Ducks advance to title game …. There will be a new national champion as Oregon dethroned defending champion Florida State with a resounding 59-20 win in the Rose Bowl. Oregon will now play the winner of tonight’s Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Ohio State. The loss was the first in 29 games for FSU as the Seminoles turned the ball over 5 times in the 2nd half. The verdict is still to come on the performance of QBs Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston of Florida State, the presumptive top two picks at the 2015 draft. Hard to see, though, how Mariota hurt his grade much in this game; he was a little high at times and threw just his third pick of the season late in the first half, but finished the night completing 26 of 36 pass attempts for 338 yards, while he also chipped in 62 yards on the ground. Mariota also showed great presence is the pocket as he slid away from pressure without ever taking his eyes off the routes downfield. Tougher to judge Winston who wasn’t quite as efficient as he completed 29 of 45 passes (64%) for 348 yards and a score, although he too had a pick, but just didn’t get enough help from his friends.
