Florida vs Florida State: 5 best games in rivalry history

2. No. 1 vs. No. 2, 1996

Any No. 1 vs.  No. 2 matchup will go down in the college football history books, but such a game between two bitter rivals carries all that much more significance.

Looking for their first win against the Seminoles since 1991, Florida entered the final week of the 1996 regular season ranked first at 10-0 with a win over an outstanding Tennessee team on their resume. While the Gators were slight favorites, undefeated No. 2 Florida State figured to provide a massive test.

The Seminoles stunned Florida early by intercepting Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel three times in the first half en route to a 17-0 lead. Dunn also ran all over Florida’s stout defense, while the Florida State defense harassed Wuerffel all game long.

Florida put together a huge comeback in the second half, with Wuerffel tossing three touchdown passes. Reidel Anthony hauled in an acrobatic touchdown catch with just over a minute to go to cut Florida State’s lead to 24-21.

The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, allowing Florida State to seal the dramatic victory. Spurrier only fanned the flames afterwords by claiming the Seminoles landed several uncalled late hits on Wuerffel.

Of course, the Seminoles could only celebrate the huge win for just over a month. The Gators earned the right to a rematch with a win in the SEC Championship Game and destroyed Florida State in the Sugar Bowl to win the first national title in school history.