GAINESVILLE -- Take away all the pageantry.

Take away quarterback Tim Tebow's final Gator Walk. Take away the pregame ceremony honoring the University of Florida's record-setting senior class. Take away the final home game for some of the Gators' best players in school history. Take it all away.

None of it matters if No. 1 Florida (11-0) loses to rival Florida State (6-5) on Saturday. Only the loss will be remembered. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida is a 24 ½-point favorite.

``This game is huge,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said.

The risk-reward scenario for Saturday's game frightens Meyer.

The Gators have won 21 games in a row, a school record. Florida is chasing something it never has accomplished in 103 years of football: an undefeated season.

Meyer never has lost to Florida State, and the Seminoles haven't come close to beating the Gators in two years.

The expectations are overwhelming.

Florida's senior quarterback is a Heisman Trophy candidate and one of the best players in Southeastern Conference history. Florida State's quarterback, E.J. Manuel, is a freshman who has started just two games. Florida's defense is ranked No. 2 in the country, allowing 229.82 yards per game.

FSU's defense is ranked 106th nationally, giving up 434.36 yards per game.

The only thing that might not favor Florida on Saturday is the one element of a rivalry game that can make all the difference: the will to survive.

It is not a trivial factor, and Meyer knows it. To balance the expectations and the opponent, to guard against his most primal fear, complacency, Meyer addressed his team this week with a speech. The message: This is the most important game of your career.

``This will be -- I don't want to say it but I say it to them -- this is as big a game as this school as ever had at the University of Florida,'' Meyer said. ``We're honored to play in it. We know who we're playing against, and we're going to take this real serious.''

The mental preparation required of the Gators for Saturday's regular-season finale began the moment Florida defeated FIU 62-3. Instead of celebrating the victory after the game, Meyer shifted the focus to Florida State. The Seminoles will be playing for their embattled coach, Bobby Bowden, for their retiring defensive coordinator, Mickey Andrews, and for the chance to ruin Florida's perfect season on the perfect day, Senior Day for Tebow.

``Anybody can beat Florida, but they have to execute. We have to execute and do our jobs for it to happen. Anybody can lose,'' Andrews said. ``To go down there and win at Florida wouldn't erase the whole year, but it would certainly have a strong effect and make a statement as you've made progress and now you've accomplished something huge.''

The records of Florida and Florida State will not be similar Saturday but, as far as Meyer is concerned, the athletes for both teams will be comparable. On Monday, Meyer said that he and coaching staff ``recruited every single one'' of Florida State's players.

``What makes FSU dangerous is their athletes,'' Meyer said. ``I wish they didn't have great players, and it wouldn't be a serious threat. It's all personnel driven, and the team we're playing has not good but excellent personnel.''

In reality, the Seminoles do not match up well with Florida, and the engine of the Gators' powerful rushing attack is also the source of Florida's collective will.

In two years, Tebow has accounted for nine touchdowns against FSU. For four years, Florida's quarterback has approached every game like it's his last.

On Saturday, Tebow's final home game shouldn't be any different.