College Football Playoff Schedule 2015: When and Where to Watch Semifinals

All the speculation, hype and projections can finally come to an end. The inaugural College Football Playoff is here. 

For all the endless debate about who deserved to be included in the semifinals and who will take home the national championship, it will be nice for the games to, you know, actually be played. 

Let's take a look at everything you need to know. 

College Football Playoff Schedule

Bowl	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Rose	No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State	Thur., Jan. 1	5 p.m.	ESPN
Sugar	No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State	Thur., Jan. 1	8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Preview

There isn't a shortage of narratives in the Rose Bowl, but the one that will transcend above all else is obvious: Marcus Mariota vs. Jamies Winston. Heisman winner vs. Heisman winner. Potential No. 1 pick vs. No. 2 pick. 

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Ducks' dynamic dual-threat QB has enjoyed the better season, but you could put him up against a lot of quarterbacks in history and say the same thing. Leading the Ducks to a dominant 12-1 campaign, he passed for 3,783 yards, ran for 669 and tallied an absurd 52 touchdowns (38 passing, 14 rushing) to just two interceptions. 

Offensive coordinator Scott Frost, via Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman, put it simply:

On the other side of the field, Winston's season has been a bit more turbulent. In the midst of several off-the-field incidents, he has thrown for 3,559 yards, 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

However, as Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples pointed out, the injury to Oregon stud cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu presents the Seminoles with a potential mismatch in the passing game:

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The physical Ekpre-Olomu might have been able to knock (Rashad) Greene off some of his typically perfect routes, which could have interfered with Greene’s timing with Winston. Without the consensus All-American, however, the Ducks may need to utitlize more zone coverage to slow Greene. That could open up passes underneath to tight end Nick O’Leary or tailback Dalvin Cook.

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Even with FSU's struggles down the stretch, this figures to be an offensive slugfest. If that's the case, it's hard to bet against Oregon's explosive attack, even with the amount of NFL talent Florida State boasts on defense. 

In the Sugar Bowl, Alabama stands as a heavy nine-point favorite, per OddsShark.com. While the Crimson Tide are typically known for their physicality and toughness on defense (which still rings true), it's their offense that has partially stolen the show in 2014. 

The running game, led by T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry, is explosive, while Blake Sims and Amari Cooper have combined to make the passing attack just as dangerous. 

Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell recently raved about Cooper, a potential top-five pick in next year's draft, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Tony Barnhart:

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It’s not just the catch to me. It’s the runs after the catch. (He has) the ability to make something when there’s nothing there. He does the intangible things. He’s going to block and do some things that sometimes you don’t see the first-rounders or the truly top dogs do. So I think what we’ve seen is one of the most complete players we’ve played against.

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Much of the attention in this game is on quarterback Cardale Jones, but if the Buckeyes are going to pull the upset, they'll need a big performance on defense. And that starts with Joey Bosa. 

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The sophomore All-American, a potential top-five pick himself (in 2016), recorded 50 total tackles, 13.5 sacks, 20.0 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. 

Lane Kiffin, via ESPN.com's Austin Ward, knows the importance of finding a way to stop the relentless defensive end:

If Bosa can create pressure and force Sims to be uncomfortable, Ohio State will have a chance. But that's easier said than done against the Crimson Tide monster offensive line. 

Either way, it makes for a tantalizing matchup.