Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are now part of each other's lives, possibly for the rest of their lives.
The two most recent Heisman Trophy winners also likely will be the top two quarterbacks taken in the next NFL Draft — possibly the top two players taken overall — a position that would forever place them in the same sentences. And that story — like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's 1979 NCAA title game — always will begin with the first ever semifinal playoff game at the Rose Bowl, between No. 2 Oregon (12-1) and No. 3 Florida State (13-0).
Winston and Mariota are two of 78 individuals ever to call the Heisman their own — a group that does not include Joe Montana or Tom Brady or Dan Marino or John Elway or Brett Favre or Johnny Unitas — but their matchup isn't unprecedented. In the 2005 national championship game, Matt Leinart, that season's winner, and USC embarrassed Oklahoma and Jason White (2003). Three years later, Tim Tebow (2007) led Florida to a national title over Sam Bradford (2008) and Oklahoma.
But White never played a down in the NFL and Tebow likely never will play another one.
As the only names in college football that span every demographic, the pro potential of Winston and Mariota places the pair in a different stratosphere, allowing most of the hype to sidestep hyperbole. The New Year's Day battle will send one to the national championship game, with the rivalry elevating less than five months later if they become the seventh pair of quarterbacks taken with the top two picks in the draft.
"I think it'll be great," Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said of the matchup. "You have two of the greatest players in college football right now. … That makes for great TV and makes for great competition. It's what it's about — getting the best against the best."
And then, it really gets interesting.
At Oregon, Mariota is as universally admired and respected as any college athlete ever, a modest, mature and seemingly well-meaning 21-year-old man who loves football, but loves his friends and family more, a quarterback who lets his play do the talking, when he's not saying "please" or "thank you."
At Florida State, Winston is one of the most despised players in college football history, an immature and inconsiderate 20-year-old kid who refuses to learn from his mistakes, a quarterback who can't let his play do the talking because he's already been defined by the parade of problems he has created off the field.
There is more to each individual, more than most people will ever know, but these are the perceptions they have created since becoming public figures — a telling trait itself.
Since arriving at school, Mariota's sole run-in with police came from a speeding ticket — the officer stated afterward that Mariota was "polite" and respectful" — while Winston was in handcuffs before he ever played a game in Tallahassee, after an alleged BB gun shootout that caused thousands of dollars in damage. Winston also was accused of sexual assault, was caught shoplifting and was suspended for a game this season for shouting an obscene sexual phrase on campus.
Even their play is perfectly suited to their character.
Mariota's strength comes from strong decision-making, limiting him to two interceptions this season and 12 over three years, while Winston is more reckless, his game cluttered with inexplicable actions that account for 12 interceptions in his past seven games and 17 this season, the most in a power-five conference.
Mariota rarely faces trouble, having amassed the most wins of any active college quarterback by beating nearly every team by blowout, while Winston is constantly under pressure, somehow always escaping with a smile, having gone an incredible 26-0 in his career, including 7-0 in games decided by seven points or fewer.
"I think that a key component to this is that you have two of the greatest of all-time at their positions, and great teams, and guys that the team has 100 percent confidence in whatever they do," Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said.
One collegiate career likely will come to a close with a loss, with the other potentially playing his penultimate game. Super Bowls and Pro Bowls could follow in the future, but the future doesn't matter yet. The future isn't promised.
Maybe Mariota will be exposed outside of Oregon's quarterback-friendly system. Maybe Winston is one transgression away from wondering what happened to a career that couldn't miss. Maybe this will be the only head-to-head matchup they ever have. Maybe it will be the only meaningful battle of their lives.
And maybe it will be everything it appears it could be.
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