By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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Five quick thoughts from Florida State’s loss to Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

1. Obviously, the biggest storyline in Florida States loss was the Seminoles committing five turnovers in the second half, all of which led to Oregon touchdowns. It is downright impossible to beat a team of that caliber when you turn the football over that many times. The Seminoles lost the football in a multitude of fashions in the final 30 minutes of play, and the Ducks capitalized in a huge way. Florida State was able to overcome the fact that it finished the regular season with a negative turnover margin because of the fact it was vastly superior athletically against almost every team on the schedule during the regular season. It was only a matter of time before the Seminoles mistakes would catch up with them, and that time just happened to come in the first game ever played in the College Football Playoff.

2. Although Florida States offense is going to take plenty of blame because of the myriad of turnovers, the defense really did not play much better. The Seminoles really seemed to have troubles keeping up with Oregons up-tempo attack, as the defense had trouble getting properly aligned on a number of the Ducks best plays. Again, the offenses inability to hold on to the football certainly did not help the defenses level of conditioning, but Florida States defense was already having problem before the offense committed its first turnover. To make matters worse, even when the Seminoles did find themselves in the right position, missed tackles once again proved to be a huge issue for Charles Kellys unit.

3. You have to at least wonder if the game might have played out somewhat differently if Florida State would have been able to better capitalize on its opportunities in the first half. During the first 30 minutes, the Seminoles found themselves with the football inside of the Oregon 10 on three separate occasions. Two of those possessions ended with Roberto Aguayo field goals, while the other saw the Seminoles turn the football over on downs. It certainly doesnt guarantee things would have gone better in the second half, but if Florida State could have entered halftime with a comfortable lead, there is at least reason to believe that the Seminoles would not have been routed in the second half.

4. Jameis Winston has publically commented on multiple occasions that he intends on returning to Tallahassee for next season. Given the way that this game played out, though, it is hard to imagine that Winston will be wearing garnet and gold next fall, of that werent going to be the case already. Winston had a few animated run-ins with head coach Jimbo Fisher on the sideline, including one where the Florida State head coach used some language which is inappropriate to post here. During that same conversation, Fisher threatened to bench his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback if he didnt x9ccalm downx9d. Winston has had a wonderful career at Florida State, but it certainly appears that his collegiate football career is finished.

5. On a bit of a side note, Oregon is a complete football team. The Ducks have long been known for their ability to run the football, but thanks to quarterback Marcus Mariota, Oregon is now exceptionally dangerous throwing the football as well. In addition, the Ducks are a sneaky good defensive team that fly around to the football. No matter which team Oregon ends up facing in the Championship Game, there is no doubt that the Ducks will have a distinct advantage on the offensive side of the football.