Florida State puts winning streak on line against Oregon in Rose Bowl

Fifteen years after Florida State was involved in the first BCS Championship Game when college football’s title format was revamped, the Seminoles will be a part of the new playoff format tonight when they put a two-year winning streak on the line as the underdog against No. 2-ranked Oregon.

Florida State (13-0) draws the Ducks today in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., while Alabama maintained its No. 1 ranking and will play late-comer No. 4 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The winners will meet Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas, at Cowboys Stadium for the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship game.

“When you get two teams of this caliber and this magnitude, I don’t think it matters where you play,” FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It’s about two good teams. We’ve won 18 straight away from Tallahassee. If you’re at this venue, you’ve learned to deal with things.”

Oregon fans could outnumber FSU supporters 2-to-1. But that won’t win the game.

“At this point, there are no underdogs,” Oregon’s Mark Helfrich said.

The game pits the past two Heisman Trophy winners, Florida State’s Jameis Winston and 2014 winner Marcus Mariota, and teams that win with offense. For Florida State, the season was defined by close calls.

“I don’t know if you can ever practice for Oregon’s speed,” Fisher said. “We are fast, but they do it at such a high level and efficiency. They are unbelievably explosive in what they do.”

Helfrich said reaching the CFP is another step in Oregon’s rise as a national power.

“We take pride in being the last Pac-10 champion, the first Pac-12 champion and now being in the first College Football Playoff shows how far the program has come,” he said. “You look across at Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, so to be in the same bracket is an honor. Now we will go back to work and look forward to a tremendous challenge. Playing in the Rose Bowl is every kid’s dream and our guys will be fired up and prepared for it.”

Oregon has won eight straight games — all by double digits — to reach the CFP while Florida State’s last four victories have all been by single digits. The Ducks and Seminoles have been near the top of the polls all season and now have finally reached the playoff as expected.