{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox college football game | name = | image = Louisiana Superdome - Unbranded - 26 July 2021.jpg | caption = The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, hosted the Sugar Bowl. | year_game_played = 1997 | title_sponsor = Nokia | game_name = Sugar Bowl | subheader = Bowl Alliance National Championship Game<br>63rd Sugar Bowl | football_season = 1996 | visitor_name_short = Florida | visitor_nickname = Gators | visitor_school = University of Florida | home_name_short = Florida State | home_nickname = Seminoles | home_school = Florida State University | visitor_record = 11–1 | visitor_conference = SEC | home_record = 11–0 | home_conference = ACC | visitor_coach = Steve Spurrier | home_coach = Bobby Bowden | visitor_rank_AP = 3 | visitor_rank_coaches = 3 | visitor_rank_bowlalliance = 3 | home_rank_AP = 1 | home_rank_coaches = 1 | home_rank_bowlalliance = 1 | visitor_1q = 10 | visitor_2q = 14 | visitor_3q = 14 | visitor_4q = 14 | home_1q = 3 | home_2q = 14 | home_3q = 3 | home_4q = 0 | date_game_played = January 2 | stadium = Louisiana Superdome | city = New Orleans, Louisiana | MVP = Danny Wuerffel (QB, Florida) | odds = Florida by 3.5 points (54.5) <ref name=latln>{{cite news|url=https://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/history/bowls/orange/|title=Orange Bowl Odds }}</ref><ref name=betln>{{cite news |url=https://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/history/bowls/orange/ | work=Orange Bowl Odds |title=Betting line |page=D7}}</ref> | referee = Randy Christal (Big 12) | attendance = 78,344 | us_network = ABC | us_announcers_link = List of announcers of major college bowl games | us_announcers = Keith Jackson (play-by-play)<br />Bob Griese (analyst)<br />Lynn Swann (sideline) | different_previous = 1995 (Dec) | navigation_2 = College football championship game | different_previous_2 = 1996 | different_next_2 = 1998 }} The '''1997 Nokia Sugar Bowl''' was the 63rd edition to the annual Sugar Bowl game and served as the Bowl Alliance's designated national championship game for the 1996 season. It matched No. 1 Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) against No. 3 Florida of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in an all-Florida national championship game. Florida defeated Florida State in convincing fashion, with a final score of 52–20, and with the victory earned its first-ever consensus national championship. This remains the only national championship game to feature two teams from the same state.
This was the last time a team won their first national championship until Indiana in 2025.
==Teams== The game was a bowl rematch of a regular season game, as Florida State had defeated Florida, 24–21, in a game played in Tallahassee on November 30.
Third-ranked Florida was invited to the designated national championship game because the Pac-10 champion was contractually obligated to play in the Rose Bowl Game, and unavailable to participate in the Bowl Alliance national championship game.<ref name="BowlAllianceHopesForBest"/> As a result, second-ranked Arizona State, the Pac-10 champion, played the Big Ten champion, fourth-ranked Ohio State, in the 1997 Rose Bowl.<ref name="BowlAllianceHopesForBest"/> When Ohio State defeated Arizona State in the Rose Bowl on January 1, the Sugar Bowl winner was all but assured of being named the consensus national champion.<ref name="BowlAllianceHopesForBest">{{cite news |last=Rosenblatt |first=Richard |agency=Associated Press |date=December 8, 1997 |title=Bowl Alliance hopes for best: Without Michigan, Orange Bowl cheers for Washington State |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112323088/bowl-alliance-hopes-for-best-without/ |work=The Daily News–Journal |publication-place=Murfreesboro, Tennessee |access-date=October 31, 2022 |quote=The [Rose Bowl] result also turned the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl into a true title game}}</ref>
===Florida Gators=== {{main|1996 Florida Gators football team}} The Gators were led by their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Danny Wuerffel. They completed their regular season schedule with a 10–1 record, then defeated No. 11 Alabama in the 1996 SEC Championship Game.
===Florida State Seminoles=== {{main|1996 Florida State Seminoles football team}} Top-ranked Florida State entered the bowl with an undefeated 11–0 record, led by quarterback Thad Busby and running back Warrick Dunn.
==Game summary== After a halftime score of 24–17 in favor of Florida, Florida State closed to 24–20 with a third quarter field goal. Florida then outscored Florida State 28–0 for the remainder of the game, for a 52–20 final. Gator quarterback Danny Wuerffel threw three touchdown passes to Ike Hilliard in the game, and ran for another score. Wuerffel became the second Heisman Trophy winner in four years to win a national championship, following Charlie Ward of the 1993 Florida State team.
===Scoring summary=== ;First quarter :Florida: TD Ike Hilliard 9 pass from Danny Wuerffel (Bart Edmiston kick) 9:48 ::Florida 7–0 :FSU: FG Scott Bentley 43 7:49 ::Florida 7–3 :Florida: FG Bart Edmiston 32 2:44 ::Florida 10–3 ;Second quarter :Florida: TD Fred Taylor 2 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 11:28 ::Florida 17–3 :FSU: TD E.G. Green 29 pass from Thad Busby (Bentley kick) 7:28 ::Florida 17–10 :Florida: TD Ike Hilliard 31 pass from Danny Wuerffel (Bart Edmiston kick) 5:18 ::Florida 24–10 :FSU: TD Warrick Dunn 12 run (Scott Bentley kick) 0:40 ::Florida 24–17 ;Third quarter :FSU: FG Scott Bentley 45 10:24 ::Florida 24–20 :Florida: TD Ike Hilliard 7 pass from Danny Wuerffel (Bart Edmiston kick) 5:43 ::Florida 31–20 :Florida: TD Danny Wuerffel 16 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 0:13 ::Florida 38–20 ;Fourth quarter :Florida: TD Terry Jackson 42 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 8:52 ::Florida 45–20 :Florida: TD Terry Jackson 1 run (Bart Edmiston kick) 2:12 ::'''Florida 52–20''' Source:<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site94.php| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100116173902/http://www.allstatesugarbowl.org/site94.php| archive-date = 2010-01-16| title = 1997 Game Recap / Allstate Sugar Bowl}}</ref>
==See also== * Florida–Florida State football rivalry * List of college football post-season games that were rematches of regular season games
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{NCAA football national championship finals}} {{1996 bowl game navbox}} {{Sugar Bowl navbox}} {{Florida Gators bowl game navbox}} {{Florida State Seminoles bowl game navbox}} {{1996–97 NCAA Division I championships navbox}}
Sugar Bowl Category:Sugar Bowl Category:Bowl Alliance Category:Florida Gators football bowl games Category:Florida State Seminoles football bowl games Sugar Bowl Sugar Bowl Category:1990s in New Orleans