Congratulations Florida. Now prepare not to win the national championship.

If history is an indicator Florida being picked as the preseason No. 1 in the coaches poll is a sloppy smooch filled with venom. Or, if you prefer, the kiss of death.

Only once in the last two decades has a program gone wire-to-wire to win a national championship in the coaches poll. Historical perspective is bad enough for the Gators but now they must swallow this tidbit: The only team to do it was Florida State in 1999.

The Seminoles started the season No. 1 and ran the table including the Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. In this age of the Bowl Championship Series, that's basically what Florida has to do to defend its No. 1 anointment in the coaches poll on Friday.

Win them all.

"We have to make sure our players understand we have not won anything yet," Florida coach Steve Spurrier said.

"We have to make sure our players understand they're not quite as good as everybody's telling them. We've all seen what publicity does to a lot of schools. This time last year all of you were talking about Alabama, third in the country, and they were talking about a national championship."

The Crimson Tide's flameout was one of the more spectacular in history. Alabama, picked by some to be the preseason SEC favorite in 2000, fell from the rankings while falling from grace, finishing 3-8.

That alone should be a huge warning sign for the Gators.

"Everybody read the magazine and newspaper articles," Alabama tight end Terry Jones Jr. said. "We thought people were going to lay down for us. That made it even harder. That made it so they didn't want to lay down. Plus, being ranked third in the nation put a big burden on us."

The Gators enter 2001 with the most talent they've had since 1996. Now they've been voted atop the preseason coaches poll for the third time since 1994. The two previous times Florida was a preseason favorite, 1994 and 1997, it lost two games each season.

The 1994 ranking went away midway through the season with a loss at home to Auburn. LSU upset the No. 1 Gators in 1997.

Ironically, sandwiched in between those seasons was Florida's 1996 national championship. That year the Gators started No. 4 in the coaches poll. So when Spurrier got the No. 1 news this week, he probably yawned. It's not bad coming from behind. Tennessee started at No. 10 in the coaches poll before winning the 1998 title. Oklahoma started out at No. 20 last season.

The 2000 season ended with a thud for Florida (10-3). It lost two of its last three to Florida State and Miami (in the Sugar Bowl). The Gators were pushed around in both games. The rushing offense finished 91st in the country. The defense gave up an unimpressive 346 yards per game.

"We're not quite as good as most have predicted this summer but that's OK," Spurrier said. "For some reason a lot of people think we have one of the best teams around. We do, but not based on the way we played last year."

Still, two superstars emerged -- defensive back/return specialist Lito Sheppard and receiver Jabar Gaffney. It is surprises like those that have helped the Gators dominate the best conference in the country under Spurrier, winning seven of the last 11 SEC titles. Seventeen starters return to a team that has something to prove.

The Florida Gators better not start celebrating too early.(Allsport)

Spurrier suggested that the Gators didn't "compete" as hard as in previous years. That made for an interesting spring.

"Some of our scrimmages felt like a Florida-Florida State game," defensive end Alex Brown said.

It's good to be prepared early. The rivals meet Nov. 17 in Gainesville with most likely everything on the line. Again. The two schools are the only ones in the country to play in a January bowl each of the past eight seasons. Florida State is fifth in the preseason coaches poll.

But the heartbreak of an upset seems to hit some unsuspecting favorite each year. And it's not like Florida has a lock on anything just yet. Nine different teams received at least one first-place vote in the coaches poll. Three of those are from the Big 12 -- Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma.

The Associated Press preseason poll will be released next week. The Football Writers Association of America named the Gators its preseason No. 1 earlier this week.

"Hype? Not with Coach Spurrier, there's no way," Florida center Zac Zedalis said. "Every coach is obviously drilled not to let it get to us. All summer long we talked about the SEC and (opener against) Marshall. That's exactly what we're thinking about is Marshall.

"We might be ranked No. 1 but we haven't played one game. Oklahoma hasn't lost a game, they should be No. 1."

The defending champion Sooners are No. 3 in the coaches poll but have embraced the hype and all that goes with it.

"Physically, we're much better," Oklahoma offensive lineman Frank Romero said. "Talent-wise, we've got some great recruits. We're full of confidence. We're riding high. There's a little swagger to us, while realizing that we're not going to overlook anything."

During the offseason it was expected that Miami (No. 2 in the coaches) would get some mention as a preseason No. 1. But if the 'Canes aren't on top of the AP poll next week they will get shut out in the preseason. That should only add to their incentive after being denied a spot in the Orange Bowl last season.

"We're ready, we're ready right now. If we had a game tomorrow I think we'll try to blow somebody out," Miami safety Ed Reed said.

Meanwhile, history says the Gators face a difficult task. Florida State is the only program in the coaches poll to begin and end the season No. 1. Before winning them all in 1999, Bobby Bowden won his first title in 1993. The 'Noles started No. 1, lost to Notre Dame in mid-November, and then regained the No. 1 spot when the Irish later lost to Boston College.

Ohio State also came close in 1998, debuting at No. 1 but finishing No. 2 in the coaches.

The burden of being the best is now Florida's.

"We know that we have a great program and we aren't full of ourselves about," Zedalis said. "Even after every win, coach always tells us that there is someone out there better. If you think about it, there is always someone better."