When UF throttled Florida State 34-7 two years ago in the Swamp, UF coach Urban Meyer walked around the locker room with his hands in his pockets.
Meyer had to be careful because whenever the Gators and Seminoles go at it on the field, they do so on the recruiting field as well.
"It seems like 46 years ago," said Meyer, recalling the atmosphere with a recruiting class that included Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin. "I had to walk around with my hands in my pockets because people started trying to commit, shake my hand at that moment. That was a program changer. It brought in an '06 class that was very instrumental in helping us win a national championship."
When No. 12 UF (8-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) squares off against FSU (7-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) Saturday evening at 5 in The Swamp, there will be much more on the line than just in-state bragging rights.
With both teams out of the title hunt in their conferences, all that's left to play for is rival supremacy and wagering for the best bowl bid possible. The recruiting implications also cannot be overstated.
"Florida-Florida State, you're probably going to see the cream of the crop in the country coming to watch the game," defensive tackle Clint McMillan said. "That's the deciding factor for a lot of guys to come here or there."
While most recruits come to the game to make a decision, Mike and Maurkice Pouncey had already told Meyer they were Gainesville-bound last fall before 2006's showdown in Tallahassee. With their minds already set, the brothers did some recruiting of their own with some of the still undecided prep stars.
"We had already come to all the home games for Florida, and that crowd was so crazy," Maurkice said. "Then we went to the Florida State game, and this crowd ain't nothing like the Gator Nation. We didn't finish the whole game. …We left early. Their crowd doesn't even get into the game really. It's kind of lazy."
It also helps a team's chances when it has a Heisman candidate on its roster.
However, in typical Tebow fashion, the quarterback doesn't put himself above the team.
"I know that any time I can say something to them and let them know that this is the best place in the country to come, I'm going to do that," Tebow said.
For some, quick playing time can supersede the rivalry as a deciding factor in choosing between the schools.
"I thought about it, but after some of the stuff they told me, they got thrown out the window as soon as they left the house," UF senior Andre Caldwell said of FSU. "(They told me) 'You probably won't be playing 'till your third year here. I was pretty much done after I heard that.'"
Once a recruit decides to commit to either school, an automatic rivalry is born.
"We don't like them," Caldwell said of the Seminoles. "We hate them. It don't matter if we're both 10-0 right now. It's still going to be a heated battle, and we're still going to hate each other after the game."
