UF heads to Alabama tonight to kick off its Southeastern Conference schedule, but the biggest battle of the rest of the season isn't going to be with the opponents the Gators face.
Their greatest struggle will be with themselves.
No one believes that UF is going to finish at the top of the heap again, and with the way Tennessee and Vanderbilt are playing, even a veteran Gators squad would be in a heated contest for the No. 1 spot.
So here's the test - are the Gators going to show what they're made of or simply settle for mediocrity?
The Gators are capable of pulling off some unexpected wins - maybe downing Vandy at the O'Dome or roasting the Razorbacks in Arkansas. The Razorbacks did lose to Appalachian State, after all.
The Gators have enough talent, and anything can happen if the guards can muster a few hot shooting nights.
But UF also has to be able to handle the grind of the SEC.
OK, so the league might not be having its best year. Kentucky is adjusting to its new coach, UF is recovering from its roster makeover and LSU is still bemoaning the losses of Glen Davis to the draft and Tasmin Mitchell to ankle surgery.
But it's still the SEC, and UF's young players have yet to face the level of competition that they're about to.
The fact that UF has won two national titles in two seasons probably won't help, either.
"The team's going to be giving us their best shot just because of what has happened in the past," forward Dan Werner said. "It's not really anything we've accomplished, so we've got to be ready for that and the crowds and stuff - they're going to get on us."
Ah, yes. When it comes to trash talking, SEC crowds are hostile and make it personal.
When Matt Walsh still donned orange and blue, anything was fair game - even his Playboy bunny girlfriend. Kentucky fans printed a huge picture of her sporting "Cats" across her tube top just to get inside his head.
After Walsh left, it was Joakim Noah's turn to bear the brunt of the negativity.
Without one standout guy on the team, I have a feeling all the players are going to get a little hate. Unfortunately for the Gators, their non-conference schedule did little to prepare them for hostile environments.
They played one game away from the security of a mostly Gator-loving crowd since the season started, a game they managed to lose. The Gators need to learn fast how to rise up when everyone isn't on their side.
So sure, UF might have a lot to overcome, but one intangible that is never measured in all of this preseason mumbo jumbo is the size of the team's heart.
Billy Donovan's players have worn their hearts on their sleeves for the past two years. This team has the next two months to show us theirs.
