In the race to the BCS, even cupcake victories matter

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Playing a Division I-AA team can be all about deferred gratification.

For the Florida Gators, Saturday's home game against The Citadel at 1:30 p.m. might be worth more to the Gators' Bowl Championship Series possibilities in a month than in a week.

With Oklahoma, ranked No. 5 in the BCS standings, playing No. 2 Texas Tech the same day, a Sooners win in Norman could help them vault past the Gators (9-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference).

But if it's really true that the Gators (No. 4 in BCS) are destined for the national title as long as they win out - which many experts are predicting - than this week's game is simply a way to stay fresh without the rigors of an SEC or rivalry game.

Players can rest up their bodies for an efficient stretch run that includes Florida State next week and the SEC title game against Alabama on Dec. 6. Younger players can showcase their skills and develop.

Jerry Palm, independent college football analyst and director of the site CollegeBCS.com, said Florida still "controls its own destiny" whether it beats the I-AA Bulldogs (4-7, 2-6 Southern Conference) by 8 or 60 points.

"It could be a drain on their computer rankings this week, but everybody has a Citadel," Palm said.

Not exactly. Since 1996, only three national champions played a I-AA opponent the same year - all from the Southeastern Conference. The Gators played Georgia Southern in 1996 and Western Carolina in 2006, scoring 62 points in each win.

LSU defeated Western Illinois, 35-7, during its Nick Saban-led championship run in 2003.

Every powerhouse is different in their nonconference scheduling. Half of the nation's current top-10 teams have played a Division I-AA opponent, including two by Texas Tech.

No. 6 USC, meanwhile, has never played a I-AA foe.

It's hard to say Florida will be hurt in the BCS by playing a lower-division foe. At this stage of the season in 2006, the Gators actually jumped from No. 6 in the No. 4 in the computer-component of the BCS formula when they smashed Western Carolina on Nov. 18. In the overall rankings that week, they held firm in the No. 4 spot overall behind Ohio State, Michigan and USC.

It's also not likely that Texas Tech would stay in front of the Gators if the Red Raiders lose to Oklahoma, Palm said, though he noted, "I never underestimate voters."

Penn State, No. 8 in the BCS, has a chance to advance with a win over No. 15 Michigan State, but the Nittany Lions likely need too much help to regain national-title footing.

"Oklahoma can jump (the Gators) because they are in a good spot and a win over Texas Tech would be worth a lot," Palm said.

"But Florida knows what it has to do. They play a tough enough schedule overall to have it balance out in the end."

Instead of worrying about the BCS, Coach Urban Meyer would rather prepare for The Citadel like any other week, though he admits "it would be silly" to treat this week with the same intensity and buildup as others such as Georgia or LSU.

The Bulldogs have lost their past five road games.

"Our Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday practice was a phenomenal practice last week," Meyer said. "If we don't get the same, then we start over. Our guys know that.

"So we're going to get a good 24 periods of practice in on Tuesday. Sometimes it goes 35 periods. So we're going to get good work. Now the players can decide to make every period count. If they do we'll have a good, crisp practice and we're out of here. They know that. I'm expecting them to do that."

When you're playing this well, why change anything?

The Gators are on one of the most dominant six-game stretches in SEC history, beating conference opponents by an average of 39.3 points per game during that span. The Gators are the only SEC team to win six in a row in the conference by 28 or more points.

Cornerback Joe Haden said it's crucial this time of year to focus on the preparation, not the caliber of the opponent.

"In the locker room right before the game, we have so much balled-up energy and get so hyped that it doesn't matter who we play," Haden said. "We've got a plan, and we're going to execute it. Just knowing that this team is in the way of what we're trying to accomplish."

If the energy is high before the game, it's likely relaxed after the game. By the end of the third quarter, most of the starters are glued to the bench with a blowout on their hands.

"Oh, I can get used to that," linebacker Brandon Spikes said.