2015 Rose Bowl: Preview

   For the first time ever, The Oregon Ducks and The Florida State Seminoles will meet. Where they will meet is in the first college football payoffs. This years edition of the Rose Bowl will feature possibly the best Quarterback match-up ever. The defending national champions Florida State will face the #2 Ducks of Oregon. Here is a few players from both teams that you should be keeping an eye out for.


   Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner will plan to do what he does best, and that's win games. Marcus Mariota is no doubt the life line for the Oregon Ducks and he will need to show it for Oregon. Florida State is not a first half team, that means that if Oregon can get a large enough lead on Florida State in the first half they could have a better shot at sealing the game. He is Oregon's main player and their star player.


   Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon: The Freshman power house for Oregon, he will need to run head on through the big defensive line for the Seminoles. He will be a key part for Oregon.  If the Ducks can not get the passing game going, they will need to get the running game going, and they will have a great chance to do that with Royce Freeman in the backfield.


   Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State: The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner has not been what he was last year, with throwing 17 interceptions this season, but he knows how to rally his team back from being down. He has lead three fourth quarter comebacks this season. The key for Florida State is to attack this wounded Oregon secondary.


   Nick O'Leary, TE, Florida State: The big senior tight end can almost catch anything. That's big for Winston who can throw it up there and know that he has a big target out there. It will be important to see if Oregon without Ifo Ekpre-Olomu can defend the multiple targets Florida State has.


   The Rose Bowl will be on ESPN at 2 PM PT. The game will face two very high powered offenses for the semi - final. The other semi - final is between Alabama and Ohio State also on ESPN at 5:30 PM PT. I believe that Oregon will get to a great start early and have too much of a lead for FSU to come back. But it will be close.


   Prediction:
Oregon 48 - Florida State 42


- Go DUCKS!

2015 College Football Playoffs

   The final rankings for the College Football Playoffs were announced this morning, and four teams will be playing on January 1st. Here is what the games will be.

Sugar Bowl:
1. Alabama
VS
4. Ohio State

Rose Bowl:
2. Oregon
VS
3. Florida State

   The Ducks will be playing Florida State in the national semifinals, in Pasadena California. This is a very good thing for the Ducks because now the Ducks will play closer to home and have a little advantage. However, Florida State played there for the 2014 National Championship vs Auburn and won. With Marcus Mariota most likely winning the Heisman on December 13th, this will be a Rose Bowl for the ages. Florida State Quarterback Jameis Winston won the Heisman in 2013, that means that this year's Rose Bowl will involve a face-off between two Heisman winning quarterbacks.


   Florida State has not been very good on either sides of the football, but they always seem to find a way to win. They are the only undefeated team left in the nation. Their Defense is 60th in the nation in run defense, and the Ducks are 22nd in the nation in run offense. This game will rely on the Ducks scoring first and establishing the lead early, the Ducks struggle when they are behind early.  However, Florida State is accustomed to being down early. They have been behind eight times this season. The have won seven times by a margin of six points or less. The Ducks look like they should wipe out Florida State statistically, but it will depend on if we can score first and keep Florida State at bay for all four quarters. My official preview will come on the day before the game on December 31st. But for now I will give my early prediction. On December 13th the Heisman trophy will be presented on ESPN.

Early Prediction:
Oregon 52 - FSU 41

- Go Ducks!

2014 Pac-12 Championship Preview

   First things first.  I would like to apologize for my absence.  I had school finals, as well as some kind of awful stomach flu. But I'm back, healthy,  and ready for some great football this weekend!


   Earlier this season the Ducks played Arizona in early October. The Wildcats beat Oregon soundly and seemed to once again spoil the Ducks hopes for a playoff.  But the Ducks slowly clawed their way back into the discussion, and are now ranked number two in the recent College Football Playoff Rankings.  Arizona (10-2,) ranked number seven in the recent polls, are back to see if they can ruin the Duck's shot at the playoffs for a second time this season.  However, the Ducks are a very different team than they were in early October.  Royce Freeman has grown as a player into a much stronger back, and the return of Jake Fisher helped the Ducks offensive line in more ways than one.  But, will that be enough for the Ducks to win the Pac-12 title and claim a spot in the first College Football Playoffs?


   Arizona, however, is also a very different team.  Freshman quarterback Anu Soloman is looking like a younger version of Marcus Mariota, and Scooby Wright III is possibly the best lineman in the nation. The Ducks will need to find some way to stop Wright from making the big plays that he has done all this season. It will be a very difficult test for the Ducks, but if they are able to defeat the Wildcats they will be in the CFB Playoffs. Kickoff will be in Santa Clara, California, which if you remember, was where the Ducks beat Cal earlier this season.  It will be on Friday at 6 PM PT on FOX.


   This game will decide if the Ducks will play on January 1st in the Playoffs.  The final rankings will be released on Sunday at 12:45 PM PT and that will decide who will be in the playoffs. The Ducks are 13 1/2 point favorites.  I think it will be a tough game, but I do think Oregon will win this time.

Prediction:
Oregon 34 - Arizona 23


- Go Ducks!