GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Coming off a resounding Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl win over Michigan that will surely land Florida well within the Top 10 when the final 2018 rankings come out, coach Dan Mullen wasted little time letting his players who would be returning know what they're in for.

With two third-year players next to him on the stage in quarterback Feleipe Franks and Lamical Perine in his post-game press conference, Mullen immediately turned to 2019.

"I know what it will be like. Start it on Jan. 7, 2019," he said. "We'll enjoy this until then, and we'll get back to work. It's going to be the hardest off-season anybody's been through. We've got to take it to another step this off-season. Another level."

As the players on the podium with him smiled and chuckled, Mullen quickly turned and looked at them.

"I don't know what you're laughing about right there," the first-year Florida coach said. "You better turn it up, too. Life don't get any easier for you."

And that's probably A-OK with Florida's players at this point. After seeing what one hard offseason of work with director of strength and conditioning Nick Savage and Mullen and his staff produced, it shouldn't be hard to get the players to buy in.

In fact, the word "playoffs" has already crept onto the lips of just about everyone in the program.

But while Florida had a 10-win season and ended on a supremely high note, there's still a long, long way to go to make that a reality. Playoff teams don't drop games to teams like Kentucky and Missouri. They don't have to stage two come-from-behind wins from at least 17 points down.

All that said not to drain optimism, but to underscore the reality. A reality that Florida players are well aware of, even after a special season.

Mullen is thrilled with the buy-in he got in Year 1.

"To come here and to know where we were this time a year ago to where we are today, it's special to me," Mullen said. "They didn't have to buy in. They didn't have to believe. I told them, 'I didn't recruit you. You didn't come here to play for me, but you did come here to be a Florida Gator. And there's a certain standard that's expected if you're going to do that.'"

The Gators are beginning to understand that standard. Part of it is simply realizing that just because you put on that Florida uniform doesn't mean you're entitled to the playoffs, a sure spot in the NFL, or anything else, really.

You still have to earn it. Florida did that in the Peach Bowl against Michigan, and the Gators deserve all the hype they're going to get.

"It was great. Coming into next season, a lot of people are going to be talking about this game," running back Jordan Scarlett said. "Hopefully this game will get us ranked a little higher coming into next season. It should be a good one."

With that extra attention comes added responsibility. Handling success is a task unto itself.

Some of the veterans departing the Gators know that all too well. Senior Martez Ivey was a part of a 10-win team as a freshman. A team that won an SEC East title and played in the SEC Championship Game his first year. The team essentially repeated that feat in his sophomore season, winning nine games (would have been 10 without a hurricane cancellation) and reaching Atlanta again.

After that, it crumbled in a four-win season. Again, you're not entitled to anything.

That's the message Ivey will be leaving with the younger Gators as he heads out. They can reach the playoffs, but there's work to be done.

"Keep working. Every day act like it's your last," Ivey said. "That time comes fast. Four years, I remember I was at National Signing Day. It goes by fast. You never know."