None of it surprises me anymore, sad to say. We're used to all the haters, figure it has something to do with our success, but it seems to go beyond that--and knows no bounds!
The way it extended to Meyer , and apparently felt so DEEPLY, bordering on hateful anger, has always puzzled me, though--and it continues even now, with his stepping down from duties at UF. I have no frame of reference with which to connect to it; I loathed being over-shadowed by SOW and the "eeewww" at various times past, despised things about their teams, their fans AND their coaches--but never made it PERSONAL. Much as I reject Canes-arrogance, I RESPECTED Randy Shannon. We played some pretty hairy pranks on Seminole fans back in the day, and they on us, but I laughed at Bobby's jokes and couldn't HELP but like and respect him--no matter how much we enjoyed all the ways Spurrier tweaked him, every chance he got.
This is something else, something new, a reflection of some deep sickness out there. Whatever else you might feel about Urban Meyer-the-Gator, the former coach who had so much success in his time at Florida, this is an honorable, serious and dedicated individual in his professional life, whatever he is engaged in, and a warm, caring family man in his personal life, by every sign and manner in which these things can be objectively judged. Like many successful people, he has reached the heights of his profession by putting everything else in his life aside and or on hold while he strove to achieve; now even he has had second thoughts about that road. How that becomes the object of such deep and abiding contempt and hostility is beyond me. You'd think that these folks would just be happy and relieved to see his back, wave goodbye and move on, hoping maybe now they'll get a better crack at beating us consistently.
Instead, it goes on--even darkens. Hopefully it peters out over time, fades away, as new frustrations and reasons-for-anger-and-resentment arise in their small and warped little lives. Here's a hopeful thought: Maybe our NEW staff, our new COACH will have the kind of rampant success, along with his high-energy outgoing personality, that makes these types forget Urban Meyer, or (even better) make 'em wish he never left!