The rankings come out, and we yawn. The polls are top-heavy with Florida teams, and we shrug. The prognostications suggest a national champion will come from within Florida's borders, and we say, "So what?"

Fans from around the country are all too aware of what is happening, while those in the Sunshine State are so accustomed to seeing their teams ranked among the nation's elite, they become blind to the accomplishment.

	Bobby Bowden and FSU have won two national titles.

Before Tuesday's tragic terrorist attacks on the United States, games scheduled for this Saturday simply served as a reminder of the success. No. 1 Miami was to get a rematch with No. 13 Washington -- the only team to defeat the Hurricanes a year ago -- at the Orange Bowl (this game has been postponed with no makeup date announced). No. 2 Florida is scheduled to host No. 8 Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference showdown in Gainesville. And No. 5 Florida State is scheduled to get a serious threat to its Atlantic Coast Conference dominance when No. 11 Georgia Tech visits Tallahassee.

Who would have been surprised if the Florida teams were to sweep? In fact, it might be a bigger surprise if they didn't.

For 15 years now, Florida has ruled the college football world. During that period, Miami has won three national championships (with a fourth way back in 1983), Florida State has added two and Florida has one. The Big Three have been there at both the beginning and end of the season. They don't win the title every year, but they play a role in deciding who is crowned champion.

What other state can boast of such college football prowess? None, really. And it doesn't figure to change any time soon.

"Talent. That's it. It's all about players," said Tom Lemming, the editor of the Prep Football Report and a recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. "There's only three main schools and they get most of the talent. Those three have a much larger talent pool to recruit from than the schools, say, in Texas, where almost the entire Big 12 recruits. All of the Pac-10 schools recruit California. It's really the talent pool that separates them.

"The Florida programs all have good coaching staffs, but if they were in other states, they wouldn't have near the success because they have such a great talent pool in Florida."

Before the season started, the rankings reflected respect, with Florida No. 1, Miami No. 2 and Florida State No. 5. Since, the Gators and Hurricanes have traded places in both the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls.

College coaches and recruiting experts all point to the same factors for such success: a huge population base, good weather to develop skills, spring football in high school, a strong emphasis on the game in the state. And all that leads to a slew of talented players to build a program.

The results point it out. Going back to 1987, at least two Florida schools have finished among the top-10 in the final Associated Press poll every year but 1999 -- when FSU won the national title.

During that span, there have been just five years when another state had two schools finish in the top-10, and none did it twice: Last year, it was Oregon State (fourth) and Oregon (seventh). Michigan and Michigan State did in 1999; Kansas State and Kansas in 1995; Alabama and Auburn in 1994; and UCLA and USC in 1988.

	Steve Spurrier and Florida win the national title in 1996.

You have to go back to 1980-82, when Penn State and Pitt finished among the top-10 in three straight seasons, to find a state outside of Florida with such a run.

In the past 14 seasons, UF, FSU and Miami have each finished among the top-10 on four occasions: 1991, 1992, 1994 and 2000.

The last time that happened outside of Florida? How about 1967, when Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue did it.

"High school football in our state is very good," said Florida coach Steve Spurrier. "Football is very important here. It's a place where high school players want to play. They like to play in Florida. They like the idea of competing for a championship."

The competition for those players is set to get more intense, however. The Big Three are being joined by other programs in the state that, in time, will compete for the abundance of talent. South Florida just began its fifth season of football, its first as a member of Division I-A, and in its eighth game at the high level, shocked Pittsburgh on the road Saturday 35-25. The Bulls' roster is filled with Florida players. UCF is also in Division I-A. Schools such as Jacksonville, Florida International and Florida Atlantic have or will start programs. Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman, in Division I-AA, also compete for players.

Could the Big Three one day be threatened?

"I just think we've got so many kids in this state," said FSU coach Bobby Bowden. "(Now) they go play somewhere else. So I think it's going to happen, where it becomes very competitive. I'll bet you 10 years from now, we'll have six or seven schools playing I-A football and I think it will be very competitive."

"I think there's just so much talent to go around," said USF coach Jim Leavitt, who recruited the state of Florida in his previous job as co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State. "When I was at Kansas State we had 16 players on our two-deep (roster) -- not on the team, on our two-deep -- from the state of Florida.

"I think they're there. I think there's enough players to support 10 (programs). . . especially if Florida, Florida State and Miami keep working (recruiting) a little bit out of state. They're such national programs and there's just so much talent out there."

Indeed, new UM head coach Larry Coker was surprised to learn when he looked a little closer that eight of his starters on offense last season were not from Florida. That says something about Miami's ability to recruit nationally.

It also may have been necessary due to the NCAA sanctions UM faced soon after previous coach Butch Davis took the job. Local kids shied away, forcing the Hurricanes to go elsewhere.

"There is a great recruiting base here, and there's been a lot of stability at Florida State and Florida," Coker said. "With us, it's a little bit more amazing the job the people have done. Coach (Lou) Saban, coach (Howard) Schnellenberger . . . down the line. We honestly haven't had the stability and hopefully I can give us some of that. But you think of the job some of the people have done here and it all goes back to recruiting talent."

Mark Richt has a unique perspective. Now the head coach at Georgia, Richt plans to engage in some fierce battles to lure prospective talent north of the Florida border. Before taking on his new job, Richt worked for 15 years as an assistant coach at FSU, seven as offensive coordinator. And he grew up in Boca Raton before playing at Miami.

"There's plenty to go around," Richt said. "The bottom line is, there's always a certain percentage of kids who want to play for the Big Three. The bottom line is, all three should be, and probably will be, among the best in the country."

And likely for years to come.

Bob Harig covers college football for the St. Petersburg Times. He can be reached at harig@sptimes.com