Rose Bowl 2015: TV Info, Schedule, Predictions and More
The 101st Rose Bowl Game takes the torch as one of two College Football Playoff Semifinal events this January.
Normally the Rose Bowl pits the winner of the Big Ten Conference against the winner of the Pac-12, but any and all are welcome and at the mercy of the CFP committee. The game will feature the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds as ranked by the committee in the final batch of rankings that go out on December 7.
Right now, the two participants seem quite obvious. There is still one weekend of football to be played before the spectacle is finalized, but a pair of elite quarterbacks seem destined to dance.
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When: Thursday, January 1, 2015 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Watch: ESPN
Predictions
Oregon and Florida State Dance
Like it or not, Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles, winners of 28 straight, are not going to be ignored.
Some may want that, though. The Seminoles have had close calls against NC State, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Boston College and Florida.
Yet they keep on winning. Coach Jimbo Fisher put it best after the 24-19 win against the Gators, as captured by The Associated Press, via ESPN.com: "First time in school history we ever went back-to-back undefeated regular seasons. With all the great teams (that have been here), that shows how hard that is to do. ... That just doesn't happen. It's a true testament to our players and assistant coaches, what they've done."
Even four interceptions by Winston against a quality defense was not enough to doom the Seminoles this past weekend. That ability to pull through in the clutch and clear display of elite talent top to bottom downright ensures the team hangs around at the No. 3 seed, so long as it overcomes a pesky ground-based Georgia Tech team.
The Oregon Ducks have flown right past to seize No. 2, though.
Oregon has not lost since the beginning of October. Even that was respectable given the fact Arizona is 10-2, very much in the running for the CFP and will throw down with the Ducks again in the Pac-12 championship.
The Ducks rank fourth nationally with an average of 45.9 points scored per contest behind the arm of Marcus Mariota. A Heisman favorite, the junior has thrown for 3,470 yards and 36 touchdowns to just two interceptions this year.
Most were right to think Oregon would lose by now. The Ducks have this time of year in the past. But Mariota and Co. seem more mature than ever. Stanford? No problem. Utah? Despite being even better, than the Cardinal, no problem. Same thing applies to Oregon State in the Civil War.
It remains to be seen how well the Ducks perform against other elite opposition, but one thing seems a certainty—it will happen in the Rose Bowl.
Ducks Fly Away
This one seems a mismatch on paper.
Florida State has been shaky defensively all season long, while the Ducks have little issue moving the ball at will against any unit they encounter:
As SportsCenter illustrates, the differences under center are just as jarring:
There is something to be said for Winston's ability to get his team a late win, though.
The catch is, Winston actually has to keep his team in the game until the waning moments to pull off another comeback. Florida State's defense has yet to encounter a team that even sniffs what the Ducks are about on the offensive side of things.
All of the attention goes to Mariota, but keep in mind how potent the Ducks can be on the ground.
Royce Freeman has 1,185 yards and 16 scores on the ground with a per-carry average of 5.7. When healthy, Thomas Tyner averages 4.4 yards and has 387 yards and three scores.
Swing the spotlight back on the elusive Mariota, who has been on the run all season long thanks to an injured line. The result so far is 636 yards and 11 scores on a 5.9 per-carry average.
As mentioned, it is not as if the Ducks have made their mark against a weak schedule, either.
Oregon's ability to keep the chains moving and grind out the clock against a wobbly defense neutralizes Winston's ability to keep his team in this hypothetical matchup, which does not even mention how iffy he has been as of late, anyway.
A No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the final seems boring, but expect the Ducks to uphold their end of the deal and reach the final after a win at the Rose Bowl.
Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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