SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- This probably won't come as a shock to you, but a lot of people hate Notre Dame. I know the haters are out there because they e-mail me every day.

As the unbeaten Irish prepare to enter Deion's house at Florida State on Saturday, this may be a good time to ask why. As in Deion's case, the image has changed, but the hating persists. Today he's a garishly attired, flamboyant preacher, light years from the garishly attired, flamboyant cornerback he once was. No difference for the haters.

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Someone compared Notre Dame to the Yankees. True that. When the Yankees took the gold in '96, they did so as an underdog team. But there was futher evidence that tradition transcends the roster because they were still despised, simply for being, well, the Yankees. Funny, I thought people loved an underdog. Just not those who sport pinstripes or gold helmets.

Maybe it wasn't exactly a conscious choice at Notre Dame, but the image has changed. At least I think so. But I'm told on a daily basis that, for different reasons -- overexposure, tradition, the leprechaun, the fight song, the whole Win One for the Gipper thing -- most fans wish the Irish would just go away.

In the past maybe people hated the option offense, or they hated the coach. Or maybe they hated the high-profile players. But now the Irish are running an offense that the lay fan would classify as "trendy," the coach is soft-spoken, humble and black, and the players are not as well known as they once were.

Take Omar Jenkins, for instance. He's the team's best route runner, plays wideout, slot, the wing position, and is a wonderfully tenacious blocker. In short, he's emblematic of this year's team: tough, scrappy and fundamentally sound. "It's not like we have a Heisman Trophy campaign for anyone this year," says Jenkins. Hating the Irish? Why? "Maybe they wanted to go to school here, but didn't get in," he says.

The funny thing is, this really is a rebuilding year. I think people are annoyed with this particular team because even under construction it has still managed to win seven consecutive games and snatch a place in the top 10. Maybe that's the reason.

The other day, center Jeff Fain said, "We try to do it right on all levels. Academics, football, and spiritual life, everything, we try to be the best at all of it." Maybe that's why people hate the Fighting Irish. In Tyrone Willingham they have a coach who tries to do the right thing.

Those who try to do it right, who try to raise the bar, often cause problems for those who settle for less.

Alan Grant, a senior reporter for ESPN The Magazine, is spending the season in South Bend. Look for his regular reports on ESPN.com. E-mail him at alan.grant@espn3.com