One of the first songs I was taught when I was little was "Boys of Old Florida". Now, I'm sure "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Patty Cakes" were taught to me as well, but those songs don't stand out the way that our beginning of the fourth quarter tradition does. Growing up, I could not wait until that part of the game. I thought then, as I still do now, that it is one of the coolest college football traditions around.

It has been obvious to me sitting the stands this season, that some of you don't feel the same way.

There have been times this season that I have actually been embarrassed to be a Gator fan. Not because of the product on the field, but because of the people sitting in the stands.

I'll admit that I had lofty expectations going into this season. When I made my preseason predictions, I said I thought Florida would finish 10-2 or 11-1 with losses coming to Mississippi State and/or FSU. What I didn't vocalize is that in the back of my head, I thought there was an outside chance Florida would run the table. Now, sitting here in November, those predictions were obviously way off-base.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I know exactly where Florida went wrong this season. To be truthful, I don't think it is just one thing. I think for some reason, offensive line play regressed this year. I think our receivers forgot how to run the right routes and how to catch balls. I think our quarterback is trying to run an offense not suited to his skill-set, while trying to catch errant snaps and throw to his un-open receivers all in the .5 seconds he has before he gets clobbered by two defensive-linemen who came through his line untouched. I think the quarterback rotation is disruptive to all three guys, because no one is allowed to get into a rhythm. I think on the defensive side of the ball, there are games where Florida's d-line gets manhandled. I think everyone with the exception of Ahmad Black forgot how to wrap up and make a tackle.

Looking back on the paragraph I just wrote, I realized something. Maybe we just aren't that good this year.

Florida lost 13 guys to the draft last year. Eight or nine of those guys are starters in the NFL right now, and not one of those starters is named Tim Tebow. So not only did Florida lose all of its leadership, it lost a boatload of talent as well.

Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20. Had John Brantley been given more mop-up duty, maybe some of these kinks could have been worked out. Same thing can be said about some of these receivers.

Here's the thing. Even though I think there are problems with this team and this season, I would never sit in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and BOO my team.

Some of you obviously don't feel the same way.

I am so much more embarrassed by our fan base this year than I could ever be of our team.

We don't even need rivals, because our own fans come up with far more hateful, spiteful and rude things about our players and coaches than our opponents ever could.

Since when did we become a fan base that boo's our own players and leaves before the fourth quarter even begins?

This bothers me on multiple levels. First and foremost, it bothers me as a lifelong Gator fan. Get a grip people. My dad played on the 0-10-1 team. You want to talk about disappointment? Ask the members of that team. At least this year's team is bowl eligible.

It bothers me as an UF alumni. Is this the image I want the rest of the country, including recruits and potential students to see?

Thirdly and most importantly, it bothers me as a sister of one of the young guys getting boo'ed. Do you really think the players can differentiate between boos? Do you think they know which person they are specifically directed towards? I can promise you they don't. Booing does not do one bit of good. A coach isn't going to call a different play or sub a player because the fans boo. But it sure it hurtful to the players and their families.

I get that many people aren't happy. I am not in any way telling you that mediocrity is okay.

But my God, UF has won two out of the last four national championships. Two out of the last four SEC Championships and played for a third.

We have one of the best programs in the country. We're in a down year. It was bound to happen.

Maybe you better brace yourself, because guess what? No matter who our head coach is, our offensive coordinator or our quarterback, at some point…it's going to happen again.

That's the nature of sports. It's always cyclical.

I want to share a story that happened in the stands last Saturday. After a failed third-down conversion (there were many), a man behind me yelled out, "Brantley, go kill yourself."

Now let me stop to explain that I sit in the Player's family section, which bleeds into the student section and part of the alumni section.

I immediately turned around and said "His family sits in this section, I would appreciate it if you didn't say things like that."

The woman in front of the guy that had yelled out looked at me and screamed "who cares?"

I looked her dead in the eye and said "Ma'am, you would if he were your son."

I wish some of you would think about that before you opened your mouths or posted on message boards.

These kids (yes, they are kids) are someone's son. They are someone's brother (mine), They are someone's nephew, cousin and best friend.

Do you honestly think they take the field every week and say "How many mistakes can I make today?" Do you think they don't give it their all? Do you think you want the win more than they do?

Here's the best question…do any of you think you could do a better job playing or a better job coaching than the current staff and team?

If you do, my suggestion is that you head out to the practice field on Sunday afternoon and show Urban what you've got.

My guess is that no one but the current team and staff will show up for practice on Sunday.

I understand fans are frustrated. That's okay. We are a spoiled fan base and we expect excellence every year. I think that's a good thing.

But we also have to be realistic as well.

The Florida Gators are not going to be National Champions every year.

So when seasons like this happen, learn how to act appropriately.

Criticize certain plays. Question if a receiver could have come down with that ball. Comment on how a pass was overthrown.

But do it respectfully.

Remember that each and every one of those boys is someone's son, brother, nephew, cousin, best friend, etc...

Also remember that those family members may be sitting next to you in the stands.

Above all else, remember what is supposed to separate us from all the other programs in the country:

"In All Kinds of Weather We All Stick Together, for F-L-O-R-I-D-A."

As a third generation Gator, Ali Peek has a longstanding love affair with the University of Florida.

In 2007 she graduated with a degree in Telecommunications News and a minor in Sports Management.

In high school she was the first student host of Brighthouse Network's "High School Scoreboard" and while in college she hosted "The FHSAA Sports Report" for Sun Sports.

Ali currently hosts Gator Game Day, a weekly one-hour pre and post game day show on WKMG CBS 6 in Orlando.

She also does a daily radio show called Inside the Lockerroom on Orlando 740 The Game (Mon 6-8 p.m; 6-7 Tue-Thur).