The showdown of the titans is finally approaching.
On Saturday morning, ESPN GameDay will broadcast from Baton Rouge, La., home to a game later that day that promises to be one of the best so far this season.
The tailgating will begin early and end late. The grills will be going, the alcohol will be flowing, and fans will begin their day with the crew of Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard breaking down everything college football.
The day will end with one of the biggest games so far this season.
Top-ranked Florida (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) enters Saturday winners of 14 in a row, the nation's largest winning streak. UF, coming off a bye week, is preparing for what every expert pegged as the team's toughest test of the regular season.
Win this game, analysts would say during the summer, and the Gators can pencil themselves into the BCS National Championship Game.
Coach Urban Meyer is 28-3 when his team has more than a week to prepare for a game.
On the other side is fourth-ranked Louisiana State (5-0, 3-0 SEC), a team many call overrated despite its unblemished record. The Tigers boast a 32-game winning streak in Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium.
Saturday at 8 pm ET, the Gators and Tigers will kick off what promises to be a physical matchup between two of the SEC's premier teams &ndash but will Tim Tebow be on the field?
That answer may not come until just before game time, but either way, this game poses to be a turning point for these two Southeastern Conference papers. The winner of the last three meetings has gone on to win the national championship.
If the last matchup in Baton Rouge is any indication, this could be the game everyone is talking about Sunday.
Two years ago, College GameDay was in Baton Rouge as top-ranked LSU squad converted a pair of fourth-downs as it marched down the field to score the winning touchdown with 1:09 remaining in a 28-24 win over Florida, ranked No. 9 at the time.
"That was a tough night. We have to make a stop, but I put it on much more than just making a stop on defense," Meyer said earlier this week. "All we gotta do is go score. All we gotta do is not turn the ball over twice. Does it haunt us? Yeah.
"I'd expect the same type of atmosphere, same type of game."
But both teams also enter the game with question marks.
Florida lit up LSU's defense for 51 points last year in The Swamp, and the Tigers are seventh among SEC teams in total defense this season.
The Gators are still looking for a playmaker to stand out at wide receiver, an issue that could come to the foreground Saturday night if pocket passer John Brantley starts at quarterback instead of Tebow.
"I'm not sure how the SEC figured out that we get to play LSU every year, but we do," Meyer joked. "And we happen to get them right when they're loaded up real good with players.
"Just watch what happens in the next five years. A bunch of those cats are going to be playing NFL football, so are the Gators. This is two top-5 teams playing."
You can also follow College GameDay on Twitter: GameDayFootball or on the Web at www.collegegameday.com
