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The play that Sports Illustrated cited as the No. 1 key moment in Oregon's season covered 178 yards and included two fumbles.

That wild sequence of events at Rice-Eccles Stadium in November helped the Ducks beat Utah, preserving their one-loss record and giving them a No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.

As the semifinals are staged Thursday, the question becomes whether these games possibly can live up to years of anticipation. Probably not, but that's OK. No matter what happens, the two finalists will be validated in a way that the former Bowl Championship Series could never offer.

And the matchups of No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl and No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl hardly could be more compelling for fans in Utah and beyond.

Oregon came through Salt Lake City on its way to the playoffs. Florida State continually survived as the only unbeaten team. Alabama has won three national championships since losing to Utah in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is aiming for his third title at a second school, 10 years after taking Utah to the Fiesta Bowl.

Watching the Ducks will evoke mixed memories for Ute followers. They'll remember how the Utes were about to add to a 7-0 lead over Oregon — and how they rallied to within three points in the fourth quarter of an eventual 51-27 defeat. The game changed in the second quarter when Utah receiver Kaelin Clay casually dropped the ball at the 1-yard line, failing to complete a 79-yard touchdown.

What's often overlooked in the discussion of that play is how one defensive player grabbed the ball and then fumbled it, after jostling with Utah's Westlee Tonga. Oregon linebacker Joe Walker picked it up and went 100 yards for a tying touchdown.

Who knows what may have happened if the Ducks had trailed 14-0. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota probably would have done whatever was necessary to win, considering his fourth-quarter performance with the Ducks in some degree of trouble.

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston's ability to salvage victories makes the Seminoles intriguing. With any fourth-quarter failure along the way, they wouldn't have made the playoffs. FSU will have trouble stopping Oregon's offense, but the Ducks will have to build a substantial lead to knock out the 'Noles.

The Sugar Bowl matchup reminds me of the 2006 BCS title game, as Meyer's Florida team overwhelmed Ohio State. Only now, Meyer is coaching the Buckeyes, and they will come much closer than that 41-14 score.

The issue is how much credit to give OSU for winning the Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes' 59-0 rout of Wisconsin must be worth something, but it also may have reflected Wisconsin's easy road to a division title.

Cardale Jones, formerly OSU's No. 3 quarterback, was brilliant against the Badgers, but it is difficult to picture him having that kind of success against Alabama. The Crimson Tide have enough offense to more than match whatever Ohio State can produce, with receiver Amari Cooper exploiting defenses that become too conscious of stopping the run.

So everything points to an Oregon-Alabama championship game. That would be a terrific matchup and a great gauge of both the Ducks' program and the Pac-12's overall strength. Actually, I would feel cheated if that's not the final pairing.

But if either the Seminoles or Buckeyes break through, they certainly will have earned it. That's what's great about the College Football Playoff. Yes, some guesswork is involved in getting these teams to this point, but now they have to prove their worth twice, not just once.

Twitter: @tribkurt —

Utah ties to the semifinalists

Ohio State • Coach Urban Meyer was the University of Utah's coach in 2003-04, compiling a 22-2 record.

Alabama • Cooper Bateman, a quarterback from Cottonwood High School, is the Crimson Tide's place-kick holder.

Oregon • John Neal, the Ducks' longtime secondary coach, was a BYU defensive back in the late 1970s.