Florida's football history may date to 1906, but the Gators didn't really become the dominant program fans have come to know until the 1990s.
Still, there have been standout teams through the past 20 years - squads that didn't earn championships but had to be reckoned with nonetheless.
That makes picking the four best teams a little tougher than you might expect.
We're taking a shot at it anyway.
Though Florida won six SEC championships from 1991-2001, we believe the following four teams made the most impact over the past 20 years:
1984 - led by Galen Hall during the final eight games after Charley Pell was fired, the team finished 9-1-1 by winning nine consecutive games. It earned the school's first SEC championship with a 5-0-1 record, but the title was later snatched away because of NCAA sanctions. The Gators entered that season with a giant hole at quarterback after the departure of quarterback Wayne Peace, but freshman walk-on Kerwin Bell became the stuff legends are made of.
1991 - This team ended decades of suffering for Gator fans and avenged titles lost because of NCAA sanctions by winning the school's first official SEC title. Led by second-year coach Steve Spurrier, a former Gator Heisman Trophy winner, UF won eight of its last nine to finish with a 10-2 record and the league trophy. The Gators outscored opponents 389-191.
1995 - The first Florida squad to play for a national championship had its hopes destroyed in a 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. The Gators were undefeated in the regular season and finished 12-1 with a No. 2 national ranking, their highest in school history.
1996 - This team took the Gators to heights it never even dared to dream by winning the national championship. The 52-20 victory came against arch rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl for an even sweeter championship. The game was a rematch of a November regular-season game that the Seminoles won 24-21. UF also compiled a 12-1 record and its quarterback, Danny Wuerffel, won the Heisman Trophy.
So for all their accomplishments, what might these teams do against each other? And who, ultimately, would take it all?
1984 VS. 1995: The '84 team had one of the greatest offensive lines ever to wear Orange and Blue - nicknamed "The Great Wall." The Gators wore down opponents, averaging 244.8 rushing yards.
Problem is, it wouldn't have been enough. The 1995 team returned five starters from a defense that ranked No. 5 nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of 84.6 rushing yards.
Bell, who threw just seven interceptions all season, was intercepted three times by Fred Weary (twice) and Tony George.
John L. Williams and Neal Anderson combined for 275 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but Wuerffel threw for 420 yards and six touchdowns, leading the '95 team to a 48-21 win.
1996 VS. 1991: Shane Matthews vs. Wuerffel. Willie Jackson and Jack Jackson vs. Ike Hilliard and Reidel Anthony. Spurrier vs. Spurrier. High-powered offenses would be the key to both teams, but a stronger talent base prevails and the 1996 team earns the victory.
1995 VS. 1996: With arguably Spurrier's two best teams on the field and many of the same players, what could possibly make the difference in this game?
EXPERIENCE.
Eight starters return from the 1995 team and Wuerffel, Hilliard, Anthony and Co. are one year older and more experienced. A senior, Wuerffel provided the veteran leadership the team lacked in the clutch the year before.
After its pummeling in the national championship game the previous season, the '96 team was focused and knew what it felt like to lose it all at the end - and what it took to win it all.
The '96 team averaged nearly 47 points, first in the nation, while the '95 team averaged 43.
Nearly the same players. Nearly the same offense and defense. It must come down to experience. The 1995 defense could stop the run better than the 1996 team, but playing in its second season under Bob Stoops' attacking 4-3 defense gives the '96 defense an edge over the high-powered 1995 offense.
Fred Taylor and Terry Jackson rush for 150 yards and Wuerffel adds five touchdowns to Hilliard and Anthony leading the 1996 team to a 62-48 win over the 1995 team and the title of best of the era.
