WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Florida State was an established brand name in college football long before the Seminoles became a truly grand name, as in national champions, as in close enough will never be close enough again.
Oregon knows the story. Between 2009 and 2013, the Ducks averaged a fifth-place finish in the regular-season BCS standings. They played for the national title four years ago, losing to Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers on a last-second field goal, and in a couple of weeks No. 2 Oregon will meet FSU in the semifinals of the inaugural College Football Playoffs.
All of this makes them the trendy Rose Bowl pick over FSU.
We're talking flashy uniforms (treat those glowing threads like an eclipse, never stare directly for too long) and flashy players (Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota is Johnny Football without the fuss) and flashy records (12-1 under Chip Kelly and 12-1 under Mark Helfrich, too).
More important than all of that is the accumulation of talent driven by heightened expectations. FSU did it just the same way under Bobby Bowden.
Beginning in 1987, the Seminoles finished second in The Associated Press poll, then third, third, fourth, fourth and second again before finally breaking through under the guidance of Heisman winner Charlie Ward to win the 1993 national championship.
Miami kept getting in the way back then, in epic battles that featured NFL first-rounders on both sides. That no longer is a problem.
Truth is, nothing is much of a problem these days for Jimbo Fisher. Whether or not the Seminoles complete a second consecutive unbeaten season next month, truckloads of top recruits will come rolling into Tallahassee with the expectation of winning it all, and winning it often.
Oregon players may adopt the same philosophy, but there can't help but be disappointments on their minds.
In 2010, the Ducks ran the table during the regular season but came up short in the BCS title game.
In 2011, Oregon went 12-2 but lost to LSU in the season opener. That amounted to back-to-back losses against the SEC (Auburn and LSU), and that was a bad look nationally for a program striving to join the elite of college football.
In 2012, the Ducks looked unstoppable with Mariota, their redshirt freshman quarterback, and a no-huddle offense that showed no mercy. Oregon hung 70 points on Colorado, 62 on Southern Cal, 59 on Cal, 52 on Washington and so forth. Then, after climbing to the top of the polls, one lousy offensive day in November spoiled the season as Stanford beat Oregon 17-14 in overtime.
Sooner or later, all this unrequited flirtation with greatness has to end. It did in 1993 for the Seminoles, who have won three national titles and are working on a fourth.
If it happens for Oregon in 2014, it will take more than a victory over FSU. The Ducks also would have to defeat the winner of the other Jan. 1 semifinal between Alabama and Ohio State in order to close the deal.
Helfrich, an offensive coordinator at 32 and a head coach at 39, has the offensive imagination to do it. Oregon has won its past five games by an average of 30 points, and that includes a 51-13 demolition of Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship Game and 46-27 plundering of No. 8 Michigan State.
FSU has only had two of those laughers this season, and they came against Wake Forest and the Citadel.
If there is to be another dead end for Oregon, it will be because the offensive line doesn't protect Mariota well enough. The guy's been sacked 29 times this season, nearly twice as often as FSU's Jameis Winston.
Bank, too, on the quality depth that Fisher has built for hurry-up endurance tests like this one.
There are plenty of ways for FSU to take the shine off Oregon.
Until the Ducks actually win a championship, it's the difference between "been there, done that" and "been there, fell flat."
Sports on 12/17/2014