The Oregon Ducks are aiming to be the first team since November 2012 to defeat Florida State, who enters the playoffs as the defending national champions.
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No. 2 Oregon will be playing No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl, which will be one of the College Football Playoff semifinal games.
The Seminoles are the only undefeated team in the country after improving to 13-0 with a 37-35 win over Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship.
The Ducks lost their only game of the season to Arizona, but they gained an opportunity at revenge as they played them in the Pac-12 Championship. They achieved exactly that with a 51-13 win.
This game features an exciting matchup with noteworthy storylines such as Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota dueling against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.
Mariota is the latest player to win the Heisman Trophy, and Winston won it in 2013. Both of these quarterbacks are expected to be top-five picks in the NFL draft and enter it despite having eligibility in 2015.
Winston went on to lead the Seminoles to a national championship after winning the Heisman, and Mariota will look to do the same. He has been nothing short of phenomenal this season with 38 touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Florida State has their doubters as they have not won their games in spectacular fashion, but they’re on a 29-game winning streak and present a formidable defense with a solid running back in freshman Dalvin Cook.
Oregon freshman running back Royce Freeman has also had a great start to his college career with 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Although Florida State will present a tougher challenge than expected, Oregon’s offense is firing on all cylinders and doesn’t look ready to slow down.
Prediction: Oregon 31, Florida State 24
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