It was a team vote, as my post stated

I was out of the country in fall 1971 (an 8-year-old in England during my dad's first sabbatical from ND), but from news reports, it seemed the Gator was simply not attractive enough for the players. The reports didn't discuss dissension or unhappiness, but logic suggests factors like that outweighed late December in Jacksonville as far as a majority of players were concerned.

The 1975 team also voted against a potential bowl bid, after they dropped to 7-3 with a disheartening loss at Pitt. I recall upperclassmen being particularly against going to a bowl that year (even though the Cotton was potentially in play even at 7-3), while freshmen and sophomores were more inclined to go. I'm not sure if a similar split existed in 1971 -- freshmen weren't even eligible, and 1975 had the added issue of a new head coach who was not beloved by many juniors or seniors, to put it diplomatically -- but it wouldn't surprise me if 1971 seniors were less enthused than sophomores about Gator Bowl prospects.