By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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The truth of the matter is that the Seminoles were a collection of elite athletes that, when blended together, produced only an above-average team.

Let me start this article by stating the obvious: Florida State was thoroughly dominated by Oregon in its 59-20 loss in the Rose Bowl Thursday afternoon. The Ducks were clearly superior in every facet of the game, while the Seminoles did not play nearly well enough to beat a second-ranked football team. Florida State deserved to lose the game, and Oregon is going to be a nightmare of a matchup in the National Championship Game.

Having said that, I still want to dispel the notion that Florida State was somehow lucky to even be playing in the College Football Playoff, an argument which certainly will gain steam following the Seminoles sloppy performance.

At the end of the day, the Seminoles still entered Thursdays contest with a number of quality wins over good football teams, including Clemson, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. Many fans may not have been thrilled with the fashion in which Florida State won some of its games during the regular season, but the Seminoles were also competing against unrealistic expectations created by their performances from a season ago. It also it worth noting that, no matter how you win the football game, it is impossible to go undefeated facing a schedule like the one Florida State faced heading into the Rose Bowl without being a very good team.

The fact of the matter is that the Seminoles, while a very talented football team, had too many flaws to win a second consecutive national championship. Florida State entered Thursdays tilt already in the negative in terms of turnover margin on the season, and that trend continued against the Ducks.

Jameis Winston ended up not being the main culprit in Florida States turnover woes against Oregon, but his offensive teammates did not help the Heisman Trophy winner out in Pasadena. Aside from his freakish fumble which was returned for a touchdown (his interception should be credited to Travis Rudolph), Winston actually played pretty well. He finished the game having completed 64 percent of his passes for 348 yards and a touchdown against a very athletic Oregon defense.

Meanwhile, Florida States defense, having graduated a multitude of key players from last years championship squad, struggled mightily with tackling all season. Though it didnt receive much attention nationally, the Seminoles finished the regular season ranked 11th in the ACC in total defense, giving up an average of over 378 yards per contest.

It was not a fluke that Florida State found itself playing in the College Football Playoff.

It also was not a fluke that the Seminoles were thoroughly beaten by a very good Oregon team in the biggest game of the season.

The truth of the issue is that the Seminoles were a collection of elite athletes that, when blended together, produced only an above-average team. Florida State was never really good enough to win a national championship, and it thoroughly showed on Thursday.