Florida's Jim McElwain Entering SEC Championship Game with Nothing to Lose

ATLANTA — Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain is playing with house money, and he knows it.

In his first season as the head coach of the Gators, McElwain has led his team to a 10-2 record, a 7-1 mark in conference and the first division title for the program since 2009.

As a reward, he'll square off against second-ranked Alabama as 18-point underdogs in the 2015 SEC Championship Game, according to Odds Shark.

Translation: McElwain has nothing to lose.

He certainly came off that way at the event's media day on Friday afternoon at the Georgia Dome.

"Not really excited about playing these creatures, but that's the way it goes," he said.

It just so happens that "those creatures" lead the conference in total defense (264.7 YPG), yards per play (4.14), scoring defense (14.3 PPG), sacks (41) and opponent first downs per game (14.1).

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To say that matches up poorly against Florida wouldn't be accurate. It matches up to be a disaster.

The Gators are 12th in the conference in total offense (351.9 YPG) and yards per play (5.16) and are 10th in scoring offense (25.3 PPG). They averaged just 13.75 points per game in November.

How does McElwain feel about his team's offense "struggling?"

"That'd be an understatement," he joked.

Harsh? Perhaps.

But also accurate. Florida has self-scouted itself and knows its offense is what's preventing the outside world from giving the program the respect that most 10-2 teams garner. The Gators have struggled up front, giving up 15 sacks over the last four games. They have also dealt with the regression of backup quarterback Treon Harris—who regained the starting job after Will Grier's suspension in October—and the inability to stretch the field deep.

McElwain welcomes that criticism with open arms.

This is the kind of attitude Florida needs if it's going to pull off the upset. 

Loose.

Relaxed.

Accepting the challenge it faces rather than downplaying it or attempting to change the narrative.

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When pressed on Harris' athleticism and the possibility of more designed runs and other zone-read elements that can stress Alabama's defense, McElwain still played the roll of the gambler playing with house money.

"Yeah, he may be running anyway just naturally for his life, right," he said. "No, that's something, quarterback-run-wise, they are created sometimes. We have done it a little bit. Probably not something that's—let the scrambles happen."

McElwain, the former Colorado State head coach and Alabama offensive coordinator, is known for his laid-back approach to football, and life in general. If that attitude was infectious enough to penetrate his locker room this week, that's big news for a Gator team that's limping into the Georgia Dome after falling 27-2 last weekend to intrastate rival Florida State.

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The 18-point spread is the second-largest in SEC Championship Game history, according to VegasInsider.com. The largest SEC Championship Game spread was in 1995 when the Gators were 24-point favorites over Arkansas and covered in a 34-3 win. 

"Well, I feel sorry for whoever was the biggest, I guess, underdog if we're only the second-biggest," he said. "We have an opportunity to go play the game. Everybody in this conference, their goal is to get to Atlanta, right? And you know what, the Florida Gators are in Atlanta. I'm OK with that."

One thing will be on the line Saturday for Florida. If the SEC champion doesn't make the playoff, it gets a berth in the Allstate Sugar Bowl to square off against the top non-playoff Big 12 team. A loss would almost certainly keep the 18th-ranked Gators behind No. 13 Ole Miss. However, even with a loss, Florida should be headed to a prestigious New Year's Day bowl game. 

No secrets were given away at media day, but one thing was abundantly clear—McElwain is relaxed, treating the game as a bonus and enjoying the moment.

"I can't tell you how happy I am for them to have this experience because I know the couple experiences I've had, it's something that you remember for the rest of your life."

That's the best mindset to create a happy ending.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.