All right, it's time for the lights in The Swamp to brighten again come Saturday.
See, UF's 8 p.m. kickoff against Miami was just a trial run. You know, clear out the cobwebs.
Two days from now - that's when the real primetime nationally televised showdown will occur.
This game is about the two men on the sidelines as much as anyone else.
It will be a constant chess match, each side attempting to guess a few moves ahead.
On one side will be the Gators' Urban Meyer. Once considered the hottest new thing, the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitude of fans has left him forgotten following UF's 9-4 campaign of a year ago.
He was considered a genius for his team's 41-14 upset in the 2006 National Championship Game. Last year, he didn't have a defense. This year, fans are calling for his offensive coordinator's head.
Is he due for another big-time win? Perhaps he needs to be.
When he first arrived in 2005, a reprieve was given, a first-year mulligan offered to most coaches. He became the hero in 2006 riding a defense and veteran leadership to UF's second title in 100 years. That should be enough to give him credibility for quite a while, considering he doubled the Gators' number of national championships. Guess that's the society we live in.
Last year can even be seen as a break. Fans still had hangovers from 2006, many key players had been lost and there were glimpses of great things to come in 2008.
Well, here we are.
Great probably isn't the word.
But as Urban always claims, it's about the wins and losses.
If not for a million boneheaded moves by his players, the Gators would be 5-0 and a matchup between unbeatens would be here.
But Meyer's UF fell short where Les Miles' Tigers have not.
Miles is the hot face these days, coaching an overachieving 4-0 team, and he's 2-1 against Meyer.
A year ago, he made all the right choices.
Throwing for the winning touchdown in the waning seconds against Auburn when in field-goal range. Going for a fake field goal against South Carolina. Five fourth-down attempts (and five conversions) against UF.
In the process he led a two-loss Tigers team to a national championship.
So while Meyer is too classy to admit it, this game means a little more to him.
Because last year, Miles gambled all the way to Vegas in a game where Meyer's team clearly played better overall.
If only the Gators had stopped the Tigers on one fourth down.
We're talking about a man in Miles who goes for fourth-and-short on the UF 7 when a field goal ties the game.
You know what that is?
That's calling a man out, challenging him mano-a-mano to do anything to stop him.
Last year, there was nothing Meyer could do.
He'd squeezed every drop out of his guys, and frankly, LSU was just better and could not be stopped on that final drive.
But this year should be different.
Because this year, UF has the more talented team. This year, it's Meyer's turn to send Miles home heartbroken.
Or else the lights may leave Gainesville for a while.
