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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Citadel quarterback Bart Blanchard can't stroll to class or stand in a lunch line without a fellow cadet head over "Hooo-Rah" heels about the Bulldogs' trip to third-ranked Florida on Saturday.

"They all keep talking to us, 'We're ready for The Swamp,"' Blanchard said. "But they don't have play in the game."

That's left to the Bulldogs, the small military college that plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA.

In preparation for the game Citadel coach Kevin Higgins has taken the approach that the season-closing contest is his team's postseason after snapping a six-game losing streak last Saturday in a 24-21 home win against Western Carolina.

"As I talk to our players, 'Hey guys, this is a bowl game,"' the coach said. "Our regular season's over. We've got a chance to play a bowl game."

One where they are such a heavy underdog there's no betting line.

No surprise there. Florida has obliterated its past six Southeastern Conference foes, including preseason No. 1 Georgia, by an average margin of 49-10.

Last week, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier brought the SEC's No. 1 defense into the stadium he christened "The Swamp" and left with the most lopsided loss of his college career, 56-6.

"We saw what they did," standout receiver Andre Roberts said. "We can't worry about that."

If any team knows about long odds, it's The Citadel.

The Bulldogs gained Appalachian State-style headlines in 1992 when it upset Arkansas 10-3, the Razorbacks dumping coach Jack Crowe the next day. Two years earlier, Citadel toppled South Carolina 38-35.

"We hear about those all the time," Roberts says with a grin.

They've been less successful against big-time opponents in recent years, going 0-8 the past five seasons including a 45-17 loss at Clemson in September.

While the $450,000 guarantee it gets from Florida supports the athletic department, the Bulldogs hope they can scare the Gators like they did to Wisconsin last season.

That's when the undermanned Bulldogs had most of the 80,327 at Camp Randall Stadium in shock, tying the seventh-ranked Badgers 21-21. Even though Wisconsin rallied to win 45-31, Roberts says he remembers how quiet things were. "It's possible," Roberts says. "You can line up against these guys and have success."

Higgins, as a coach and a father, has the ultimate respect for Florida coach Urban Meyer. Higgins son, Tim, was a walk-on under former Gators coach Ron Zook and remained when Meyer took over. When fans at The Swamp called out for Tim in a game against Western Carolina during the Gators' national championship run, Meyer let him take a handoff from Tim Tebow.

So it was no surprise that Higgins' uses Florida's program as a model for his Bulldogs.

When some Bulldogs questioned Higgins' weekend regimen last season, he told them, "Listen, this is how the national champion University of Florida does it. If they can do that, than certainly we can do it as well."

The younger Higgins brought Florida's work ethic to The Citadel last season when he played receiver for his father in his final year of eligibility. "We talk a lot about their program," the coach said.

Higgins has shown as much if not more film on Florida this week, partly to minimize the mystique of a team possibly on the way to a second national crown under Meyer.

Higgins has several keys for his guys: No turnovers; ball control; don't give up the quick score; show a solid punt game; and play without fear.

"You've got to play loose. There's got to be a certain amount of intensity and focus like we carry into every game," Higgins said. "But you can't go into this game scared to make a mistake. You've got to go in thinking you'll do the job done."

Higgins, who also coached an FCS school in Lehigh, calls this a "mirror game" for his players.

"You get up on Sunday morning, look in the mirror and you'll be able to answer that question, 'Can I play at this level?"' Higgins said.

Blanchard, Citadel's quarterback, thinks many Bulldogs have proved they can play in the FBS off their performances at Wisconsin and Clemson the past two seasons.

"We understand who our opponent is, don't get me wrong about that," Blanchard said. "But we're treating it like it's just another game week."

Even if no one else is.