Bowl Game Betting – (2) Ducks, (3) Seminoles Meet in Semifinal at the Rose Bowl

Rose Bowl: Pasadena (Jan. 1, 2015, 5:00 p.m. Eastern)

(2) Oregon Ducks (-8, 71 o/u) vs. (3) Florida State Seminoles

The College Football Playoffs semifinal game at the Rose Bowl features the No. 2 Oregon Ducks (12-1) against the No. 3 Florida State Seminoles (13-0). It also features the last two Heisman Trophy winners – Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston – facing off in what is expected to be a high-scoring game.

The masses have numerous questions about the Noles heading into the game: will Winston be throwing touchdowns or interceptions? Can FSU’s defense keep the high-flying Ducks grounded?

But Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher doesn’t share in the uncertainty.

“I don’t have any concerns,” said Fisher. “I don’t worry with how we compete. I don’t worry about our physicality. I don’t worry about our mindsets.

Tactically, Fisher is looking for his team to communicate well, “I think in big games communication is the key, especially on defense making your calls. On offense, making sure you’re on the same page and we don’t have miscommunication or things like that, which go in any game. Those are the things that you make sure, when you go in, that you’re dotting I’s and crossing T’s as a coach. This is what we’re going to do. This is how we’re going to do it. In games like this, those are the critical things.”

For the Ducks, head coach Mark Helfrich dispels the notion that the quarterbacks will solely decide the game. He said even though FSU’s defense is ranked 50th and Oregon’s defense is ranked 82nd, those units will be key.

“We don’t overlook their defense,” Helfrich said. “Any time you have the Heisman story, all that stuff, the hype of Jameis, the hype of Marcus, all those things, the defense takes a second or third story line to that. But both defenses have won games this year.”

The bettors and oddsmakers have not been immune to the offensive storylines and have pushed the over/under to 71. But Helfrich is right that the defenses have the capacity to win games, and you can expect at least one to come up big on the national stage. As a result, the Rose Bowl play is the under.