GAINESVILLE -- No. 1 Florida's matchup with Vanderbilt on Saturday might be a good time for coach Urban Meyer to take out some frustrations.

After his Gators rolled past rival Georgia 41-17 last week, clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game and answered critics of their offense, it appeared life would get a bit easier for Meyer.

But with his star linebacker on the bench because of a much-publicized suspension and his pockets lighter, Meyer will still be surrounded by plenty of what he refers to as ``Florida nonsense'' when the Gators face the Commodores.

Meyer was hit with a $30,000 fine from the SEC on Friday for criticizing the officials who worked last week's game, making him the first coach to be fined by the conference this season. His comment centered around a late hit by a Georgia linebacker on quarterback Tim Tebow that wasn't called, and Meyer apologized after the punishment was handed down.

``As I stated last week, I have great respect for commissioner Mike Slive and the Southeastern Conference, and I respect this decision,'' Meyer said. ``There was no intent to criticize an official after being asked about a situation that occurred last Saturday, and I apologize for my remarks.''

The fine came two days after Meyer lengthened linebacker Brandon Spikes' suspension from a half to a full game against Vanderbilt for his eye-gouging attempt against a Georgia player.

That incident drew a lot of attention -- both for the act and for Meyer's initial suspension -- and a positive outing would help the Gators (8-0, 6-0 SEC) put these off-field issues behind them. Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5 SEC) should be a good punching bag. The Commodores haven't beaten UF since 1988, losing the past two meetings by 28 and 27 points.

Vanderbilt has lost five games in a row and averages half as many points per game as the Gators. To make matters worse, starting quarterback Larry Smith is out for the rest of the season after tearing a hamstring against Georgia Tech last Saturday.

All this sets up for an easy victory, and there will be plenty of motivation for Tebow to have a big day. His bid for a second Heisman Trophy hinges on a strong finish to the season, a stretch that helped Tebow win the 2007 Heisman.

In 2007, he racked up 21 touchdowns in the final four games of the regular season, and he has accounted for five TDs in both of his appearances against Vanderbilt.

In a down statistical year by his standards, Tebow's chances will depend on wins and touchdowns, two categories that rest heavily on his teammates and their level of motivation. And with the stated goal of a division title in hand, Florida must guard against complacency.

``I think that would be an option, but I don't think it's an option for this team,'' Tebow said. ``We know that every week we're going to get that team's best, and we're going to have to play well.''

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