1991 NCAA Division I - A football season The 1991 NCAA Division I - A football season ended with a split champion for the second consecutive season . Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated ( 12 - 0 ) and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll . Under the conference - bowl selection alignments of the time , the Hurricanes and Huskies could not meet in a decisive title game because A ) Washington was slotted into the Rose Bowl as the Pac - 10 champions and B ) the other spot in the Rose Bowl was automatically given to the Big 10 champions , in this case Michigan . The Rose Bowl ' s selection terms also thwarted potential title matchups of undefeated teams in 1994 and 1997 ; since the 1998 BCS realignment , several Pac - 10 and Big 10 teams have been able to play in a BCS title game instead of being forced to play a non - title contender in the Rose Bowl ; examples of this include Ohio State in 2002 , USC in 2004 and Oregon in 2010 . A major rule change narrowed the goal posts from 23 feet , 4 inches to 18 feet , 6 inches , the same width as the National Football League . The distance between the hashmarks were not moved in until 1993 , leaving kickers to face severe angles on short field goal attempts for the 1991 and 1992 seasons . The Hurricanes closed the 1991 season with a 22 - 0 shutout over # 11 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl , but their season was defined by a dramatic November victory over then - # 1 ranked and perennial rival Florida State . That game ended with the FSU place kicker missing a field goal , wide right , which would become a theme in the Miami - FSU rivalry ; this game later took on the moniker " Wide Right I . " Nebraska lost to both national champions in 1991 and finished at 9 - 2 - 1 , ranked fifteenth in the AP poll . The Washington Huskies posted a 15 - point victory at # 9 Nebraska in September , a 7 - point win at # 7 California in October , and consecutive Pac - 10 and Rose Bowl championships . Washington defended its Rose Bowl title with a 20 - point victory in the 1992 Rose Bowl over # 4 Michigan , the Big Ten champions with Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard . The Wolverines scored a late touchdown to tighten the final score to 34 - 14 , and finished at 10 - 2 , ranked sixth in both polls . The Florida Gators captured their first SEC title in school history ( excepting the 1984 SEC title , which was vacated by the NCAA ) in dominating fashion . Alabama finished second in the SEC in 1991 with an 11 - 1 record , but were annihilated 35 - 0 by the Gators , led by head coach Steve Spurrier . Florida ' s luck ran out in the Sugar Bowl , as # 18 Notre Dame powered their way to a 39 - 28 win . The SEC expanded from 10 to 12 members , adding Arkansas from the Southwest Conference and South Carolina , independent in football and a Metro Conference member for other sports . The two schools , however , would not begin SEC play until the 1992 season , when the SEC split into two divisions and added its season - ending championship game . The All - American Bowl played at Legion Field in Birmingham , Alabama , was discontinued as local officials prepared to host the new SEC title game . Independent Florida State joined the ACC in 1991 ; known primarily as a basketball conference , the ACC would never be the same for football . Dominant from the moment they joined , Florida State went undefeated in conference play for years and won the conference title for the remainder of the 1990s . The Big East began to sponsor football , adding powerhouse Miami and other independents , though conference play wasn ' t yet fully integrated and standings were not kept in 1991 . # 1 and # 2 Progress . In the pre - season poll , Florida State was ranked # 1 with 54 of the 59 votes cast , Michigan was 2nd , and Miami 3rd . As of the September 10th poll , Florida State remained the overwhelming choice for # 1 and Miami reached # 2 . Those two Sunshine State teams would continue to be 1 and 2 as their November 16th meeting approached . On November 16th in Tallahassee , the long awaited # 1 & # 2 showdown had the 10 - 0 Seminoles hosting the 8 - 0 Hurricanes . Visiting Miami won , 17 - 16 to take the top spot . In the Pacific Northwest , Washington won its Apple Cup game by 35 points on November 23rd and finished the regular season at 11 - 0 ; the Huskies took over the # 2 spot in the final two polls of the regular season . Heisman Trophy voting . " The Heisman is given to the Most Outstanding Player of the year " < br >