HOOVER, Ala. — Florida wildly exceeded expectations in 2015.

The Gators will be in position to do so again in 2016, which is unusual for any division champ but particularly odd for one with their pedigree.

Florida, which received just one vote to win the SEC East last preseason, might not even receive that when ballots are counted and results released Thursday. Tennessee is expected to be the runaway favorite, ahead of Georgia.

Florida? The Gators might be lumped in with the rest of the chasers.

Offensive lineman David Sharpe said Monday that the Gators are well aware of how much preseason attention others are receiving — and how little they are.

“We’re very motivated by it,” he said at SEC Media Days. “We are ready to play those guys. … We can’t wait to play those two.”

Marcus Maye played along a bit too, saying the Gators have heard the talk. Both were merely setting the stage for linebacker Jarrad Davis.

Davis is part of a senior class that is 5-1 against their two division rivals. Davis said there’s nothing new to the hype surrounding Tennessee and Georgia. He said it’s been that way since he arrived in Gainesville.

“Playing them, we know we can come out and win those games,” he said, “but the way they are talked about in the offseason, that motivates us even more to go out and beat them.”

Davis is aware of what’s being said and who’s saying it, but added that none of July’s noise matters much in October.

“During the season, it’s time to go out and see who can step up and be a man,” he said. “We’ve been able to do that each and every year.”

Coach Jim McElwain joked about all of the new faces the Gators have and the role their youth is playing in their lack of preseason recognition.

“I think the happiest people on our campus are the people that are going to sell programs because there’s a whole bunch of new jerseys out there,” he said, “and that will be a lot of fun for people to figure out who they are.”