TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- One of them is viewed as a cute, cuddly grandpa with a clever and witty personality that's always open for a laugh. The other is seen as a fierce, determined, win-at-all costs coach who often berates mistake-prone players on the sidelines.

True or not, those are the perceptions of Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier. Bowden the teddy-bear type everyone loves, Spurrier the man fans love to hate.

	Bobby Bowden and FSU's 14-year run of 10-win seasons and top-5 finishes is over.

It's been that way for some time now -- 10 years to be exact. For the last decade, the northern chunk of this state has been split into Steve and Bobby backers. It's been the most exhilarating, heated rivalry in the history of Florida football.

While the players may come and go -- and there have been plenty of great ones including Heisman winners Danny Weurffel and Charlie Ward, as well as countless players now in the NFL -- this rivalry has always boiled down to just two things, Bowden and Spurrier. And the sad reality is it isn't going to last forever. Bowden turned 71 on Wednesday and Spurrier, 55, isn't sure if he's going to coach much past 60.

It won't be the same without them. Just look at Ohio State-Michigan minus Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, or Oklahoma-Nebraska without Barry Switzer or Tom Osborne. Sure those are still big games, but with a lot less flavor.

In the past decade, Bowden and Spurrier have given football fans two of the top products in the nation. They've offered complex, wide-open offenses, supreme athletes, and a passion for the game not seen in ages.

"You don't need anything added to this game," Bowden said. "If you're a Florida State fan, you don't want to have to live with the fact that Florida beat you this year. And for Florida fans, they don't want the disgrace of losing to Florida State. On top of that, it means so much to the pollsters as to whose going to play for the national championship. You couldn't ask for more."

Though Bowden holds the edge in the all-time series (7-4), Spurrier took the most important battle between the two, winning the 1996 national championship game, 52-20.

It's more than that, though. It's a battle of two of the best coaches in history. Of Division I-A coaches in the past decade, Bowden and Spurrier rank first and second in wins and winning percentage. Bowden has 315 wins in 35 seasons. Spurrier has 131 in 14 seasons, including 111 in 10 seasons at Florida. Bowden and Spurrier rank second and third, respectively, on the list of active coaches with best overall winning percentage. And they are the only two coaches to have their teams appear in the polls for 180 or more weeks since the start of the 1990 season.

	Steve Spurrier is 4-7 against Bobby Bowden and FSU.

When the two coaches first squared off against each other in 1990, they both entered the game ranked in the Top 10. In every game since, they have maintained that, adding a little more importance to their late-season quarrel.

"From 1983 to about '93, it would come down to Florida State-Miami, but we would always get it solved early in the year. Since Steve has come to Florida in the 90s, this game has carried the meaning. Both of us are in the top five, one ahead of the other and it has come down to a very important game."

And a tension-filled one as well. At this rivalry's low point, or high point depending on your stance on trash talking, Bowden and Spurrier were bitter enemies. In happened in 1996 after Florida State's 24-21 regular season win in Gainesville. In that game, the Seminole defense tossed Wuerffel around like a puppet and Spurrier was furious.

He accused Bowden and the Seminoles of trying to injure his star quarterback through a series of late hits. While Bowden tried to publicly laugh and joke the issue away, Spurrier stayed angry. And like has happened so many other times in this state, the local media seemed to side with Grandpa Bowden, portraying Spurrier as a whiner. At the time, Spurrier said, "You get mad at your wife sometimes, but you don't stay that way."

When the comments continued from the Florida camp, Bowden took it personal and became insulted. A few weeks later, Florida got its revenge in the national championship game.

Since then, things have slowly started to thaw between the two. That's not saying Bowden and Spurrier are best friends, but a level of respect has grown and the rivalry has regained some sanity.

The two often bump into each other at charity golf events in the state and chat about college football. Bowden even turned a few heads this week when he said he enjoys being with his rival to the South.

"Words I guess are feuding, but as far as a personal feud going on between Steve and I, I never recognized it when we're together and I don't think he does either," Bowden said. "I kind of enjoy being around him. I have a lot of respect for his coaching ability. I don't feel like there's a feud going on between he and I. It's just that I would like to whip him and he would like to whip me."

Spurrier, who many say has mellowed overall in recent years, agrees.

"Those things that happened got us riled up and then different players started talking back and forth," he said. "But I don't think I'm the type of person to stay extra mad at anybody a long time. Last year was a clean game and I expect the same this year."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com.