After months of practices, games and Dan Mullen - who needs to spend his free time sprucing up the ol' resume because I've heard SportsCenter tout him for open coaching positions on two separate occasions - it all comes down to this.
All year long, UF has said its goal for this season is playing in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. Nothing more, nothing less.
And now that it's finally here, it looks like an absolutely delicious matchup. Two of the top four teams in America and the top two coaches in college football (sorry, Pete Carroll, call me when you stop getting upset by scrubs every season) whose presence and confidence borders on arrogance.
There's also a mash of two contrasting styles. Alabama runs an old school pro-style offense with a big, tough running back and a quarterback whose job is to not screw it up. In other words, a game-manager.
The Gators run a fancy spread offense with diminutive running backs and a Heisman Trophy winner who wants nothing more than to beat you himself by running you over on his way to the end zone.
But there's one thing the Gators don't want you to call this matchup: a game between tough Crimson Tide and finesse UF.
In sports, finesse is a euphemism for soft, and the Gators want you to know one thing: They certainly aren't soft.
"We're definitely not soft," wide receiver David Nelson said. "That's something we worked on in the off-season, making sure that we were tough. We may be a finesse team, but we're not soft."
It's hard to call the Gators soft when they sport one of the best defenses and running attacks in the country. South Carolina entered their game as one of the top-ranked defenses in the country, and 56 points later they weren't.
It comes with the territory when you run a spread offense that you will be considered a finesse team. But the Gators would have you know you can still be a tough team, while running the newfangled spread offense.
"We're one of those teams. We're a downhill running team," said running backs coach Kenny Carter. "We want to run the ball, just because we run a spread doesn't mean we're not a running team. The perception is what it is, and all that matters is that you have a 'W' at the end of the day. Whether you're finesse or tough, our whole thing is to play physical and do the best we can."
The other thing to consider is that the Gators defense has had its greatest success against teams with power backs like Tennessee's Arian Foster, who was held to 14 rushes for 37 yards, and LSU's Charles Scott, who got only 35 yards on 12 carries.
That's something Alabama tailback Glen Coffee will have to think about when he lines up on Saturday.
Of course, the Gators haven't faced an offensive line as big and physical as the Crimson Tide's, and they are aware of that.
"We're going to have to bring our A-plus game," defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. "It's outstanding, but the good news is that we face a great offensive line every day."
And we'll find out Saturday if they're physical enough to deal with them.
