The 1996 National Championship

Florida football had long been referred to as the "sleeping giant" of college football, a term first coined by legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant and sharpened by sportswriter Dan Jenkins. ("Florida has the arrogance of Alabama and the tradition of Wake Forest," he wrote.) Things changed a little in the 1980s and a lot in the 1990s. But there was one goal that eluded Florida until a series of events led the Gators to the sweetest path possible.

Florida's first national title was built as much on failure as success. Following a perfect 1995 regular season that included an SEC Championship win against Arkansas, the Gators were humiliated in the Fiesta Bowl by Nebraska 62–24 with a national championship on the line. For weeks they heard the joke, "Hey Gators, Nebraska just scored again."

It fueled them. "The entire offseason, the whole summer, everything we did was to keep that from happening again," said James Bates, a senior linebacker on the 1996 team. "We knew we had the talent to get back into that position again, and this time we were going to make sure we were prepared."

Florida lost some key players from the 1995 teams — most notably All-SEC wide receiver Chris Doering and left tackle Jason Odom. But quarterback Danny Wuerffel was back along with receivers Reidel Anthony and Ike Hilliard. The defense was solid, and Florida had added defensive coordinator Bobby Stoops to the staff.

For a good part of the season, it looked too easy. The Gators won in Knoxville, Tennessee, jumping out to a 35–0 lead before holding on for a 35–29 win. They went through an amazing stretch against rivals LSU, Auburn, and Georgia, winning the three games by a combined 154–30.

Then it got hard.

Florida went to Tallahassee where the local paper's front page read "WAR!" in giant type. FSU was ranked second — one spot below the top-ranked Gators. The Seminoles were physical and relentless. They pounded Wuerffel and stifled Florida's offense. A late UF score made the final a respectable 24–21, but there was no doubt which team won the day. After the game Florida's sports information staff had to help Wuerffel into a chair for interviews. The dream was over. The team was beaten and its leader battered.

Those who covered the game knew that Wuerffel had taken a beating. Spurrier made sure the media knew just how bad. On the Tuesday following the game, he brought a handful of journalists into the coaches film room and showed them clips of the hits Wuerffel had taken from both the side view and the special end zone camera. Spurrier was incensed that so many of the hits came well after the ball had been thrown. When Chris Harry of the Tampa Tribune laughed at one of the more egregious late hits, Spurrier snapped, "Nothing funny about that, Chris. It's criminal."

Florida had to regroup just seven days later to play Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. It was that day that things started to happen. Texas, a 20-point underdog, stunned No. 3 Nebraska in the first ever Big 12 Championship Game. The Cornhuskers had played in three straight national title games, but the loss would eliminate them from the chance to play FSU in the Sugar Bowl and give Florida a chance to play in the game.

The Gators still had to win that night, and Wuerffel responded by throwing six touchdown passes against the Crimson Tide in an epic 45–30 victory.

Florida still needed some help because Arizona State, which would play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, stood at No. 2 with an undefeated record. The night before the Sugar Bowl, Spurrier moved his team to little Gonzales, Louisiana, halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, to get the players away from the hoopla of Bourbon Street. There the team watched Ohio State score a late touchdown to beat Arizona State. Players spilled into the hallways of the Gonzales Holiday Inn, screaming and hugging. It would be Florida vs. FSU for the national title. "We were excited," Wuerffel said. "But we also knew that none of it...