Will Bama Loss Motivate Gators?

Florida came oh-so-close to beating almighty Alabama, and that is the type of performance off which you can build.

So it wouldn't be a surprise if coach Dan Mullen and the Gators were excited about the possibilities this weekend vs. unranked Tennessee.

One thing we do know is Mullen has been pleased with his team's preparation.

"I love the attitude this team has," Mullen told reporters. "We came out really hungry for Monday's practice. But I was a little concerned. It was a little quiet there on the field. Normally we're a little bit more boisterous as a team, a little more shouty, having a good time.

"So I got a little bit nervous getting out there, like, 'Hey, are we going to respond?' I'll tell you what, it was one of our better practices. They came out with a very serious, workman-like attitude, of understanding that we've got to fix. You're not going to win and play championship-level football making some of the mental errors we made. So they understood and came out and wanted to work to get better, to improve things, and play at a higher level as a team as we move forward. So I think it's been a pretty good week of practice."

Things will be different this week. This week, the 11th-ranked Gators are the favorites. Unlike their matchup against Alabama, there's very little buzz about a game vs. Tennessee. So Florida is aiming to stay on high alert, avoid a letdown and show the world that taking Alabama to the wire was no fluke.

"I feel like Tennessee's coming in here and it's always a big rivalry game against Tennessee," Gators cornerback Kaiir Elam told reporters. "I feel like our main focus should be improving and dominating, honestly.”

You can read much more about the Florida-Tennessee matchup in this post from OutKick's Trey Wallace.