College Football Playoffs Format: Rules, Predictions for January 1 Games

The inaugural College Football Playoff will kick off on New Year's Day with two exceptional matchups that ought to give the new postseason format a degree of recency bias to bolster its staying power.

Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota will lead Oregon against the reigning champion Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl. Then an epic coaching matchup headlines the Sugar Bowl between Nick Saban's Alabama powerhouse and an Urban Meyer-led Ohio State program.

Whoever wins those two contests will meet in the national title game on January 12. Thus, the rules are rather self-explanatory, as two of the nation's top four teams have to notch supreme, quality victories to win the championship.

For a more detailed explanation of the College Football Playoff and the various motives behind it, check out the official website's overview of the fresh layout.

Read on for predictions regarding the two upcoming playoff games, which will have both immediate and long-term implications for all the schools involved.

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State

Much more is at stake for Mariota and his counterpart Jameis Winston than a win at this marquee venue. Both are vying to be the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

This contrast of systems will be fascinating to witness, as the Ducks will try to keep FSU on its heels with its uptempo offensive attack. However, if the Seminoles can get early stops and bleed the clock with a more methodical approach controlled by Winston, Oregon could be playing catch-up.

Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com notes that Winston isn't afraid to go after the Ducks secondary, which is without its most talented cornerback in Ifo Ekpre-Olomu:

But Oregon does have another stud corner in Troy Hill to mark up senior Seminoles star Rashad Greene, who is Winston's clear go-to target. FSU is ranked 104th in the country in rushing offense, so it's mostly on Winston to rally his team if the Ducks can establish the run early.

If the perception that spread offenses are abecedarian in their concepts, former Oregon QB Nate Costa doesn't believe that takes away from Mariota's football IQ, per the Portland Tribune's Stephen Alexander:

"

[Mariota's] level of mastery of the offense is a ninth-degree black belt. I'm not sure how high the black belt goes, but he's a master of this offense. He understands the ins and outs not just of the passing game, but he really understands the run game, which is crucial for a running quarterback.

He understands what they're doing up front, he communicates well and he makes sure everyone knows what they're doing before the ball is snapped. His level of mastery is elite. And even beyond that is just his memory. His ability to retain information and process it quickly makes him a special player.

"

All defensive efforts for Florida State must be geared toward stopping Mariota and running back Royce Freeman. Putting Mariota in obvious passing situations is Florida State's best chance to pull off a victory.

The only problem is that Mariota is so fleet-footed that he can take it to the end zone from anywhere on the field. Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman shares a notable story that accentuates Mariota's blazing speed:

Eddie Goldman and Mario Edwards Jr. give the Seminoles teeth in the trenches to stymie Oregon's ground game. What those NFL-caliber stars can't account for is when Mariota takes off and runs.

Although Winston boasts considerable athleticism of his own, Mariota is a far more dynamic dual-threat playmaker.

The Seminoles have squeaked out close wins against run-heavy teams in Boston College, Florida and Georgia Tech to close out their undefeated season. Mariota and Co. are far more formidable than those offenses, which should allow the Ducks to end FSU's remarkable run that got it to this point.

Prediction: Oregon 42, Florida State 38

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State

The Buckeyes are similar to Oregon in that they deploy a spread offense that relies on a fast tempo and exploiting open-field mismatches to thrive.

Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart discussed how the Crimson Tide have adjusted in preparation for the Sugar Bowl, per FoxSports.com's Stewart Mandel:

"

We've exposed our guys more this year than ever to [tempo] ... We practice differently by going against our offense that now has a tempo package. We try to start every practice with tempo to do things to get better at it.

[...] You go talk to teams, that's the No. 1 thing they do that we didn't do as much. We were more of a pro mentality -- play the best 53. Now we've got to use more guys, especially in the defensive line, where they get more exhausted faster.

"

As poised as fifth-year senior Blake Sims has been in quarterbacking Alabama's offense in his long-awaited chance to do so, the buzzed-about QB in this contest will be Ohio State's Cardale Jones.

The former third-stringer more known for his comments about collegiate education than anything else, Jones was a spot start for the Big Ten Championship Game.

Nothing was amiss for the Buckeyes, as they rolled to a 59-0 triumph over Wisconsin to sway the selection committee into giving them the final playoff spot. ESPN.com's Austin Ward alludes to the potential competitive edge OSU may have with Jones under center:

Saban is a reputable defensive genius, yet he and Smart may not know how to deal with Jones, whose strapping frame, strong arm and powerful running style may give Alabama fits.

The Tide have struggled to defend running QBs such as Johnny Manziel and Trevor Knight in recent years. They did a nice job shutting down Mississippi State's Dak Prescott earlier this season, but that game was in Tuscaloosa.

Thick ball-carrier Ezekiel Elliott gives the Buckeyes serious punch between the tackles to take on the Tide's top-ranked rush defense. Also, OSU's defensive front is as capable as any of doing battle in the trenches with Alabama's big men on the offensive line.

Joey Bosa is the catalyst for a Buckeyes pass rush that averages 3.08 sacks per contest (h/t NCAA.com) and can pester Sims. Bosa acknowledged how interesting of a battle he'll have against the SEC champions, via The SEC Network's Tony Barnhart:

As long as OSU can keep T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry in relative check, this has all the makings of a Buckeyes victory. It would be monumental for Meyer as he continues to build Ohio State to prominence after some turbulence following the Jim Tressel era.

While Alabama will continue to be a contender every year, the fact that the Buckeyes have been able to make it this far with a No. 3 QB is quite an eye-opener.

The Crimson Tide have relied on smart, cerebral signal-callers, but with the importance placed on that position and how elite the other three playoff teams are in that area, Saban would do well to bring in superior talent in the future to make Alabama even better.

Prediction: Ohio State 27, Alabama 21