if Oregon finds a way to contain Greene, it has to worry about tight end Nick O’Leary.

O’Leary was Winston’s security blanket all season and converted a number of critical third downs for the Seminoles in all of those close games. He won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end and will use those sure hands to hurt the Oregon defense.

With stars all over the field and interesting matchups on both sides of the ball, Staples had an interesting take on the Rose Bowl and pointed out how important the start is considering Oregon’s explosiveness:

"

If the 'Noles start slow and Winston throws an early interception or two, the Ducks could capitalize in a way that the earlier teams on Florida State's schedule could not. Oregon is explosive enough offensively to put the game out of the reach of even one of the Seminoles' trademark comebacks. However, if Florida State can keep the game close into the second half, its ability to make critical plays late in tight games will be a huge asset.

"

While there is certainly some validity to the argument that Florida State is more prepared for a close game than Oregon is considering the Ducks blew out so many opponents, there is one Achilles' heel for the Seminoles that will be a problem.

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

Oregon was eighth in the country in points off turnovers, which is frightening for a Florida State squad that was 116th with 27 turnovers. Winston threw 17 interceptions and let a number of overmatched teams stay in games.

Oregon is not an overmatched team.

Look for a Florida State turnover in the second half that sets up Mariota and the Ducks offense in an ideal position to score. That will break open the game in the final minutes. 

Prediction: Oregon 34, Florida State 24

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