USF is missing from this article

[flsportsfan83]

Rest of the state should hate Florida Gators

Published January 14, 2007

GAINESVILLE -- OK, Florida State fans. And UCF fans. And, yes, even the half-dozen Miami fans still out there. Time for all of you to come together for that one unifying, galvanizing goal:

It's great to hate the Florida Gators.

This is an emergency. This is a five-alarm, code-red call to arms. You must muster more hatred than you ever thought possible to offset the massive Gator lovefest going on across the state and around the nation.

The Gator genuflection reached DEFCON level Saturday when 70,000 fans piled into The Swamp to celebrate the 41-14 national championship victory against Ohio University, er, State. Can you believe it? More fans showed up for a UF pep rally than show up for two Miami home games.

They cheered and chanted and swayed and swaggered Saturday, letting the whole world know that the Gator gall and orange-and-blue braggadocio is back and more grating than ever.

One fan held up a sign that said, "Back on top. Back where we belong."

And Coach Urban Meyer stood up and told the roaring crowd: "Our goal when we came here was to make this place, this school, this stadium, the one place in the country everybody wants to be. And now this team has done that."

Ah, the Gator arrogance. How we missed it so. It was a little sad during the Zooker years when you'd run into Florida fans at a cocktail party and they'd be bragging about their golf and volleyball teams. And then the subject of football would come up, and the Gators would slink over into the corner alone to drink their Natty Light and eat those miniature corn-on-the-cob thingies off the hors d'ouerves platter.

Not anymore. Those days are over. Florida is so red-hot these days that President Bush called up Meyer the morning after the championship game to congratulate him and perhaps to ask if he'd like to be recruiting coordinator for the military. Even FSU president T.K. Wetherell wrote a letter-to-the-editor in Saturday's Gainesville Sun to congratulate the Gators on beating Ohio State.

"It was a great win, not only for the Gators, but for all Floridians," Wetherell wrote. "Achieving national championships in both football and men's basketball in the same year has made history, and we salute the University of Florida."

Blech.

Will somebody please tell T.K. we don't need the chief Seminole kneeling down and kissing the ring on the Gator claw? For crying out loud, we don't need the Seminoles saying how great it is to be a Florida Gator when the Gators tell themselves that every day.

Hey, Seminoles, you thought the Steve Spurrier years were annoyingly arrogant? This Urban Meyer character could be 10 times worse. This cat could be in Gainesville for life.

"I'm a college coach," Meyer said Saturday when asked if he has any NFL aspirations. "I love coaching college football. I can't imagine coaching NFL players."

And, unlike, Spurrier who at least had a golfing hobby, Meyer is football, 24/7. You know what he was doing an hour before kickoff of the national-championship game? Text-messaging recruits. You know what he was doing an hour after the game? Text-messaging recruits.

He had the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country last year and is well on his way to pulling off another unbelievable haul. One of the nation's top quarterbacks, Ocala's John Brantley, originally committed to Texas but has changed his mind and says now he will attend Florida. Brantley was at the Swamp celebration Saturday, as was Arizona schoolboy wonder Everson Griffin, a defensive end and Southern Cal commitment who is arguably the nation's best recruit.

"Everybody wants to be a part of this," said Brantley, the Gatorade National Player of the Year. "What's going on here is incredible. This is the place to be in college football."

Did you hear that, Florida State fans? UCF fans?

Miami fan?

The Gators think Gainesville is THE place to be in college football.

It's time for all of you to give the Gators and their fans what they love most:

Your hate.

They've certainly earned it.

Mike Bianchi can be reached at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com

[Mag Pie]

Maybe it's because FSU, UM, and UCF has crappy records this year.

On a side note: I still can't believe they won!!  But next year will be interesting with Mr. Tebow at QB.

[crambone]

I hate Bianchi, but I love this article!

[kdawgy_orlando]

I read it, however, knowing Bianchi, he specifically left USF out to see if the Orlando Bulls fans would send him some e-mails.  I know a few did.  USF will creep back up on the Orlando Sentinel's radar when the UCF @ USF game comes up.  Or Bianchi will start talking about USF to drive the UCF folks crazy.

Otherwise, no need to mention USF.  Other writers at the Sentinel have mentioned us lately though.

[Mama_Bull]

What can you expect from Bianchi.  Let him leave us out.  I would like to see us as being that sleeping Lion, the one you go near because you think you are safe and then he pounces on you. LOL

We will get the media attention if we perform as we should and can.  Just be patient little grasshopper kydawgy.

[Kyle]

Can someone please explain to me how the gators "won both championships in the same year?"

I can't figure this out. Does any writer on the planet know how the college schedule is setup? That March 2006 and January 2007 (or Aug-Dec 06 for that matter) are in different school years? While winning both titles is indeed impressive on any level...they're not in the same year.

[Apis Bull]

They didn't win them in the same year.  However, they do hold both of them at the same time.

[crambone]

I think it's more of the way to say "current national championships in two sports" or something like that.

****, I really hate the gayturds.

[Rabbi Bull]

Can someone please explain to me how the gators "won both championships in the same year?"

I can't figure this out. Does any writer on the planet know how the college schedule is setup? That March 2006 and January 2007 (or Aug-Dec 06 for that matter) are in different school years? While winning both titles is indeed impressive on any level...they're not in the same year.

they are the first school to hold the national title in both football and basketball while one sport is currently going on, a.k.a. they won basketball, than football all while basketball was going on.  i hope that helps a little.

[kdawgy_orlando]

What can you expect from Bianchi.  Let him leave us out.  I would like to see us as being that sleeping Lion, the one you go near because you think you are safe and then he pounces on you. LOL

We will get the media attention if we perform as we should and can.  Just be patient little grasshopper kydawgy.

No worries.  Everytime Bianchi underestimates us, we always have a good year.  Besides . . . its my job and other Bulls over here to spread the word.