It’s Sweet Vengeance for Florida Gators

NEW ORLEANS —  College football will have no undefeated national champion this season, but today the polls will crown the next best thing--an unrelenting, undaunted one.

The Florida Gators, five weeks after suffering their only loss of the season to Florida State, avenged that with a vengeance during a 52-20 victory Thursday night over the top-ranked, previously unbeaten Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl.

A victory that could have sparked a national debate about a national champion--four teams now have one loss--should now silence everyone except the Gator fans who danced from the Superdome to Bourbon Street.

Florida ran, passed, punched and eventually dominated like a champion.

Ranked No. 3 going into the game, the Gators are expected to move to No. 1. And don’t be surprised if the vote by writers and coaches is not unanimous.

Florida’s one loss was on the road against the then-No. 2 ranked Seminoles, and earlier it defeated four other eventual postseason bowl winners.

Ohio State, the Rose Bowl champion, has one loss, but it came at home to then-21st-ranked Michigan. Ohio State also defeated only three bowl winners.

Brigham Young has one loss, but it was to then-unranked Washington. The Cougars defeated just one other bowl team.

Arizona Sate can match Florida in that it defeated a No. 1 team earlier this year in Nebraska. It also defeated three other bowl teams. But the Sun Devils’ only loss came at the worst time possible, to Ohio State under pressure of New Year’s Day.

Take away the final two minutes of that Rose Bowl, and it is quarterback Jake Plummer who is celebrating today.

Instead, that role is assumed by quarterback Danny Wuerffel, the Gators’ Heisman Trophy winner. Like many of his teammates, Wuerffel was also erasing the memory of a 38-point loss to Nebraska in last year’s national championship game.

Despite being under constant pressure, Wuerffel completed 18 of 34 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

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