Urban Meyer to Ohio State: How Should Florida Fans React if Meyer Goes to OSU?

As expected, all was quiet on the Urban Meyer-to-Ohio State front on Thanksgiving.

I'm going to presume this is because Meyer was too busy eating turkey to talk turkey. He said in a statement that he was going to spend Thanksgiving with his family, which is probably the only sincere thing he's said during this whole process.

Now that Thanksgiving is in the past, you can expect the Meyer chatter to pick up again (notice this article). My guess is that it won't be long before the move becomes official. Indeed, The Columbus Dispatch reported on Wednesday that an announcement could come next week.

Let's say Meyer does end up in Columbus. What then?

Well, I think it's safe to assume that Buckeyes fans will rejoice. Ohio State will have landed one of the best head coaches in recent college football history, and it just so happens that he is also a son of Ohio. They're going to love him in Columbus.

I think you can also expect to hear a reaction from Gainesville. Meyer did, after all, establish his legacy at Florida, and he would be taking the Ohio State job less than a year after walking away from the Gators.

I'm typically not one to delight in conspiracy theory talk, but you have to admit this would be a little odd, especially seeing as how Meyer cited family and health concerns as the reason for his departure.

If Meyer's family and health are that important to him (they certainly should be), why would he be so quick to return to coaching?

There are reasonable explanations. The first and most obvious is that maybe Meyer feels like he's been gone from coaching long enough. He's spent time with his family, his health has improved, so maybe it's time to get back on the sidelines.

Besides, Meyer can have a gig at ESPN whenever he wants it. A head coaching gig at Ohio's favorite university is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You also wouldn't be able to accuse him of intentionally setting himself up to take the Ohio State job, as Jim Tressel was still employed in Columbus when Meyer coached his last game for the Gators.

Long story short, there will be nothing sinister about Meyer's motivations when (okay, if) he accepts the Ohio State job. He'll be a man accepting a job that was offered to him, nothing more.

But will being aware of this stop Florida fans from feeling cheated? If we're being honest, my guess is that it probably won't. College football fans are an ornery lot, and many will criticize Meyer for running away when the going got tough. Leaving Florida and catching on with Ohio State less than a year later makes him no different than, say, Lane Kiffin.

It doesn't help that Meyer didn't leave behind a good team. If he returns to coaching so soon after leaving it, it's going to be way too easily to speculate that he just wasn't interested in rebuilding the Gators. After all, how many more Tim Tebows can there be out there, am I right?

I'm not about the encourage Florida fans to react one way or another. I have no doubt that some will be angry, but I also have no doubt that some will take a more reasonable approach to Meyer accepting a new gig.

Either way, Meyer can expect to feel pretty awkward the next time he visits Gainesville.