QB Ken Dorsey and Miami still have hopes of sharing the national title.

And how about the Washington Huskies? Back on Sept. 9, they beat the Hurricanes 34-29. Don't you think they deserve to be considered on a par with Florida State and Miami as the elite teams in college football this year? I sure do.

That's why a playoff system is the only way to determine which team, not teams, ends up as the national champion.

As far as the Sugar Bowl is concerned, Miami knows better than anyone just how talented the Florida Gators are. After all, some of the participants in this game went up against each other at the prep level.

For the Hurricanes, the key has been the quality performance turned in by sophomore QB Ken Dorsey. The angular 6-foot-4, 193-pounder has been able to create big plays down the field, yet has still managed to stay away from costly interceptions. His unflappable poise and incredible consistency is the reason I felt he deserved some Heisman Trophy consideration.

Dorsey has an outstanding senior wide-receiving tandem to throw the ball to, in sure-handed Reggie Wayne and electrifying Santana Moss. Both are potential first-round draft choices. In addition, TE Jeremy Shockey has fast developed into a reliable and effective red-zone option. His last-minute touchdown led to the Hurricanes' 27-24 victory over Florida State. Miami can also run the football, with senior James Jackson the headliner in a talented and deep Hurricane backfield.

Defensively for Miami, it all starts up front with the dominating potential of highly regarded senior DT Damione Lewis. His ability to disrupt things enables MLB Dan Morgan to flow to the football. It was commonplace this season to see Morgan finish each game with 15 to 20 tackles.

When Florida QB Rex Grossman drops back to throw the football, he'll be concerned not only by the pressure brought by Lewis and company, but also the big-play skills of the Hurricanes' deep patrol. This group isn't afraid to take risks. Setting the tempo is super blue-chip junior Edward Reed, who in my opinion is the Hurricanes' best safety prospect since Darryl Williams in the early '90s.

At Florida, Steve Spurrier and the resilient Gators came a long way this season. After Mississippi State ran roughshod over the Gators (59-31) on Sept. 30, some observers may have thought about writing off the Gators as one of the elite teams in college football. As you should know by now, underestimating a super-talented Gator squad that is led into battle by the tremendously astute Steve Spurrier is always a huge mistake.

	Florida DE Alex Brown is a sacking force, including this one of South Carolina's Phil Petty.

Rex Grossman has shown future star quality in a number of games this season, figuring to ultimately enjoy a college career similar to that of former Gator signal caller Danny Wuerffel. The emergence of super blue-chip redshirt freshman wide-out Jabar Gaffney has provided a huge and needed boost to the Gator offense. Junior Reche Caldwell also enjoyed an outstanding season, proving to be quite adept at making vital receptions that kept drives alive. Up front along the offensive line, watch out for junior RT Kenyatta Walker. He's one of the top bookends in college football.

Defensively, the Gators have a major outside pass-rush threat in junior DE Alex Brown as well as a dominator on the inside with another junior, Gerard Warren. Warren is on a similar level as former Florida State standout DT Corey Simon. While the Gators are solid in terms of the back seven on defense, their success revolves around Brown and Warren taking over games and dominating the action. While Brown failed to perform up to the level expected in certain games, there is no questioning the fact that he's a potential force off the edge that the Hurricanes have to be sure to account for on every snap.

This game figures to be a war. Grossman is a star on the rise, while Dorsey appears to be even further ahead in the developmental process of a young signal caller. While Gaffney is a prime-time player and Caldwell is effective within the framework of the Gator offense, Miami's has even better skill-position talent with Wayne, Moss, Shockey and Jackson (just to name a few).

Defensively, Miami has the edge -- although Warren is the best player on the field, in my opinion. With emotion running high on both sides, the true playmakers need to come through. That's why a versatile, multi-talented performer like Moss figures to be such a key element for Miami.