Four hours before kicking off vs. Georgia in one of the top rivalry games in college football, Florida had to deal with a mess. 

A report surfaced that coach Jim McElwain may be on his way out at Florida, noting that agent Jimmy Sexton has been working with the university on a restructured buyout for the third-year coach of the Gators, but the two sides were "miles apart."

The university did not waste much time in denying that report.

"No one representing the University of Florida or our athletic department has had any conversations with Coach McElwain or his representatives regarding a buyout of his contract," athletics director Scott Stricklin said. "Our focus is on this great Florida-Georgia rivalry today."

This comes on the tail end of a strange week in Gainesville. During his Monday press conference, McElwain went off on a tangent about how his players, coaches and family has been treated amid the program's 3-3 start. Included in it was the mention of death threats.

"I think it's a pretty good lesson for the way things are," he said. "There's a lot of hate in this world and a lot of anger. And yet, it's freedom to show it. The hard part is, obviously, when it's threats against your own players, death threats to your families, the ill will that's brought upon out there. And yet, I think it's really one of those deals that really is a pretty good testament to what's going on out there nationally. There's a lot of angry people, and in this business, we're the ones you take the shots at. And that's the way it is."

Later that afternoon, the school met with McElwain and released a rather odd statement that seemed to suggest that things weren't as they seem.

"The University Athletic Association takes the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and families very seriously," spokesman Steve McClain said in a release. "Our administration met with coach McElwain this afternoon and he offered no additional details."

When asked later in the week about any additional details later in the week, McElwain refused again to expand on specifics.

"Yeah, I do, I feel bad for sometimes being open and being honest, and yet at the same time, you know, I've seen this movie, understand it and, you know, if it gets to a point, then we'll go from there," he said. "You know, when it becomes unmanageable, at that point, you know, like I said, I've got a lot of care and care for this program and these people."

Florida plays Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. The Gators are two-touchdown underdogs to the No. 3 Bulldogs -- a team that they currently hold a three-game winning streak over.