A look at the Florida Gators-Florida State Seminoles football rivalry

The series history

1958 Gators

1959 Gators

1960 Gators

1961 Tie

1962 Gators

1963 Gators

1964 Seminoles

1965 Gators

1966 Gators

1967 Seminoles

1968 Gators

1969 Gators

1970 Gators

1971 Gators

1972 Gators

1973 Gators

1974 Gators

1975 Gators

1976 Gators

1977 Seminoles

1978 Seminoles

1979 Seminoles

1980 Seminoles

1981 Gators

1982 Gators

1983 Gators

1984 Gators

1985 Gators

1986 Gators

1987 Seminoles

1988 Seminoles

1989 Seminoles

1990 Seminoles

1991 Gators

1992 Seminoles

1993 Seminoles

1994 Tie

*1994 Seminoles

1995 Gators

1996 Seminoles

*1996 Gators

1997 Gators

1998 Seminoles

1999 Seminoles

2000 Seminoles

2001 Gators

2002 Seminoles

2003 Seminoles

2004 Gators

2005 Gators

2006 Gators

2007 Gators

2008 Gators

* — Sugar Bowl

Florida and Florida State renew their football rivalry Saturday in Gainesville. It's the 54th meeting in the series dating to 1958. The Gators hold a 32-19-2 lead, but the series is all square — 17-17-1 — since Bobby Bowden took over as coach at Florida State in 1976. As often is the case with this rivalry, this game has national championship implications. The Gators come in undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country. The Seminoles come in with five losses and unranked. It has all the makings of a Florida blowout. Here's a look at some of the blowouts in the series, as well as occasions when one team went in as a strong favorite.

Seven worst blowouts

Seven Florida-Florida State games have been decided by 30 points or more.

1973: Gators 49-0

One of three shutouts in series history.

1983: Gators 53-14

The most points scored by a team in the series.

1988: Seminoles 52-17

The most points the Gators had allowed in 18 years.

1981: Gators 35-3

Disappointing loss for FSU after winning road games that season against Ohio State, Notre Dame and LSU.

1997: Gators 52-20

Gators' revenge in Sugar Bowl wins UF the national title, and denies 'Noles the title, after a loss to FSU six weeks earlier.

2007: Gators 45-12

Gators quarterback Tim Tebow throws three touchdown passes and runs for two scores to set NCAA record for rushing TDs by a quarterback in a season (22).

Heavy favorite vs. heavy underdog

Saturday marks the ninth time one of the teams is ranked in the Top 10 and the other is unranked. The other times:

1966: The 10th-ranked Gators won 26-22, though FSU's school newspaper counts it as a Seminoles victory because of a disallowed catch that would have given FSU the win.

1968: The fifth-ranked Gators held on for a 9-3 victory.

1979: Undefeated and fifth-ranked FSU completed a perfect regular season with a 27-16 victory at Gainesville.

1987: Third-ranked FSU finished a 10-1 regular season with a 28-14 victory at the Swamp.

1988: After an opening-game loss to Miami, FSU, ranked fifth, ripped off its 10th consecutive victory with a 52-17 blowout in Tallahassee.

1989: FSU lost its opening two games but had rallied in the rankings to No. 6 when it held on for a 24-17 victory at Gainesville.

2004: The only upset in this category. Unranked Florida upset No. 10 FSU 20-13 in Ron Zook's final Gators season.

2006: Eventual national champ Florida, ranked No. 4 at the time, escaped Tallahassee with a 21-14 victory.

Biggest upsets

1971: Gators 17-15

FSU was 5-0 and ranked No. 19. The Gators were winless in five games and had been outscored 131-36. But the Gators stunned the Seminoles 17-15 in Gainesville. (Two seasons later, the Seminoles did not win a game, including losing 49-0 to the Gators.)

1972: Gators 42-13

For the second consecutive season, the Gators put a blemish on FSU's perfect record with an upset. The Seminoles were 4-0 and ranked No. 13. Florida was 1-1 and unranked. But Doug Dickey's Gators went into Tallahassee and crushed the Seminoles.

1982: Gators 13-10

After losing to Pitt in the second game of the season, FSU reeled off seven victories and were up to No. 7 in the nation before being blown out by No. 12 LSU 55-21. Still reeling from that loss a week later, the Seminoles , then 8-2 and No. 15, hosted the Gators, who were 7-3 and unranked. But with coach Charley Pell and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, the Gators pulled off the road upset.

1997: Gators 32-29

The Seminoles went in undefeated and needed a victory for a shot at the national championship in the Orange Bowl. Florida was 8-2, ranked 10th and an underdog at home. Just before kickoff, the Gators switched pants and wore all-blue uniforms for the first time under coach Steve Spurrier. The Gators pulled off the upset and wrecked FSU's national championship hopes.

2002: Seminoles 31-14

The Seminoles were 8-3 and ranked No. 14 after tough losses to Louisville (in OT), No. 1 Miami and No. 6 Notre Dame. But then came a disappointing loss to N.C. State a week before facing the Gators that dropped FSU to No. 23. The Gators had already lost three times but were still ranked 15th and were on a four-game winning streak that included an upset of No. 5 Georgia. The Gators were slight favorites, but the Seminoles were the heavy winners.

2004: Gators 20-13

This was Ron Zook's final game as Florida coach (Charlie Strong filled in for the Peach Bowl). The Gators were 7-4 and hadn't won at FSU in 18 years. The Seminoles were 8-2 and ranked eighth. Zook was carried off the field after the Gators stunned the Seminoles. Hey, even Steve Spurrier never won in Tallahassee.

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