Georgia may be The Peach State, but there were more than a few oranges circling the Georgia Dome field after the Gators defeated Alabama on Saturday evening.
Still, the sweetness of those oranges couldn't compare to the sweetness of the news UF got Sunday night.
For the second time in three years, the Gators will be playing in the BCS National Championship Game.
UF, No. 2 in the only BCS standings that matter, will head 300 miles south to take on No. 1 Oklahoma at Dolphin Stadium in Miami on Jan. 8, seven days after the Orange Bowl is played at the same venue. The two teams have never met.
The Gators finished just .018 points ahead of No. 3 Texas in the standings, the Longhorns being their only barrier to a matchup with the Sooners.
To say waiting for the announcement was nerve-racking for coach Urban Meyer would be a gross understatement.
"Zero sleep," Meyer said. "And when I say zero, zero. … It's an imperfect system, but I think it's a system that's functional right now. You just never know."
This team's season was defined back in September after a loss to Mississippi. At that point, Meyer did not think he had a team that could get to a national championship game.
"I didn't see the same maturity level (as I do now)," Meyer said. "I saw a very talented group, but I was hoping it would develop into this."
After reeling off nine straight wins in dominant fashion, the Gators were rewarded Sunday night.
When the UF logo appeared on the giant projector screen alongside Oklahoma's in the Gator Room inside the Heavener Complex, players raised their arms in the air and cheered. Their steak dinners could wait.
Mike and Maurkice Pouncey walked around the room giving thumbs up to all who would look, then walked to fellow offensive linemen Phil Trautwein and Jim Tartt to give them congratulatory shoulder rubs.
Percy Harvin, sprained right ankle and all, hobbled over to that side of the room, a smile on his face. Players jostled for position around Meyer as he prepared for his live television interview.
It was almost as if UF were continuing its rampant celebration from Saturday night's victory.
Now, the Gators face more than four weeks off before facing what may be their toughest challenge yet.
Fans have been asking to see a matchup of teams from the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference all season. Ask, and ye shall receive.
The Sooners bring a Heisman-hopeful quarterback in Sam Bradford, who leads the country's best offense into South Florida. Oklahoma has put up at least 58 points in its last six games, including victories over No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 13 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Missouri in the last three weeks.
"Our defense, we like to have challenges," UF cornerback Joe Haden said. "People are saying (Alabama) wasn't a really good offense, so we want to play against one of the best offenses so we can really prove how good our defense is."
A second national championship in three years is not out of the question if UF's defense is able to hold down Oklahoma like it did Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
As Saturday's revelry wound down, defensive end Carlos Dunlap held the SEC Championship trophy aloft to the hundreds of fans still remaining as he walked into the locker room.
Inside, Dunlap admitted the win had not hit him yet.
Junior running back Brandon James piped up from the other side of the room.
"It'll hit your ass when you get back to Gainesville," James said.
They're back in Gainesville now, and the victory is all behind them.
Perhaps one more victory is ahead, and that one could elevate this team's status to the greatest in school history.
"Miami sounds real good," Haden said Saturday.
See you there.
