It’s pretty clear at this point that Florida coach Jim McElwain and Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh don’t like each other.

The conflict stems from the Citrus Bowl two seasons ago, when the Wolverines humiliated the Gators 41-7. They were still throwing touchdown passes and kicking field goals well into the fourth quarter with the outcome long since decided, too.

That was the first year for McElwain and Harbaugh in their current positions. They will meet again Saturday, as UF and UM kick off the 2017 campaign at AT&T Stadium in Arlington — it’s one of five neutral-site matchups for the SEC in Week 1. Florida is No. 17 in the preseason AP Poll, while Michigan is No. 11.

McElwain has been awfully coy with regard to his quarterback situation throughout fall camp, and he’s refused to name a starter.

It’s quite possible that he genuinely doesn’t know who to choose between incumbent Luke Del Rio, freshly redshirted Feleipe Franks and graduate transfer Malik Zaire. They all offer a specific skill set at QB and are very different players.

On the other hand, coaches look for every opportunity — be it real or imagined — to gain the upper hand from a game-planning perspective. Even if his answers to the constant signal caller questions have provided precious little insight, chances are McElwain has known his strategy at the game’s most important position for some time.

McElwain even joked at his press conference Monday that true freshman athlete Kadarius Toney will start in the wildcat formation.

“The quarterback situation, we have a plan that’s in place,” McElwain said, according to 247Sports. “I’m not going to tell you what it is, so there’s no reason to ask, but we’re excited about that. We’ll leave that for them to guess, as well.”

Even seasoned beat reporters who have covered Florida for years appear to have no clue who's going to take snaps from center.

Del Rio started six games in 2016, and although his record was 5-1, he only completed 56.7 percent of his passes with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of an even 8-to-8. He also missed the entirety of spring practice following shoulder surgery.

Franks — he has the highest ceiling of the trio but the lowest floor — seemed to secure the job during spring ball by outplaying fellow redshirt freshman Kyle Trask. However, the arrival of Zaire from Notre Dame threw a monkey wrench at the competition. All three of them have taken reps with the ones the last few weeks.

Even seasoned beat reporters who have covered Florida for years appear to have no clue who’s going to take snaps from center.

Harbaugh, ever the agitator, has taken the skullduggery to the next level instead of just responding in kind. Not only has he also kept his starting field general a secret, but he won’t even provide the Gators brass with an official roster.

Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

More than likely, it’s going to be senior Wilton Speight (above) directing Michigan’s offense. He was the guy for the majority of this past season, connecting on 61.6 percent of his throws with a TD-to-INT ratio of 18-to-7. That being said, he did lose his final three starts to Iowa, Ohio State and then Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

As far as Harbaugh is concerned, he’s simply following McElwain’s lead. Anything the Gators can do, the Wolverines can do better.

"He obviously felt that they needed to do some things to become relevant. That was his choice in doing it. It's probably not something I'd do. That’s all right." -- Florida coach Jim McElwain on Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh

“I have not heard Florida announce who their starting quarterback is going to be,” Harbaugh said Monday, according to 247Sports. “We’d love to have that information, so we’re not going to announce our starting quarterback.

“As I said before, people make a lot of big deal about not announcing our roster or not revealing who our starting quarterback is going to be. I have not seen a starting quarterback come out of Florida. Yes, we would like to have that information from them. I’m sure they’d like to have that information from us. But right now, neither is giving that information.”

Yes, Del Rio tends to be a traditional pocket passer. Sure, Franks offers more pure arm strength to launch the pigskin down the field vertically. Absolutely, Zaire is the premier athlete of the bunch and might excel on read-option calls.

That being said, UF isn’t going to completely transform its offense one way or the other. McElwain is still the coach. Doug Nussmeier is still the coordinator. Subtle changes? Of course — Zaire would surely utilize his legs more than Del Rio or Franks. But it’s not like Florida will come out in the wishbone and catch Michigan totally off guard.

Additionally, coaches always tell reporters that it’s immaterial what the other team does. They do what they do regardless.

But they can’t have it both ways. Either it matters or it doesn’t. So if Florida and Michigan are, well, Florida and Michigan once toe finally meets leather, then there’s no danger in releasing a fully detailed depth chart at every spot.

Are the Gators going to throw their hands in the air if someone other than Speight takes a snap? No, they’re not. Will the Wolverines drop into the fetal position if Zaire enters the huddle after spending the first series on the bench? No, they’re not. Football is more arithmetic than calculus — no matter what the experts want you to believe.

Few coaches push an opponent’s buttons more than Harbaugh, and it’s obvious that McElwain isn’t a fan of his bombastic style.

“He obviously felt that they needed to do some things to become relevant,” McElwain said of Harbaugh. “That was his choice in doing it. It’s probably not something I’d do. That’s all right.”

McElwain is guilty himself, though. He started this silly game of cloak-and-dagger. Harbaugh just took it to the next level.