Opportunity ahead for Gators

Andre Caldwell takes losses as hard as anyone. But this one was easy to get over.

Only hours after Florida's heart-wrenching loss to Auburn on Saturday night, the senior wide receiver was strutting around and wearing an irrepressible Gator grin.

His blues were chased away by the new AP Poll that came out Sunday morning.

"I was happy Sunday morning when I woke up, seeing (LSU) jumped USC to No. 1," Caldwell said. "It will make it a little sweeter if we beat them. You want to beat the No. 1 team. The last time we played No. 1, we did a pretty good job in the national championship (game). LSU would have gotten my vote (for No. 1) this week just to play them."

Trying to rebound from a tough loss with a road trip to face the nation's No. 1 team might seem like a devilish and daunting task. Caldwell and his teammates don't necessarily look at it that way. They see this as a great opportunity.

A victory over LSU not only would ease the sting of the Auburn defeat, it would vault the Gators right back into the national title hunt. And, well, there's nothing quite like the feeling of taking down No. 1.

The Gators experienced that feeling only nine months ago, when they upset No. 1 Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS title game in Arizona.

A win Saturday night in Death Valley might even be considered a bigger upset because the perception is the Gators are way, way down after their loss to Auburn and the Tigers are way, way up after ascending to No. 1 Sunday.

"This is a great opportunity to come out there and shock the world," Caldwell said. "I know no one believes in us, but like I tell some of my teammates, I'd hate to be the team that has to play us this week because we're hungry. Auburn broke our hearts and we're looking for a little revenge on whoever is next."

The Gators also have a chance to make a little history Saturday night. If the Gators spring the upset, UF would be the first school in NCAA history to beat the No. 1 team in the AP Poll twice in the same calendar year. And it would put Urban Meyer in elite company, along with Bear Bryant and Frank Broyles, as only the third SEC coach to beat a No. 1 team twice while at an SEC school.

But this game isn't so much about history. It's about redemption, about righting the season after Saturday's big disappointment in The Swamp.

"It's a huge game for us," sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow said. "It's an opportunity where a lot of good can come from it. We're going to try and focus on that, getting better and getting ready to play.

"We have to come back (from the Auburn loss) ready to play. We're going to play a great team and have an opportunity to get right back in it (the national championship picture). We have to rally around each other and fight for each other. (The fact LSU is No. 1) is definitely even more motivation for us."

In its history, UF has played against the AP No. 1 team on eight occasions, the first coming in 1942 against Georgia (a 75-0 loss in Jacksonville) and the last coming on Jan. 8 against Ohio State. The Gators are 2-6 against No. 1 and have never beaten a No. 1 team in the regular season. UF's two victories were in the national championship game.

Despite the youth of this year's Florida team, despite the recent struggles on defense, the Gators seem eager for their next shot at No. 1.

"I've told my teammates that if you want to be a great team, this is a great opportunity," Caldwell said. "When everybody has you down and out and you step up to the challenge and stay focused on the task at hand and go out and beat those guys, then you're a great team. This is a great opportunity and this is the way we're looking at it. We're going to turn it all loose."

Robbie Andreu can be reached at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com.