Maybe in a different time and place, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga would be able to put its best foot forward Saturday against Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Florida State, the No. 16 team in the nation.
But since the Mocs, ranked eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision, have a much bigger goal ahead, that might not be the case.
The game will begin at 3 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla., and will be televised on Fox Sports Regional. The Mocs have clinched the Southern Conference's automatic bid into the 24-team FCS playoff field, so it's likely key players won't play or will play sparingly as they prepare for what they hope is a lengthy playoff run.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher called the Mocs an "excellent football team."
"They lost a tough game to Jacksonville State earlier in the year, and we know Jacksonville State battled Auburn right to the wire," Fisher said in his Monday media conference. "Had them all the way. So this team is a team that's used to playing FBS teams and used to having success, so we will have to play an 'A' game."
Fisher knows a thing about coaching at both levels, having spent time as the head coach at UTC's SoCon foe Samford.
"Our kids were ecstatic to have the opportunity to go down there and play and play against them and test themselves," Fisher said. "A lot of them wanted to be Division I players and see what they were and have that opportunity and it was a good payday that helped build our program."
UTC will receive $550,000 from Florida State for the game.
Mocs coach Russ Huesman wasn't ready to speculate on players' availability after Saturday's 31-23 win over The Citadel, which fell four spots to No. 24 in one FCS poll and 25th in another with the loss.
"I don't know. We have no idea," he said with a laugh. "I know we're going to lift weights tomorrow, meet and go over this film and have a pool workout. From that point on, I have no idea. We'll figure that out as coaches.
"I know we're going to get on a bus Friday to go to Florida State, and we're excited about that."
Offensive coordinator Jeff Durden hinted that a lot of players different than usual would receive playing time against the Seminoles.
"We've got to be very smart," he said. "Staying healthy is the key right now. Florida State is a great football program and we'll have our work cut out for us, but you do this as a 1-AA team. You play the big game.
"Our kids will be excited. We have to go try to find a way to move the football against them, but the No. 1 priority is taking care of the players. It's on me to make sure we come out healthy, so we have to run the right kinds of plays. There's things you can do from a formation standpoint and a personnel standpoint to make sure you get to that next week."
The players are going to want to play, however. Quarterback Jacob Huesman, who Monday was named SoCon offensive player of the week, is 3 rushing yards away from 1,000 for the season. Running back Derrick Craine is 34 yards away. To reach those marks against a team like Florida State would be special, but it's not a priority.
The Seminoles feature dynamic tailback Dalvin Cook, who has 1,231 yards and 12 touchdowns and is considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. For Mocs linebacker Nakevion Leslie, that's a challenge he hopes to face this week.
"We're just going to approach this week how we do every week," said Leslie, who had 15 tackles against The Citadel. "We're going to watch film, practice hard and get ready to play another game. I'm hoping I get to play a lot; I like playing in big games - it's pretty exciting.
"I'm really trying to see where I'm at."
Alcoa's Decker picks Mocs
The Mocs picked up a commitment from Jonathan Decker, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive lineman from Alcoa High School.
The two-star prospect is ranked as the 65th best player in the state of Tennessee and chose the Mocs over 12 other offers, including FBS programs Appalachian State, Army and Charlotte. He's a two-time Class 3A all-stater and a 2013 state champion with the Tornadoes, playing for legendary coach Gary Rankin.
"UTC is getting a tough kid, a great athlete for a lineman," Rankin said. "He's one of the best defensive linemen I've coached since I've been coaching. Day in or day out, it doesn't matter if it's the jamboree or the state championship, he's going to give the same effort every day.
"They really got a good football player."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.