I remember it like it was yesterday.It was the date of the SEC Championship, the supposed "Game of the Century" in college football.Florida vs.
Alabama.Number one against number two.
A rematch of last season's thriller between the two teams and a matchup thought to be a "de facto" national championship game.FLORIDA GATORS, OLE MISS REBELS FIND THEMSELVES IN GOOD OLD FASHIONED 'RESPECT OFF' AHEAD OF SATURDAY'S GAMEThis page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.It was also the night the Gators' budding dynasty came crumbling down before our very eyes.Oh sure, Florida would go on to eviscerate Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl less than a month later, and they even managed to cobble together a few impressive seasons in the years since.JAMES MADISON COACH BILLY NAPIER CONTINUES SELF PITY TOUR, REFUSES TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PAST FAILURESBut as far as being the nationally relevant powerhouse they had become under head coaches Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer in the 90s and 2000s, those days were long gone.Former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer and Florida Gators former head coach Steve Spurrier talk before the press conference at the Heavener Football Training Center at the University of Florida on Dec.1, 2025.
(Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)The Gators would stumble their way through myriad coaching searches, hiring flawed candidate after flawed candidate.If Florida landed a defensive wizard (Will Muschamp), the offense would suffer under his watch.Conversely, if the Gators nabbed an offensive guru (Dan Mullen), the defense would inevitably fail to live up to their end of the bargain.FLORIDA GATORS COACH JON SUMRALL SAYS HE WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT TULANE IF HE WASN'T ALLOWED TO COACH PLAYOFF TEAMAnd if they happened to get a guy who was a relentless recruiter (Billy Napier), neither side of the ball would ...