Washington came into the 1991 season ranked #4 in the nation and stacked with players the NFL could love. Eleven Huskies would go in the following spring’s draft and it started with defensive tackle Steve Emtman. He won both the Outland and Lombardi Trophies in ’91 and was the first overall pick by the NFL in the spring of 1992.
Miami opened the regular season at #3 in the polls, but all the media hype surrounded their #1-ranked rival Florida State. This was going to be the Seminoles’ year to finally win their first national title. FSU was loaded and the November 16 date between the two archrivals would be in Tallahassee. That was how the story was supposed to play out anyway
1991 was a year when people that had gotten close to a championship, but not yet sealed the deal, finally broke through. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski won his first ring, as did Chicago Bulls’ star Michael Jordan. Through much of the 1991 college football season, it seemed certain that Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden would join them.