It's not deja vu. Relax, you're not seeing double.
For the second night in a row, a Gators-Sooners matchup is in the works. The UF gymnastics team will open its season against Oklahoma at 7 p.m., one night after the two schools clashed for the national championship in football.
"It's a crazy coincidence," said sophomore Alicia Goodwin.
One school is feeling great about Thursday's outcome, while the other hopes to salvage an unusually orange-blue-crimson-and-cream tinted weekend.
"We definitely want to start our season with a really strong win," Goodwin said. "It's against Oklahoma, so if we (and the football team) win, that'll be great."
But this meet would be important regardless of the Gators' opponent.
"It's important for everyone, seniors versus freshmen, to start off 1-0," junior Maranda Smith said. "Even for those of us, like myself, that have competed before, it always feels good to start the season with a win, so it goes hand in hand."
Junior Melanie Sinclair said even a BCS national championship wouldn't quell her hopes to beat Oklahoma.
"Who wants to lose? I love winning," Sinclair said. "I know I want to beat them, just as bad, or more."
The football team may have had to wait more than a month for its showdown with Oklahoma, but the wait for the gymnastics team has been longer and perhaps even more unbearable.
"We've been working so hard and doing really well, it just flew by, and I'm so excited that the first meet is here," Smith said.
Even in Thursday's practice, there was an air of anticipation about the Oklahoma meet.
"This is what they work for," UF coach Rhonda Faehn said. "They're natural-born performers and they love it. They would much rather be out there on the competition floor competing than in the gym training."
All the practice and mock meets have led to a familiar scenario: a confident UF team.
"I feel like (Oklahoma is) going to be competition, and it always depends who's going to bring it that day," Sinclair said. "But I have no doubts about how great our gymnastics team is as well."
Smith said in order to do well, the team has to focus on itself more than its competition.
"I feel that we can win, in that we're a better team," Smith said.
This is more than just the second matchup between UF and Oklahoma in as many days.
"Starting out with a win is going to help us in the future, build up the confidence and know that we can go in there and do it," Sinclair said.
