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This story, wrapping up Florida's 1997 Sugar Bowl win over Florida State, appeared in the Jan. 13, 1997, i sue of The Sporting News and echoes today asGeorgia and Alabama are set to play again in the College Football Playoffs National Championship.Its good to be king. Just ask Lawrence Wright.National champions," he woofed.That's also Ervin Santana Jersey what it said in sparkling gold letters on the orange paper crown that sat atop the Florida safety's head after the Gators had destroyed Florida State in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship. And he couldn't help but punctuate his celebration with a flurry of Gator Chomps (arms moving up and down like a jaw while extended in front of him) as he ran up the tunnel toward the locker room. Indeed, in this latest episode of Gator Chomp vs. FSU Chop, it was Chomp in a landslide.TROCCHI: The rousing 52-20 victory produced a sigh of relief and a burst of joy from Florida fans after their school's annihilation of Florida State. Life as a Gators fan had been especially tormenting the past 17 years. There had been something mi sing, a hunger pang in the stomach of every Florida fan.Sure, there had been beaucoup victories, a sackful of SEC titles and preseason No. 1 rankings. But when you looked at the Gators' resume, you noticed first the absence of a national championship. That was something fans of Miami, the wicked witch of South Florida and bearer of national titles from 1983, '87, '89 and 91, were quick to remind Florida fans whenever they got chesty. Life as a Gator lover got tougher after despised Florida State shed its "choker" label and won its first national crown in 1993. But the weve-got-ours-you-dont-have-yours stuff is over. Miami and Florida State have to make room for the Gators in the champions' club. It's a title Florida was destined to win.Gators No. 1. That's the vision most had before the start of the season but there almost was a revision of the script. When the preseason polls came out in August, most had Florida on top. Sixteen starters returned, including eight from its famed Fun 'n' Gun offense, from a team that played Nebraska for the national title last season and got husked, 62-24. It was an ugly and embarra sing lo s and just another example of how the Gators couldn't deliver the goods like their in-state brethren. Many relished seeing Florida coach Steve Spurrier, he of the country club visor and whiny ways, stumble badly.This season seemed to have a haunting familiarity to 1995: fast start, tragic ending. Florida feasted on its first 10 foes and sat at No. 1 in The A sociated Pre s poll for 10 weeks. There was nary a speed bump, as the Gators cruised to a Minnesota Twins T-Shirts collision course with unbeaten Florida State on November 30. Florida fans should have seen it coming. They knew Spurrier hadn't figured out Bobby Bowden. Saint Bobby brought out the worst in Steve Superior, who was 24-1 against FSU entering their games and 2-5-1 exiting them, after the No. 2 Seminoles dumped the No. 1 Gators, 24-21, in Tallaha see.Again, it looked like Florida could forget about winning it all. And this looked to be its season. Yes, FSU beat the Gators, but Florida rallied and nearly beat the Seminoles. You still could argue that Florida was the team. It had the nation's best (and maybe best-ever) quarterback in Danny Wuerffel Anibal Sanchez Jersey and one of the country's top defenses, but it had that lo s. However, destiny stepped in the next week, and Florida's fortunes turnedFirst, Texas beat Nebraska in the Big 12 title game to knock the Huskers out of a showdown with the No. 1 Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl. That opened the door for Florida to meet Florida State in the Sugar Bowl if the Gators beat Alabama in the SEC title game, which Florida did with ease. So the rematch Florida State loathed was set. But even a victory over the Seminoles wouldn't guarantee a national title for Florida. There was Arizona State, unbeaten and talking national championship. All it had to do was beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl to kill the one-lo s Gators' hopes. And Florida fans knew the Buckeyes were 1-6 in bow! games under John Cooper, so an ASU lo s was improbable.That scenario made it tough to watch for the Gators, which is what they didn't do. They feigned disinterest by conducting a workout as the Rose Bowi began on New Year's Day Glen Perkins Jersey . They wanted to get away from any distractions before the January 2 Sugar Bowl, so after the workout they boarded buses for Gonzales, La., some 50 miles west of New Orleans, to spend the night. Rose Bowl? Who cared about the Rose Bowl. Florida was playing Florida State: It didn't need the motivation of playing for No. 1 to get up for a contest against the hated Seminoles. It wasn't a convincing act by the Gators.But when players and coaches emerged from their hotel rooms the day after Arizona State's lo s, it was high-fives all around. And everyone's step was appreciably livelier. The Buckeyes good fortunes against Arizona State left Florida poised to strike the final blow. Forget about the Sun Devils and magical quarterback Jake Plummer being destiny's team. Florida was the chosen all along and proved it by crushing Florida State, which was hampered by the fact Warrick Dunn had to battle dehydration and finished with just nine carries for 28 yards and a touchdown."First of all, I'll say what Danny (Wuerffel) always says: God looked down on the Gators this year, Spurrier said. "We have a lot to be thankful for. I want the players to realize that divine guidance or something like that helped us this year.Call it fate fulfilled.***Sure, the Gators are Max Kepler Jersey lucky Texas made pedestrian Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost beat them (and he couldnt do it), and Arizona State's secondary made Ohio State quarterback Joe Germaine a member of the Clint Longley Hall of Fame. But this was a megatalented Florida team that deserved the chance for a do-over vs. Florida State. How great were the 12-1 Gators? Florida outscored its nine SEC opponents, 421-142, an average of 46.8-15.8. And remember, this isn't the Big East or ACC. The SEC went 5-0 in the postseason, cementing its status as the nation's top conference and shaming those (TSN included) who jumped on the Big 12's bandwagon in August and named it the land's best. Florida claimed its fourth consecutive SEC title, something accomplished just one other time, and became the first to win at least nine regular-season league games in consecutive years.There's much more head-shaking data, but you get the point. The numbers show this team deserved to finish No. 1, and it accomplished all of this despite being hit hard by injuries that forced the Gators to start 38 different players in the regular season.Ohio State may feel it deserves a share of the title or po se sion of No. 1 after finishing 11-1. Yes, the Buckeyes beat an unbeaten team, but their untimely 13-9 lo s to Michigan in the regular-season finale left a rotten taste in pollsters' mouths.