1983: Florida whips Miami 28-3 and FSU 53-14 to win the state championship. After losing to the Gators, however, Miami rallies for an even larger prize. The Hurricanes close with 11 straight victories to claim their first national title. They beat top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl by stopping a Cornhuskers two-point conversion in the final minute.
Florida: 9-2-1, No. 6
Florida State: 7-5, unranked
Miami: 11-1, national champions
1984: The Year of the Gator - sort of. Florida loses its opener to Miami 32-20 in Tampa, then ties LSU in Week 2. From there, the Gators, behind freshman quarterback Kerwin Bell (a former walk on), win nine straight to claim their first Southeastern Conference title. But because the program violated NCAA rules, coach Charley Pell is fired after three games (he's replaced by Galen Hall) and the Gators are stripped of their championship. In Coral Gables, Jimmy Johnson coaches his first season. He's victim to Doug Flutie's legendary bomb in a 47-45 loss to Boston College.
Florida: 9-1-1, No. 3
Florida State: 7-3-2, No. 17
Miami: 8-5, No. 18
1985: Florida beats Miami 35-23 at the Orange Bowl to open the season, then blows a huge lead and ties Rutgers in Week 2. But after six straight wins, including a 14-10 victory at No. 6 Auburn, the Gators move to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time. They lose to No. 17 Georgia 24-3 the next week. Miami closes the regular season with 10 straight wins but - with a chance to win the national title - loses to No. 8 Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl, 35-7.
Florida: 9-1-1, No. 5
Florida State: 9-3, No. 15
Miami: 10-2, No. 9
1986: With Florida slowed by probation and FSU mired in a so-so season, Miami beats both intrastate rivals and posts the program's first unbeaten regular season by outscoring opponents 420-136. But against heavy underdog Penn State, the top-ranked 'Canes falter in the Fiesta Bowl with the national title on the line, losing 14-10. Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde throws five interceptions.
Florida: 6-5, unranked
Florida State: 7-4-1, unranked
Miami: 11-1, No. 2
1987: Florida's Bell, among the leading preseason Heisman contenders, stumbles in an opening 31-4 loss to Miami, which signals the end of the annual rivalry. Florida stops the series, using an expanded conference schedule as its excuse. After dismantling Florida, Miami wins its next 11 to claim national title No. 2. The 'Canes rally from a 19-3 deficit against FSU to win 26-25, and later beat No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. FSU dominates most of its opponents and finishes second in the polls. The bright spot for Florida is true freshman running back Emmitt Smith, who sets the school single-game rushing record in his first start.
Florida: 6-6, unranked
Florida State: 11-1, No. 2
Miami: 12-0, national champions
1988: FSU opens at No. 1 and makes a rap video to celebrate. But Miami ends the party with a 31-0 rout of the Seminoles in the opener. FSU wins 11 straight, and pounds Florida 52-17, to finish No. 3. Miami loses only once, 31-30 to No. 4 Notre Dame in Week 5, and is denied a shot at the national title because of it. Florida begins 5-0 but loses four straight. Among the teams to beat the Gators are lowly Memphis State and Vanderbilt.
Florida: 7-5, unranked
Florida State: 11-1, No. 3
Miami: 11-1, No. 2
1989: Miami, under first-year coach Dennis Erickson, loses to FSU 24-10 in Week 7, but everything falls into place after the 'Canes upset No. 1 Notre Dame in their regular-season finale. A 33-25 Sugar Bowl win over No. 7 Alabama secures national title No. 3. FSU loses its first two, then rallies to win 10 straight and finish third in the polls. The Gators struggle through another mediocre season and Hall is fired after five games when NCAA violations are uncovered. The Gators' Smith rushes for a school-record 1,599 yards and is seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Florida: 7-5, unranked
Florida State: 10-2, No. 3
Miami: 11-1, national champions
1990: Florida State and Miami once again have outstanding seasons, but the story is in Gainesville, where first-year coach Steve Spurrier, a former Heisman Trophy winning QB with the Gators, leads his alma mater back into the national elite. The Gators go 6-1 in the SEC, but because of the violations from the previous regime aren't eligible for a bowl game and can't win the conference title. They beat Georgia 38-7 as Spurrier begins an impressive run against the hated Bulldogs.
Florida: 9-2, No. 13
Florida State: 10-2, No. 4
Miami: 10-2, No. 3
1991: In perhaps the greatest year in Sunshine State history, Miami, in its first season in the Big East, wins the national title and Florida claims its first official SEC championship. FSU goes from No. 1 in the country to No. 3 in the state after back-to-back losses to Miami (17-16) and Florida (14-9). Against the 'Canes, FSU kicker Gerry Thomas is wide right on a 34-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds. The Gators wrap up the SEC with a 35-26 win over Kentucky in Gainesville. After the game, a party ensues on University Avenue and the road has to be closed. FSU QB Casey Weldon is second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Florida: 10-2, SEC champions, No. 7
Florida State: 11-2, No. 4
Miami: 12-0, national champions
1992: For Florida State and Miami, it's a season of heartbreak. The Seminoles win the Atlantic Coast Conference title in their first year in the league and finish No. 2 in the polls but miss a 39-yard field to the right (again) with eight seconds left that would have tied Miami. Instead, they lose 19-16. Miami is perfect through the regular season but is uncharacteristically flat in the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 Alabama, and the top-ranked 'Canes, with Heisman-winning quarterback Gino Torretta, lose 34-13 in a shocker.
Florida: 9-4, No. 10
Florida State: 11-1, ACC champions, No. 2
Miami: 11-1, Big East champions, No. 3
1993: FSU coach Bobby Bowden finally has his day in the sun. The Seminoles, behind Heisman-winning QB Charlie Ward, easily beat Miami 28-10 and enter their Nov. 13 game at Notre Dame unbeaten. The Irish win 31-24 and claim the top spot, but lose shortly thereafter, which opens the door for FSU. The Seminoles survive Florida 33-21 in Gainesville thanks to Ward's 79-yard fourth-quarter TD pass to Warrick Dunn, then beat Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl.
Florida: 11-2, SEC champions, No. 5
Florida State: 12-1, national champions, ACC champions
Miami: 9-3, No. 15
1994: Each team wins its respective conference title, but the headliner is the Nov. 26 Florida-Florida State game in Tallahassee. The Gators blow a 31-3 fourth-quarter lead as the Seminoles force a 31-31 tie, which sparks a wild celebration. Florida rebounds to beat unbeaten Alabama the following week in the SEC championship game to force a rematch with FSU in the Sugar Bowl. The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter is won by FSU, 23-17.
Florida: 10-2-1, SEC champions, No. 7
Florida State: 10-1-1, ACC champions, No. 4
Miami: 10-2, Big East champions, No. 6
1995: Behind quarterback Danny Wuerffel, Florida rolls through the regular season. Among the Gators' victims are Tennessee (62-37), Georgia (52-17) and FSU (35-24). But in the Fiesta Bowl, Florida fizzles in its bid for a first national title. After going ahead in the first quarter, the second-ranked Gators are pummeled by No. 1 Nebraska 62-24. Coach Butch Davis is in his first year in Miami.
Florida: 12-1, SEC champions, No. 2
Florida State: 10-2, ACC co-champions, No. 4
Miami: 8-3, Big East co-champions, No. 20
1996: Florida once again is dominant - that is until facing No. 2 Florida State in the regular-season finale. The Seminoles pull the upset 24-21, and fans in Tallahassee charge the field. Florida's Spurrier installs the shotgun offense the following week and the Gators crush Alabama 45-30 to win the SEC and force a rematch with FSU in the Sugar Bowl. A loss by unbeaten Arizona State in the Rose Bowl gives Florida a shot at the title. The Gators, behind a big night from Heisman winner Wuerffel, rout the Seminoles 52-20 and win their first national championship.
Florida: 12-1, national champions, SEC champions
Florida State: 11-1, ACC champions, No. 3
Miami: 9-3, Big East co-champions, No. 14
1997: Florida State is on a collision course for national title No. 2 while Florida is headed in the other direction when the teams meet in Week 11. But Spurrier has a trick up his sleeve. He rotates quarterbacks Noah Brindise and Doug Johnson every other play and the Gators use a late bomb to help shock the Seminoles 32-29. Miami, feeling the effects of NCAA sanctions, has its first losing season since 1979.
Florida: 10-2, No. 4
Florida State: 11-1, ACC champions, No. 3
Miami: 5-6, unranked
1998: Florida and Florida State lose early, but both are 9-1 and in the national title hunt when they meet Nov. 21 in Tallahassee. Before the game, a brawl ensues and a handful of players are ejected. The Seminoles, behind backup quarterback Marcus Outzen (starter Chris Weinke is hurt and doesn't play), win 23-12. But in the Fiesta Bowl, FSU loses to unbeaten Tennessee and the Volunteers claim the national title.
Florida: 10-2, No. 5
Florida State: 11-2, ACC co-champions, No. 3
Miami: 9-3, No. 20
1999: Behind Weinke, receiver Peter Warrick and a dominating defense, FSU completes its first unbeaten season and claims its second national title. Georgia Tech, Miami, Clemson and Florida give the Seminoles a scare, but FSU makes enough clutch plays to survive. In the Sugar Bowl, the Seminoles are too much for Michael Vick and Virginia Tech, winning 46-29. Florida closes with three straight defeats, the longest losing streak in the Spurrier era.
Florida: 9-4, No. 12
Florida State: 12-0, national champions, ACC champions
Miami: 9-4, No. 15
2000: Miami loses to No. 15 Washington in Week 2, but three weeks later shocks No. 1 FSU 27-24 at the Orange Bowl. The 'Canes close the regular season without another loss as does FSU; the BCS poll gives a controversial nod to the Seminoles, who are picked to play unbeaten Oklahoma for the national title. An angry Miami team crushes Florida 37-20 in the Sugar Bowl. FSU, led by Weinke, the Heisman Trophy winner, falls to the Sooners 13-2.
Florida: 10-3, SEC champions, No. 10
Florida State: 11-2, ACC champions, No. 5
Miami: 11-1, Big East champions, No. 2
2001: Miami, behind first-year coach Larry Coker, has only one close game, a 26-24 win at No. 14 Virginia Tech, and cruises to its fifth national championship. The Hurricanes destroy Nebraska 37-14 in the Rose Bowl. Florida finishes 10-2, but a 34-32 loss to Tennessee in its regular-season finale takes it out of the national title hunt. The Gators beat Maryland 56-23 in the Orange Bowl in what is Spurrier's last game as coach. FSU finishes out of the top five for the first time since 1986.
Florida: 10-2, No. 3
Florida State: 8-4, No. 15
Miami: 12-0, national champions, Big East champions
2002: Not exactly a year to remember. Miami is denied a sixth national title in the Fiesta Bowl after a late pass interference call goes against the 'Canes and they lose to Ohio State in double overtime. FSU crushes Florida and nearly topples Miami, but loses five times, its most since 1983. The Gators struggle under first-year coach Ron Zook, losing badly at home to Miami and LSU, and falling to mediocre Ole Miss on the road.
