Then Steve Spurrier got on the phone, and his tone offered a sobering reminder. Everyone knows the Gators look forward to a trip to the Citrus Bowl about as eagerly as a trip to Siberia.
But that's where Florida (9-3) belongs after a 34-7 loss to in the Southeastern Conference title game Saturday. And Spurrier warned that if the Gators put in a repeat performance in Orlando, they'll likely be embarrassed again.
Their opponent is Michigan State. The Spartans have a new coach, Bobby Williams, and a point to prove after being passed over for the Orange Bowl in favor of Michigan, a team Michigan State beat in October.
"We obviously need to play a lot better, or we'll be in trouble in the Citrus Bowl," Spurrier said.
Like any good coach, Spurrier is touting the reasons Florida should care about the game he used to ridicule, back when the Gators were perennial SEC champions and Tennessee was always going to Orlando.
Florida still has a chance for a 10-win season and a chance to finish the year ranked in the top 10, he said.
"I've found the bowl game is the one everyone talks about the rest of the year," Spurrier said. "This will decide whether we can go into the offseason with a good taste in our mouths or not."
Until then, Spurrier will have to grapple with a couple of disturbing problems -- creeping dissension on his defense and an injury to one of his quarterbacks.
After Florida gained just 114 yards and made only six first downs against Alabama, both the worst in Spurrier's 10 seasons, defensive end Alex Brown lashed out at the offense.
"We're a split team," Brown said. "The defense is upset with the offense. You've got to have people making plays out there. You can't drop passes. You can't not go after balls."
Brown played only in pass-rush situations against Alabama. He finished with two tackles, one pass deflection and no sacks.
Spurrier tried to defuse what could turn into an awkward situation over the next three weeks.
"I think Alex maybe spoke in the heat of battle or frustration, sometimes that happens," Spurrier said. "Alex didn't have such a super game that he needs to be criticizing other players. We were all bad. When we lose, we generally all share in the loss. It was a team loss last night."
Meanwhile, Spurrier announced that quarterback Doug Johnson is suffering with a sore shoulder and will undergo an MRI to determine damage. The injury could explain why Johnson played only one series against the Tide, short-arming a pair of incompletions.
Of course, Jesse Palmer had no excuse for his 7-for-20, three-interception performance. And there was no way to explain a running game that produced just 31 yards on 20 carries.
"I don't have the answer," Spurrier said. "If I did, I'd try to do something to prevent it. It seems like the emotional level just isn't there."
Without naming names, Spurrier hinted that some full-time players may not play much against Michigan State if attitudes don't improve.
"The game is supposed to be a reward and we're excited to be down there," Spurrier said. "We need to play our best players to win. If some of them aren't interested in it, we'll take them down there for all the festivities and they won't play in the game."
Some players, however, haven't completely given up on the season.
After the loss Saturday, a reporter asked Florida safety Marquand Manuel what he could make of this fractured season. He paused for 30 seconds, maybe longer.
"Test," Manuel said. "It's really a test of our will to win, no matter what the circumstances. That's the only way you can look at it."
The test concludes New Year's Day in Orlando.
