College Football Playoffs 2015: Analyzing Stars Who Will Decide CFP Semifinals

The revolutionary College Football Playoff begins New Year's Day with the four best teams in the nation doing battle in the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, respectively. That means there will be plenty of star power involved.

Oregon, Florida State, Alabama and Ohio State are four of the most storied and most successful programs the sport has ever seen. They all deserve an opportunity to chase a national championship, and they all have gotten to this point by virtue of some incredibly talented players.

With the highly anticipated CFP semifinals on the verge of commencing, here is a look at the players who will have a huge hand in determining the results.

Marcus Mariota

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, so it is no secret that all eyes will be on him in the Rose Bowl. That is especially true since he will be facing a Florida State team that hasn't lost in two years.

The Ducks are favored despite the Seminoles' impressive winning streak and despite the fact that the 'Noles have a Heisman winner of their own in quarterback Jameis Winston. With that said, there is no doubt Mariota has outperformed his counterpart this season.

Mariota has been so good, in fact, that Winston is thoroughly impressed with the numbers he has amassed, according to Paul Myerberg of USA Today.

"I admire him for being so efficient," Winston said. "As a quarterback to another quarterback, for you to be able to throw 38 touchdowns and only two interceptions that's special, don't matter what offense you're in, don't matter how you do it, that's special."

With nearly 4,500 total yards and 52 touchdowns in the nation's No. 3 scoring offense, Mariota is as vital as they come in college football.

Everything runs through the spectacular junior, and his level of play will have a bigger impact on the Rose Bowl than anything else will.

Amari Cooper

Plenty of people were responsible for Alabama's regular-season success in 2014, but perhaps no player was more important than wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Quarterback Blake Sims exceeded expectations in his first season as a starter, but that likely wouldn't have been the case without Cooper playing at an elite level. The junior was incredible for the Crimson Tide, as he was a Heisman Trophy candidate and racked up 115 catches for 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns.

According to ESPN's John Buccigross, Cooper was Sims' go-to target and nobody else was even close:

Cooper does have a bit of a challenge ahead of him in the Sugar Bowl against a solid Ohio State defense, but he has essentially been matchup-proof all season long. If the Buckeyes can figure out a way to keep him in check to some degree, then they have a legitimate chance to pull off the upset.

Ole Miss held him to 91 yards and beat the Tide, while Arkansas ceded only 22 yards in a narrow 14-13 defeat.

If Cooper plays like he has for the bulk of the 2014 season, though, the odds are very much in favor of 'Bama playing for the national title in a couple of weeks.

Dalvin Cook

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Florida State leaned heavily on Winston last season, and while that has been the case to some degree this season as well, the running game has taken a lot of pressure off him.

Senior Karlos Williams was supposed to be the bell cow, but he has taken a back seat to freshman Dalvin Cook recently. The Miami native leads the Seminoles with 905 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season.

With Williams out for the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech, Cook was dominant, as he rushed 31 times for 177 yards. If he can repeat that feat in the Rose Bowl, then Oregon may be in big trouble.

Florida State has a fairly explosive offense, but it pales in comparison to the Ducks in that regard. With that in mind, the Noles' best plan of attack is likely to pound Cook and control the ball as much as possible.

Even if FSU falls behind, though, David Visser of ChopChat.com explains why it should remain committed to the running game:

Oregon is viewed as the favorite against Florida State due largely to Mariota and its dynamic offense, but Cook could be the great equalizer. Provided he turns in a performance similar to his ACC Championship Game showing, the Noles could surprise the Ducks.

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