For many people, anybody that went to Ohio State is a villain. That sort of thing comes with the territory when you have one of the biggest and winningest athletic departments in the country. Fans of opposing teams will go so far as to think that Kirk Herbstreit or Joey Galloway are villains because they now work for ESPN, or others are going to look at athletic director Gene Smith as a villain because his job is to do all he can to maximize exposure and revenue for the Ohio State athletic department.
Then again, if you’re not hated, then you’re not doing something right.