LOS ANGELES — For years, college football fans pleaded for a playoff. Now it’s here, and it starts at the sport’s most hallowed venue, with two Heisman Trophy winners and the defending national champions.

Welcome to the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl, where the past and present intersect to usher in a new era.

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Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, this season’s Heisman Trophy winner, led his Ducks to the Rose Bowl, where they will play 2013 winner Jameis Winston and Florida State in the first college football playoff game. It will be the third postseason meeting of Heisman recipients. The Associated Press

Jameis Winston

No. 2 FLORIDA STATE (13-0) vs. No. 3 OREGON (12-1)

WHEN: 5:10 p.m. Thursday

TELEVISION: ESPN

SERIES RECORD: First meeting.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: The first College Football Playoff semifinal is also the 101st Rose Bowl, and there’s a Heisman winner on each sideline. Marcus Mariota leads Pac-12 champion Oregon and its offense against Florida State and Jameis Winston, who won the national title on this field 360 days ago before extending their ongoing winning streak to 29 games.

KEY MATCHUP: Florida State WR Rashad Greene vs. Oregon CB Troy Hill. Greene is arguably the most accomplished receiver in the Seminoles’ rich history at the position, a precise route-runner with speed and senior smarts. The Ducks were eager to match him with All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, but he injured his knee in practice. The job falls to the experienced Hill.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Florida State — S Jalen Ramsey. The gifted sophomore could be the Seminoles’ biggest difference-maker against Oregon’s high-scoring offense. Along with his coverage and tackling skills, he has been effective on the blitz — which might be the only way to slow down Mariota. Oregon — RB Royce Freeman. The Ducks’ inexhaustible collection of talented tailbacks has another star in this freshman who has been outstanding, racking up 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns.

– The Associated Press

Marcus Mariota and second-seeded Oregon (12-1) face Jameis Winston and third-seeded Florida State (13-0) on Thursday in the first national semifinal ever played at college football’s highest level.

Ducks Coach Mark Helfrich and Seminoles Coach Jimbo Fisher held their final news conferences Wednesday at a downtown Los Angeles hotel. They posed for pictures with the Rose Bowl trophy, shook hands and went their separate ways.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Fisher said. “We know it’s a heck of a challenge. They’ve got a great team. We’ve got a great team. It ought to be fun.”

Next stop, Pasadena. But it’s not the last stop. The winner gets a trip to Texas to play either Alabama or Ohio State on Jan. 12 for the national championship.

The Seminoles bring a 29-game winning streak and last year’s Heisman winner, Winston, into their second straight trip to the Rose Bowl. Florida State won the national championship there last season, beating Auburn 34-31 in the last BCS title game.

The Ducks are led by this year’s Heisman winner, Mariota, and are in search of their first national championship. Oregon is a relative newcomer among college football powerhouses. The only thing left for the Ducks to confirm their status as a member of the nation’s elite is a national title.

“It would validate things externally a lot more than I think internally,” Helfrich said.

When we last saw Oregon, the Ducks played their best game of the season, winning the Pac-12 championship with a 51-13 beating of Arizona.

Mariota had all but locked up the Heisman Trophy by then, but he added an exclamation point against the Wildcats and ended up a landslide winner. The Hawaii native has accounted for 53 touchdowns (38 passing, 14 rushing and one receiving) and is the top-rated passer in the country.

“I think he’s been an amazing guy and amazing player,” Winston said.

Here’s what to watch for when Oregon and Florida State play for the first College Football Playoff game.

FLORIDA STATE’S GREAT ESCAPES: After romping to a perfect season last season, this one has been filled with great escapes for Florida State.

Five times the Seminoles have overcome a halftime deficit. Seven times they have won a one-score game, including the Atlantic Coast Conference championship against Georgia Tech (37-35).

The ‘Noles have looked vulnerable, which explains why Oregon is a 91/2-point favorite.

“Our team has never walked on the field and thought we were an underdog,” Fisher said.

BIG FINALE: The conventional wisdom is that both Winston and Mariota will enter the NFL draft after this season, though both have at least a year of eligibility left. So one of them is likely about to play his last college football game.

Winston has been inconsistent this season.

The third-year sophomore has thrown 24 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions and has been plagued by slow starts. But when the game has been on the line, he more often than not has made the big plays.

“I think it actually makes me better as a quarterback because things are not always going good, and when you get to the next level or even in life, when things are not going your way, you can’t just hide up under a rock,” he said.

In many ways this season has been a continuation of last year’s title game against Auburn, when Florida State fell behind 21-3 and Winston led a winning drive in the final minute.

SPEEDY DUCKS: Oregon has been at the forefront of the up-tempo offense revolution in football. While many have copied it, few do it better.

Florida State players have said they have done more conditioning to get ready for the fast-paced attack, but you never how much it will affect a team until it’s live.

Especially those big defensive linemen, who will also have their hands full chasing around the elusive Mariota.

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