Oregon vs. FSU: Odds, Schedule and Key Storylines for Rose Bowl 2015

It's rare that a sport can take one of its most prestigious games and make it more glamorous, but college football has turned the 2015 Rose Bowl between Oregon and Florida State into a game with everything at stake. 

The inaugural College Football Playoff has an anticipation level unlike anything seen in the sport. For the first time ever, there will be a champion decided on the field. No longer is there a dependence on computers or external factors, but just the top four teams lining up to determine which one is best. 

Of the two semifinal matchups, Oregon and Florida State offers the most intrigue because of how these two teams have played in 2014 and what a loss would mean for each. Here is all the information you need to know before sitting down to watch the Rose Bowl. 

Date	Location	Start Time	Network	Odds
Jan. 1, 2015	Pasadena, CA	5 p.m. ET	ESPN	Oregon (-8.5)

The Winston Factor

One of the definitions for the word "enigma," from Dictionary.com, is "a person of puzzling or contradictory character." There are a lot of words that have been used to describe Jameis Winston over the last two years, but none fits better than that one. 

After entering the year as the defending Heisman Trophy winner and arguably the best quarterback in the country, Winston had a pedestrian 24-17 touchdown-to-interception mark with a six-game streak of at least one interception from Oct. 18 through Nov. 29. 

The bottoming out came in that Nov. 29 game against Florida. Winston went 12-of-24 with two touchdowns and four interceptions in a 24-19 win. The victory was emblematic of how Florida State has played all year—ugly, but somehow effective. 

As Matt Hinton of Grantland.com noted in his breakdown of the quarterback matchup between Winston and Marcus Mariota, Florida State's leader tends to rises from the ashes like a phoenix:

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Against the Wolfpack, Winston countered a sloppy start by leading touchdown drives on five of FSU’s last six full possessions; the Seminoles rallied from a 17-point hole to win by 15. Against the Fighting Irish, he hit 15 of 16 passes for 181 yards after halftime and led three extended touchdown drives in a game decided by four points. Against the Cardinals, FSU erased a 21-0 deficit by hitting pay dirt on five of its last seven possessions, with three of those scores coming courtesy of Winston’s right arm as he hobbled around on a bad ankle. 

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As inconsistent as Winston has looked this year, he can't afford the mistakes this time around. Oregon's offense is a different animal than anything Florida State has faced so far. Mariota doesn't turn the ball over, while the Ducks have been held under 38 points once all year. 

Winston did show glimpses of his 2013 performance against Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game with three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was just the third game he didn't throw an interception. 

Since Florida State can't count on slowing down Oregon's fast-paced offense, Winston has to match Mariota play for play. He's certainly capable of doing it, though no one has any idea which version will show up. 

Oregon's Versatility

One thing that often gets lost in the shuffle when discussing Oregon's offense is balance. There's no doubt that Mariota makes the engine run. You can't have 53 total touchdowns by accident, but the 2014 Heisman winner gets a lot of help from his friends. 

Freshman running back Royce Freeman had 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season. Byron Marshall is averaging 7.7 yards per carry on only 50 attempts. Those two will get additional support in the backfield with the return of Thomas Tyner.

Ryan Thorburn of The Register-Guard highlighted that depth in the backfield, as well as how Florida State's bad run defense only helps the Ducks:

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Oregon enters the national semifinal against Florida State ranked 20th nationally in rushing offense (237.3 ypg). The Seminoles allow 160.1 yards rushing per game, which ranks 56th nationally.

The Hollywood spotlight has been on Mariota and quarterback counterpart Jameis Winston. The Ducks’ depth in the backfield could make the difference in helping Oregon’s Heisman Trophy winner advance to the national championship.

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Florida State might be able to slow down Mariota throwing the ball, though odds are against that because the pass defense ranked 51st in pass yards allowed per game and tied for 82nd in passing touchdowns allowed. 

There are so many ways Oregon can beat a defense that it takes a truly special unit—or beat-up offensive line, as was the case when Arizona defeated the Ducks—to slow it down. Florida State may have been that team last year, but the 2014 version is not up to those standards. 

Defense Doesn't Matter

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

One of the overriding themes in college football is how much the sport is dominated by offense. Look at the four teams that comprise the College Football Playoff for evidence of that. Alabama is the only one with a top 20 scoring defense. 

Even the Crimson Tide have turned into an offensive force with Blake Sims at quarterback, averaging 490.5 yards and 37.1 points per game. Florida State is the lowest scoring team in the playoff at 34.8 points per game. 

Chris Low of ESPN.com wrote about how unique the defenses in the College Football Playoff are compared to teams that usually win the national championship:

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Only once during the BCS era did a team that went on to win the national championship give up an average of 20 or more points per game (Auburn in 2010), and 12 of the 16 BCS national champions held their opponents to an average of fewer than 16 points per game.

Let that sink in, for a moment, because none of the four teams in this first playoff are ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense, and three of the four are allowing more than 21 points per game. The only one that isn't is Alabama, and the Crimson Tide are giving up 16.6 points per game.

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Oregon comes into this game at a disadvantage on defense because star cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is out for the year with a knee injury. Defensive coordinator Don Pellum told Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel that the scheme won't change.

“You can't change it,” Pellum said. “After 13, 14 games, you're not going to change the plan. We have to do a better job of executing the plan. We have to do a better job of guys picking up slack.”

Florida State should gain confidence on offense without Ekpre-Olomu out there to hover around Rashad Greene, who had 93 receptions for 1,306 yards and seven touchdowns. 

The Seminoles' defensive woes have already been spelled out, so don't go into the Rose Bowl expecting to see a lot of punts or field-goal attempts. This is a matchup of big plays and red-zone scores. Oregon is the better team and should win, but Florida State has found ways to win games it shouldn't have all year. 

Stats via ESPN.com.