Rose Bowl 2015 preview: Oregon vs. Florida State
It doesn't get any better than this. Come January 1, 2015, the Rose Bowl will feature two talented and deserving balllclubs – the Oregon Ducks and the Florida State Seminoles. Aside from being the best two teams in the college football ranks, both teams boast of talent that should make it something to watch out.
Of those players, two are former Heisman Trophy winners. Jameis Winston of third-seed Florida State and Marcus Mariota of Oregon will mark only the third time that previous Heisman Trophy winners will meet in a postseason match.
Previous players who did were Matt Leinart of Southern California and Jason White of Oklahoma in 2005 during the Orange Bowl and Tim Tebow of Florida and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma in a 2008 BCS title game.
But while the attention will surely be on these two individuals, fans are bound to be left on neutral ground with the number of talents each side will be having on hand.
Other key players to watch out for include that of Hroniss Grasu and Jake Fisher for Oregon while Eddie Goldman and Mario Edwards Jr. will also have their limelight come the 2015 Rose Bowl.
The Ducks have had their share of struggles, including that of how to protect Mariota. But after some adjustments on the blocking end, Oregon was able to overcome that gap.
On the other end, Florida State is not exactly the best sacking team in the league. In fact they were only able to sack the quarterback 17 times. However with Goldman and Edwards Jr. still out there, the Ducks cannot afford to take the Seminoles lightly.
While Florida State isn't exactly the same team that fared well last year, a lot hinges on the shoulders of Winston. While he has shown brilliance during the first half of the ACC Championship game although he may want to watch out for Oregon safety Erick Dargan who has so far gotten six interceptions this year.
The 2015 Rose Bowl will kick off January 1, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. ET and will be played at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The game will be televised by ESPN. It will be streamed live here.
