About Florida vs Florida State
The Florida-Florida State rivalry is one of the most passionate in all college football. These teams represent the oldest public universities in the state, and the Gators have faced the Seminoles on the field almost every year since 1958 – a streak interrupted only by the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Florida Gators dominated the series in its early years, winning 5 of the first 6 games and recording a tie in 1961. Florida State finally got a win in 1964, when the teams met for the first time at Doak S. Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The Seminoles became far more competitive in the late 1970s under new head coach Bobby Bowden, winning 4 straight games against the Gators from 1977 to 1980.
Between 1990 and 2001, both Florida and Florida State were consistently ranked in the top 10 of all college teams nationwide, making for an even more exciting annual rivalry game. In 1997, the Seminoles were ranked #1 and the Gators #3 when they met in the postseason Sugar Bowl for the second time ever. Florida won that game – and with it, the national championship.
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