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Sporting News, The, Jan 13, 1997 by Tom Dienhart, Mike Huguenin

It's good to be king. Just ask Lawrence Wright.

"National champions," he woofed.

That's also 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.

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 missing, a hunger pang in the stomach of every Florida fan.

Sure, there had been beau-coup 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 we've-got-ours-you-don't-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 shucked, 62-24. It was an ugly and embarrassing loss 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 Associated Press poll for 10 weeks. There was nary a speed bump, as the Gators cruised to a 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 2-4-1 against FSU entering the game and 2-5-1 exiting it, after the No. 2 Seminoles dumped the No. 1 Gators, 24-21, in Tallahassee.

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 stiff could argue that Florida was the team. It had the nation's best (and maybe best-ever) quarterback in Danny Wuerffel and one of the country's top defenses, but it had that loss. However, destiny stepped in the next week, and Florida's fortunes turned.

First, 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-loss Gators' hopes. And Florida fans knew the Buckeyes were 1-6 in bowl games under John Cooper, so an ASU loss 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 Bowl began on New Year's Day. 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 loss, 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 a yards and a touchdown.