The biggest buzz about Saturday's Charleston Southern game may have been a point spread that never was.
USA Today's Danny Sheridan released what he expected the betting spread should be between the Gators and the Buccaneers.
Problem is initial reports got Sheridan's line wrong. The sports betting analyst has Florida as only 63-point favorites against Football Championship Subdivision member Charleston Southern, as opposed to the 73-point spread some media outlets reported.
Still the large margin and the fact that the Bucs are about to play the defending champions has drawn a lot of attention to a small school in Charleston, S.C., which has only 3,200 students.
Charleston Southern coach Jay Mills said he hasn't used the point spread as motivation, because, well, there's already plenty of it there.
"I don't think you can add any incentives," Mills said. "Defending national champions, No. 1-ranked team in the country, former Heisman Trophy winner and probably one of the preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy this year - I don't think there's anything you can do to add incentive or attention to this ball game."
It will be quite the uphill battle for the Buccaneers inside The Swamp. The result the last time the Gators faced a FCS opponent was a 70-19 Florida victory against The Citadel on Nov. 22.
And Charleston Southern finished only 7-5 last season. The Buccaneers were picked to finish fifth in the seven-team Big South Conference in 2009.
"We're going there with the purpose you should have each and every week which is to win the football game," Mills said. "That's the number one objective every time you take the field.
"But at the same time, this is still supposed to be about young men and the educational opportunities they have.
"This is an opportunity for them to have an experience that most likely they never would've gotten."
While FCS member Appalachian State shocked Michigan two years ago, this matchup appears to be even more of a sure thing. Charleston Southern opened the 2008 season at Miami and lost 52-7.
Still, Florida coach Urban Meyer said it is a good opportunity to see how young players perform in front of a big crowd in a game that counts in the standings as well as refining execution on both sides of the ball.
Charleston Southern runs mostly a spread-option offense, and the Gators' defense is preparing to see something similar to the offense it plays against every day in practice.
"We're not taking them lightly by any means," receiver David Nelson said. "We're going into this week as we would any other week."
As for the Bucs are concerned, the Gators have already helped them out. Mills said UF's decision to put Charleston Southern on its schedule encouraged other major programs to schedule the Bucs. Charleston Southern will receive $450,000 for playing Florida on Saturday.
"Thanks to the University of Florida for giving us this opportunity. We'll be forever indebted," Mills said. "We're excited about the additional exposure that the football team has received. We know that the 90,000 in attendance for this game is going to be unlike anything we've ever seen before."
