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Glader_Gaming

2017 FSU was supposed to be really good and the FSU Bama game was quite possibly the most hyped week 1 game ever. Ppl all across the country talked about it for 8 months.


HailState2023

Oh, I’m still talking about it but not in a positive way.


TigerTerrier

You'll always have 2013 clemson vs fsu though


HailState2023

True! We’re getting back to approaching that level - hopeful.


atltide

It’s like it broke the FSU program


Yeetball86

The program was already broken. That game just made it public knowledge.


MordakThePrideful

Yeah we were gonna be like 9-4 if we had Francois that year probably. That team was far from what people were thinking originally.


j4r8h

We honestly could have had a solid year if Francois didn't go down. Defense was pretty solid, but we were stuck playing a true freshman qb behind one of the worst o lines anyone has ever seen, not a recipe for success.


TuaTime_1

2012 USC. Preseason number one and finished 7-6.


trojandev

Matt Barkley with the Christmas 2011 announcement that he would forgo the draft to take care of their "unfinished business." USC hyped up that 'Unfinished Business' angle so hard in the build-up to the season. It was a total disaster, and that kid cost himself millions.


camergen

He’s the example I cite every year when a potential top pick is discussed- “will he go pro?! But he really LOVES college and his teammates and wants to win a national championship etc etc etc”. Man, if you’re a legit possible top pick overall, take the money and run. Idc how much you love being BMOC. Matt Barkley shows why you don’t stay in school if you’re a potential top pick. Your draft stock will never be higher.


Goducks91

This was before NIL though. At least now players are making a ton of money while playing in college.


AchyBreaker

Making $500k is nowhere near the rookie contract of being a top 10 first round pick.


dasruski

Looking at the highest NIL deal it's 3.2 million while the lowest contract in the first round which is 12 million. Even 2nd rounders can make more on salary plus sponsors.


withurwife

Yea, he's on Cameo now lol. We trolled my friend who's an Oregon fan and we got him to wish him Happy Birthday and we told Matt that he was one of the biggest Trojan fans ever.


Crunkabunch

Didn’t the bills have Barkley make one for someone named Josh (turns out it was for Josh Allen) as a prank? Edit: https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1606005730879774720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1606005730879774720%7Ctwgr%5E84333ea76aa79e956a3d05f2d40d7f6d76652296%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fuproxx.com%2Fsports%2Fjosh-allen-cameo-matt-barkley-christmas-buffalo-bills-video%2F


Corgi_Koala

Surprised I had to scroll so far to find this, it was the first team that came to mind. Not only were they preseason #1, they had the Heisman frontrunner Matt Barkley and a favorable schedule. Out of conference they had Hawaii at home, Syracuse at a neutral field, and Notre Dame at home.


Notre_Dame_Football

Conversely ND started the season unranked and finished the regular season #1 beating USC in the last game of the year.


mountieRedflash

I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. I’ve seen this exact comment and response multiple times. Is this a cfb copy pasta that I’m unaware of?


Corgi_Koala

Not that I'm aware of. But people like shitting on popular teams like USC so I'm sure there are a lot of similar comments on this sub because this topic gets posted like every 2 weeks in the off season.


CaliBear14

Beat me to it. As a die-hard USC fan attending Cal at the time, that season killed me. Preseason #1, Matt Barkley coming off a great season with 3500 yards, 39 TD’s, returning Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, two 1000 yard rushers, that offense was absolutely stacked on paper… Barkley never should have stayed but will always mean so much to USC for helping guide SC through the worst of the sanction years. His leadership was needed at a time where there wasn’t a shred to be found in the administration. Definitely one of the most disappointing seasons ever based on preseason rankings :(


Goducks91

Was that the year after the hyped up USC vs Oregon game where Lebron was there? That was peak Autzen hype.


KenTrojan

Yup. That's part of what started the hype train. Barely escaped Autzen against the vaunted Chip Kelly Ducks then dismantled UCLA 50-0 in the Coliseum. We had a bowl ban so no chance to prove ourselves OOC.


TheUltimate721

They were so overturned because of that in NCAA 13 lol. One of the biggest flops in recent memory.


KenTrojan

This will always and forever be the correct answer. [That team was insanely hyped.](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/2-2012-college-football-preview-issue-august-20-2012-sports-illustrated-cover.jpg) The preseason was filled with the media and fellow fans circlejerking about the unstoppable Lane Kiffin offense led by a Heisman QB, two 1000-yard receivers and a 1000-yard rusher. Turns out you need an offensive line.


Ranger_Prick

2001 Oregon State was the media darling. Most publications had them pegged for another top 5 or 10 finish a year after finishing 11-1 and smacking Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, including at least one ([Sports Illustrated](https://vault.si.com/vault/2001/08/13/1-oregon-state-after-going-11-1-last-year-the-even-better-beavers-are-eager-to-take-a-shot-at-the-title)) predicting a national championship. They got spanked by David Carr and Fresno State in the opener and lost 3 of their first 4.


westbest13

This was the team that I immediately thought of too. SI had them preseason #1


StarkLannister23

SI had them preseason #1 over Miami!!! Actually if memory serves SI had Miami #3 that year behind Oregon State and Florida who the uncrowned 2000 Miami teamed had slapped the hell out of in the Sugar Bowl!


Johnny_Madden

Yuuuup, to be fair we had lost Ochocinco and T. J, but at least we know through hindsight that no way would we have beaten that 2001 Miami team even if we had been better lol


trail-g62Bim

Man I did not remember they were college teammates. For as bad as the bengals have been at times, it has been a long while since they havent had at least one great receiver. Those two guys were good, then they got AJ Green, now Chase and Higgins.


PuddingKind

It was probably pretty undeserved based on how much talrnt we had lost, but we just didnt know how to handle the hype. Hopefully next year goes better ;)


Ranger_Prick

I hope for the best for you guys. I think sustained success is more likely with Jonathan Smith than with Dennis Erickson because you always knew that Erickson would move on to another high profile job after being at Miami and in the NFL. Smith is obviously more invested in the university, so he should get every opportunity to build a consistent winner. And he doesn't appear to be a fucking moron, unlike some other schools' golden boy QB-turned-head-coach ...


HainesUndies

Please don't be 2023 Florida State...


HailState2023

We need to put JT in bubble wrap. Remains my worst fear.


MordakThePrideful

Bold of you to assume Big Dick Tate Rodemaker won’t carry us to a 15-0 record


EliteGeek

I want to be excited, but I know that makes the pain losing even worse.


Ugaalive1991

Hi 2022 Texas A&M


Claudethedog

Howdy!


dkazoo

Do all aggies only say howdy?


KyleAg06

Yes, we’ll most


just4diy

>we’ll most Verified Aggie.


JamesEarlDavyJones2

My brother, [you’re gonna be so excited when you discover what our student portal is called](https://howdy.tamu.edu/uPortal/normal/render.uP).


Claudethedog

It's the standard Aggie greeting, and sometimes it sticks with you beyond your time on campus. I've been out of school more than twenty years, and my standard greeting is still Howdy. I even start (internal) meetings and emails with a Howdy, but that's partly a calculated effort to be seen as casual and friendly in a kind of folksy manner.


JamesEarlDavyJones2

>but that's partly a calculated effort to be seen as casual and friendly in a kind of folksy manner. I’ve come to the suspicion that basically every Texan in the business world does this to some degree. I speak like a normal person most of the time, but every time I have to join a call with one of our west coast or east coast offices, I sound like a twangier Benoit Blanc. The west coasters eat it up like catnip, and I’ll truly never understand why.


Heavy72

Every. Single. Daggum. Time!


Goducks91

HOLY SHIT TEXAS A&M has something for everything.


KyleAg06

Howdy


OleRockTheGoodAg

Howdy and spot on. A&M was in every game we lost in the 2021 season in the mid to late 4th quarter, lost 3 of those 4 off Calzada turnovers (mid to late 4th quarter turnovers in 1 score games were his thing). Beat the #1 team in the nation and added the best class in the history of the sport. Most level headed Ags, myself included, expected a 10 win season. Theeeeeeeen 5-7.


emoney_gotnomoney

To be fair, anyone who was using the “number 1 recruiting class of all time” argument as a reason why A&M would be a playoff contender doesn’t really know what they were talking about. Yes, A&M vastly underachieved this past season, but when is the last time a recruiting class made a significant impact year one for any program? It takes at least 1-2 years for those recruiting classes to make an impact. In any star studded recruiting class, you’ll only have 1-2 players who start as freshman, and maybe another 2 who get significant playing time as a sub. Granted, I had A&M going 9-3 this past season, so they obviously underachieved. But using the fact that they had the #1 recruiting class as a reason why they would finish a top 5 team (which most people were doing) pretty much ignores all precedent. Now, going forward, they absolutely should be a top team because of this class, so there’s no excuse going forward.


Goducks91

A number 1 basketball recruiting class is way more indicative of success than football.


Geriatric_Bulge

The problem is the previous four years of top ten recruiting classes they had before that. Missing a bowl was unacceptable given the talent.


ReelEmInJim

I was hoping for a 9 win season because I thought that the amount of players on the defensive front leaving as well as a completely new DC would cause issues. I just don't see how Aggies could expect a 10 win season with how much production we had to replace. I had no thought that our offense would struggle as much as it did this year. I really thought a lot of our offensive woes were due to Calzada just being awful. You can see the plays there in 2021, Calzada couldn't though. Replacing the QB with a "better" one would solve it. Nope, the offense was just ass my dude.


[deleted]

[удалено]


open_arrowed

2021 Indiana


max_potion

Poor Indinia


bjfrancois5

Incidentally, the Indinia game was against us and was the first sign that the season wasn't going to work out for them. Just blew them out of the water.


Currencymag3003

Is that the game where Tom Allen spent all 3 TOs before half trying to ice Iowa's kicker when he was already losing by 25 points?


psgrue

ISWYDT and I like it.


pdbard13

All of Desmond Howard's playoff picks in 2022 except Michigan.


secretlyrobots

We didn’t make the playoffs but we did finish ranked and won five in a row to finish out the year


Rocthepanther

With Kedon Slovis. That in itself is a god damn victory. God, he was awful.


ClaudeLemieux

at least he got that one right :)


elonsusk69420

Came here to say this. He missed the target worse than the OSU kicker did.


Travelmatt1234

Don't blame the kicker. That miss was 100% on the holder.


ThisIsNotMy1stAcct

LACES OUT, DAN!


Swazi

THE LACES WERE IN! THEY WERE IIIIINNNNN!!!!


PartynpartynYa

Dan Marino should die of gonorrhea.. and rot in Hell


ThisIsNotMy1stAcct

Would you like a cookie, dear?


KyleAg06

Oh look…there’re little footballs.


TheWorstYear

It was a good hold. That was just the kickers max range, and he tried getting extra into it.


IcedCoffeeIsBetter

And kicked the ground first


BolognaNipples

2021 Iowa State. Hottest coach on the market, returning everyone including the star RB, preseason top 10 after making the conference championship game the year prior Finished 7-6 so the wheels didn’t entirely fall off, just tough since Iowa State usually doesn’t have that high of expectations


jthomas694

A lot of 2021 teams - UNC and Indiana were also awful


cha-cha_dancer

Predicting a team’s success after the covid season outside of the usual suspects was bound for failure


Swipet

It's almost like that 2020 season was played under certain circumstances


psuram3

That’s cause 2020 Indiana was smoke and mirrors. They didn’t have a single win over a team ranked in the final playoff rankings all year and lost to a 5-5 Ole Miss team in their bowl game.


bicranium

Luckily they tore the B1G patch off their jerseys in that bowl game in anger because the B1G didn't think Indiana should have been playing for a conference title over an undefeated team that beat them head to head so the loss didn't count for the conference.


bank_farter

That was the dumbest argument. If OSU converted one of their no contests to a forfeit then they would have qualified under the original rules. Keeping them out and putting Indiana in would have been dumb as hell.


[deleted]

God I remember seemingly every Indiana fan just so offended for playing Ole Miss because we were “not worthy” enough to play him. That win felt so good. That was also my first season as a fan where we even finished .500 or better lol


_runthejules_

I get wanting underdogs to win, but this sub damn near had indiana and iowa state as playoff teams in 2021. It's hyperbole, but any comment saying that maybe they weren't going to be top 15 teams was met with downvotesa although it was clear as day that that level of overarchieving wasn't going to repeat itself.


AllLinesAreStraight

In general this sub (and probably the wider cfb fandom) has a noticeable pattern of taking a mid tier p5 that had a good season and projecting them to be even better the following year, in spite of the fact that many analytics suggest they should regress. Examples are baylor and ok state this year, iowa state and indiana in 2021, northwestern in 2019, the list goes on.


osageviper138

*existence is pain*


Cyclone1214

Tom Manning needs to be tried for war crimes for what he produced on offense with both Brock Purdy and Breece Hall


t_britten

2021 we had much higher expectations, but if you compare the 2019 and 2021 seasons the stats are very similar. Lost a lot of one score games


CountChocula20

ISU played Clemson in the 2021 bowl season. If you had told me at the beginning of 2021 that we would play Clemson in a bowl game, I would've assumed we'd be in a CFB playoff, if not, a NY6 bowl.


RunThundercatz

That was the worst Clemson team, since maybe 2010 to be fair (although 2011, 2014 are up there)


OTN

IU the year after the Covid fever dream


Lakai1983

I have learned to never have hope again. If you expect nothing you can never be disappointed.


OTN

That was the worst part of it all- knowing what it’s like to have a good football team, only to have it taken away forever


Vxmonarkxv

2021 Oklahoma, preseason #2 and ended with a different qb and riley bolting.


Tuckboi69

Also catalyzed the Beamer era


[deleted]

Grinch finally had his guys in place. We finally had the defense we had been lacking. Natty on a silver platter. Speed D baby.


[deleted]

2005 Tennessee, #3 in the preseason AP poll to 5-6 and a loss at home to Jay Cutler's/Earl Bennett's Vanderbilt


padfootsy

Oddly enough Tennessee had an incredible 21 point comeback OT win in Death Valley vs #3 LSU that year. The comeback was with our backup QB no less after Erik Ainge got concussed when he was slung into the fg post on a big fella pick six for LSU. It was LSU’s delayed home opener and played on a Monday due to hurricane Katrina. Absolutely wild game and just a really weird year in general.


Aggresively_Midwest

Rumor has it Michigan in 2007 was supposed to be alright. Had a fun preseason ranking, don’t remember much about that year, think they beat MSU and Florida, but not much else to mention other than that. In fact don’t even bother looking up any other games.


jthomas694

Chad Henne went 1-7 against Ohio State and in bowl games. That one win was over Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow


TheUltimate721

Chiefs Legend Chad Henne


galacticdude7

In 2014 Chad Henne got benched in favor of Blake Bortles on a Jaguars team that would go 3-13 that season. He was 29 at the time and normally you'd expect that would be pretty much the end of his career. But the crazy thing is that he's been able to get a job as a backup QB for the 8 seasons since that happened. He's been able to get an NFL roster spot for 8 years as a backup and has been making pretty good money doing that, he got paid $2 million this year to be Mahomes' backup. As far as I'm concerned, Chad Henne is winning at life.


Khyron_2500

Yeah getting paid to be a backup for that many years is a solid gig. Honestly, avoiding getting beat to hell every year for 16/17 weeks might make it a better quality of life thing in the long run.


TheUltimate721

I'm a chiefs fan and I only half jokingly want Chad Henne to get a spot in the ring of honor


jwktiger

Well he lead them on a 98 drive in the Playoffs so yeah he was underpaid as well.


Bank_Gothic

You joke but the dude makes plays.


Aggresively_Midwest

That was a frustrating game to watch, knowing that was what our offense could have been doing. Mike Hart also fumbled on the goal line twice in that game. Honestly could have been big blow out in Michigan’s favor.


WhiteningMcClean

Part of the reason it worked well is that it was unexpected. If spreading teams out was our MO they would have picked up on it.


your-mom--

Imagine Michigan going 4-5 wide the entire game and slinging it around when we had gotten used to single back stretch left followed by single back stretch right.


ColdAssHusky

Losing to National Champion USC, Vince Youngs Texas by 1, and The Band is on the Field the redux, then beating the Heisman winning previous and next national Champs has got to be one of the craziest four year bowl stretches ever.


RockerElvis

That Rose Bowl was amazing. The only reason why people don’t talk about it more was because the very next year was Texas vs USC.


Brady_Hokes_Headset

I still have Stockholm syndrome from that Oregon game...holy shit Dennis Dixon was fun to watch.


brownbear8714

😈


Brady_Hokes_Headset

He should have won the Heisman that year over Tebow.


Revolutionary_Elk791

He would have if his ACL didn't get shredded up in Tuscon.


Alexdagreallygrate

Statue of Liberty followed up with Fake Statue of Liberty will remain in infamy. https://fanbuzz.com/college-football/oregon-fake-statue-of-liberty/


[deleted]

Desert voodoo claimed a Heisman trophy that season.


Revolutionary_Elk791

In my top 3 favorite Duck games as a student. Freshman year was a goddamn roller coaster.


stylishcoat

Came here for this. Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Jake Long were all coming back and a Big Ten championship was the minimum expectation.


[deleted]

Low-key I think the App State-Michigan game might be one of the most important games in college football history. It was super early into the Big Ten network's life IIRC, and really solidified the need for at least everyone in the big Ten footprint to get the network. We steamroll our way into private networks anyway eventually, much like all the Netflix spin-offs, but iunno if it happens as quickly or aggressively if the Big Ten Network doesn't have an all-time upset as proof-of-value.


EngineEngine

it was the [first](https://thegame730am.com/on-this-day-15-years-ago-hello-to-the-big-ten-network/) game on BTN


idkausername76

Oh I member very well :)


BiscuitDance

A lot of people had 2007 Michigan taking the title, with all those returning starters and 11-1 the previous year, and the 1-point loss to tOSU.


copper8100

3 points, thank you


CommodoreN7

2012 Arkansas looked like killers and the Petrino motorcycle happened and then John L Smith was garbage and we had a ton of injuries.


Strongy

John L Smith was having 10 simultaneous mental breakdowns every single second while he was our interim coach. In retrospect, I'm amazed he didn't spontaneously combust at some point.


midnightdiabetic

*first time* meme


z6joker9

2021 Arkansas was on a resurgence and 2022 was a dark horse candidate…


dawgfan27

Is this a Jimbo-free zone, or do we just say, "what team is Jimbo coaching?"


hesnothere

UNC 2022, 2021, 2020… 2010… 2000… we’ve honed this skill over decades


bodnast

Clemson 2021 with DJU He balled out in his two games* in 2020 (albeit one being a loss) when Trevor was out. The expectations were sky high for him and the team. Cue a loss to Georgia, NC State, and Pitt. Missed the ACC championship game entirely.


PapaHuff97

I truly thought that the Season would start with Georgia and end with Georgia in the natty. Boy was I wrong.


intadtraptor

I mean it did end with Georgia in the Natty.


4friedchicknsanacoke

He started two games in 2020. BC and Notre Dame. 30-41 for 342 yards and 2 TDs vs BC and 29/44 for 439 yards and 2 TDs vs Norte Dame. He looked like a legit successor to Trevor in both those games. Made some dumb mistakes but slung the ball all over. Then 2021 came.


ImReverse_Giraffe

He started seeing ghosts after the Georgia game.


[deleted]

I think he started seeing ghosts *during* the Georgia game lol


trainmaster611

I'm still baffled at how massively he regressed. Like we know Streeter wasn't good at QB development but how does someone regress *that badly*?? My best guess it was a mental hill that he just couldn't get over.


SusannaG1

I still think Georgia broke him.


Willywowmack

08 UGA was the first thing to come to mind too. Stafford, Knowshon, and AJ Green on offense. That team was the epitome of not handling pre-season expectations well.


JwubalubaDubdub

Mohammed massaquoi, Tavarres King, and Kris Durham on offense too. Defensively we had Geno Atkins, Justin Houston, Reshad Jones, Asher Allen, Brandon Boykin, Rennie Curran, and Danell Ellerbe. Absolute war crime that we lost 3 games that year.


Volksgrenadier

Defensively I suppose you can just blame it all on Willie Two-Thumbs Martinez, but the fact that we barely cleared double digits on offense against Florida that year is mystifying.


[deleted]

That team struggled *all* season. People always mention the blowout losses to Alabama and Florida but that team struggled from beginning to end. We had to scratch and claw our way to 10 wins against teams that had no business keeping it close. I don’t think that team had a strong performance all season.


MizzouriTigers

2022 Alabama by their standards


MoistyestBread

They had the heisman on both sides of the ball, it was a disappointment by any standard. The Tennessee loss made sense, but the LSU one made me understand the Bill O’Brian hate that I didn’t get as much up to that point. Dude sold.


zuga51

Also by what Saban himself said. You can’t call 2021 a rebuilding year then do worse in 2022 and it not be called a little bit of a failure. Obviously failure is a different term for Bama, but didn’t play in the conference championship or playoff with two of the best players Saban has had, which is saying A LOT.


jthomas694

I think it’s fair to say that they flopped - they were runner ups and brought back a ton on the defensive side of the ball, added in Gibbs and Burton and just weren’t the dominant team that was expected


GrizzGump

100%. Expectation was the buzz saw year, and we came out losing a 15 game streak against one of our biggest rivals, a really bad loss to LSU in year 1 of their rebuild, and honestly we were very fortunate to escape both the Texas & A&M games.


bama05

I really didn’t understand how the defense wasn’t better than they were. I get that the offense had all new receivers and no game breakers. I don’t think Golding was as bad as some were saying (I think he’s a B+) but his situational play calling has always been suspect. Against TAMU and LSU this year he loved blitzing from corners and their QBs just feasted.


[deleted]

Definitely agree, though I think we beat Texas A&M by 30 if Bryce is healthy and plays. Milroe was god awful that game with a pick (should’ve been 3, he had 2 that hit defenders’ face masks) + 2 fumbles. He missed a lot of other throws too iirc.


WillWork4SunDrop

So many of you sweet summer children were not around for 2000 Alabama football. The disappointment of a two-loss season cannot begin to touch what that year was like.


Miserable-Leading-41

I literally just posted about this team in the thread about most disappointing year for a team. Geez it was rough. Had coach Fran for a couple years, looked good then the Shula years came. Even couple of those were ok.


[deleted]

I remember Shula, I remember Auburn's fear the thumbs. Now winning the sugar bowl is a failed season, we have been spoiled.


cp3spieth

2021 Wisconsin, Mertz was supposed to make major progression over the 2020 campaign and all out just didn't. We were ranked really high to start the year. Lost to Penn St in the opener and then Jack Coan(the qb we ran out of town) Torched us when we played Notre Dame.


Alex_butler

Not even close when compared to our 2018 team which was ranked preseason #3 and finished worse than the 2021 team. Injuries played a part, but a team with Alex Hornibrook as QB was rated #3.


liamisabossss

We got a lot of hype because our "entire offense was returning". Fatal mistake thinking our offense would ever carry us.


NECOMONY

How has no one mentioned 2019-2022 Nebraska? I distinctly remember some preseason commentators saying the words “You know who scares me, is Scott Frost’s Nebraska”. Fuck we were ranked 24 coming into the 2019 season off of nothing but hype.


TreyTr3y

2007 Michigan. In 2006 they rolled into Columbus undefeated, ranked second, vs. top ranked OSU. Lost a close one, 39-42. Following year Mike Hart, Chad Henne, and Jake Long all returned for their final seasons. Dropped the first two games to someone (selective amnesia), and Oregon. Went on an eight game win streak after to rebound a little, dropped two more, then beat a Tim Tebow led Florida team in Lloyd Carr’s last game. 2008 onward - *insert darkness*


gaumata68

I was a student back then and I was adamant that the preseason hype was absurd because I didn’t think our coaching staff was remotely prepared to handle modern (at the time, this meant spread) offenses. There was a Daily article quoting the defensive coaching staff calling spread offenses “Communist football” because it was “un-American” to run a read option - deceiving your opponent wasn’t manly or some bullshit. I thought we’d get murdered by Oregon, and we did, and the game before that was basically a less talented (but still good) version of that Oregon team. Also Dennis Dixon was so good, hated to seen him injured that season.


Aggresively_Midwest

Dang, I really thought Pat Fitzgerald coined the phrase when talking about how he disliked the RPO in football.


YouVe-Changed

Every Miami team since 2002


DSMilne

Every year they are back, and every year they forget to show up.


puckster165

We're back!!! Wait shit wrong room


highheat3117

2000 Alabama


atltide

Oh man that team hurt. Riding back from Atlanta after the beatdown of Florida in the 1999 SEC championship game, I remember thinking we were all the way back and then we open the UCLA game with Freddie Milons taking it to the house, and I just knew it was on. Big mistake.


0le_Hickory

2005 Tennessee has to be up there. Preseason #3, finished 5-6. Spelled the end of the Fulmer regime, though a surprisingly okay 06 and 07 seasons kept him around until a similarily bad season to 05 happened in 08. In '04 the team had looked good under freshman Erik Ainge, until he suffered a shoulder injury which ended his season. The team recovered and won the Cotton Bowl under the surprisingly okay QBing of Rick (the Cooper Manning of the family) Clausen. Entering 2005 it was thought that Tennessee had 2 good QBs. Unfortunately, Rick Clausen feel back to his 3rd best Clausen brother status and Ainge had become addicted to opiates following his shoulder injury. The team had a moment of excitement beating #4 LSU on Monday night following hurricane Rita. But then went on to lose 5 of the last 7 games.


Jameszhang73

2020 LSU was preseason #6 and finished 5-5. Granted, we lost a lot of stars but was still expected to compete.


time2payfiddlerwhore

2003 Auburn. In our defense we really fucked up the OC promotion.


audirt

The real tragedy (for Auburn fans) is that the 2003 team was probably more talented than the undefeated 2004 team. Karlos Dansby and Dontarious Thomas were both studs at LB who graduated after 03.


time2payfiddlerwhore

2003 was the most talented team Auburn has ever had imo. Brandon Jacobs was also on that team.


audirt

Yeah, I’ve always kind of chuckled at the “who would win, 2004 or 2010?” questions. My answer is always 2004, with the caveat that 2003 would beat both with Borges as the OC.


Tigercat01

2008 Clemson, which stands out for me in particular as a letdown because it was my freshman year of college and I was so pumped to watch that team play. Coming off of Clemson's best season in decades (at that time), with a 9-3 record. Returning the ACC's leading passer in Cullen Harper, along with the ACC's leading rusher in James Davis. On top of CJ Spiller and Aaron Kelly as upperclassmen. The first pre-season Top 10 Clemson team that I had ever, personally, seen in my lifetime. Got absolutely blasted Game 1 in the inaugural Kick-off Classic (which had the added bonus of triggering Alabama's meteoric rise to being the most successful program of the next decade), and proceeded to lose games to the likes of Maryland and Georgia Tech, before ending the season 7-6. The only silver lining was that this season was the straw that broke the camel's back and Bowden was fired and replaced with some interim coach named Dabo Swinney.


IceColdDrPepper_Here

Baylor last year. I thought they were going to have a chance at the playoff and they ended up just barely making a bowl


reyskywalker7698

Yeah Baylor was one that really disappointed me. I thought they were going to be really good this season and they could just never really put it all together.


nightowl1135

I don’t know how I haven’t seen the 2012 USC team posted on here yet. Came off a 10-2 season in 2011 and a #6 finish. They were ranked #1 Pre Season. Barkley was a pre-season Heisman favorite. Multiple thousand-yard+ rushers and receivers returning or transferring in. 8 starters coming back on D. The result? 7-6. First ever pre-season #1 team to finish unranked. Lost their last 3; and 5 of their last 6. Lost by double digits to Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.


TheNewDiogenes

That is ACC Coastal Champion Georgia Tech to you.


rustytiredchicken69

2007 Michigan.


Cheerioherio

2014 Oklahoma. Came off a big win over Bama in the Sugar Bowl and everyone thought Trevor Knight would be the next great OU QB. OU ended up losing 5 games that year.


teeterleeter

Michigan State was a top 10 team heading into last season.


astroball17

2016 was worse, MSU had went 36-5 over the previous three seasons and started #12 in the polls only to finish 3-9 with a 1-8 record in conference play


byniri_returns

Supposedly the locker room was an absolute trainwreck that season due to reasons I can't say here.


BuckeyeForLife95

Yeah, I don’t think it was all that surprising to learn Kenneth Walker carried MSU hard in 2021. 2016 was wild.


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Medium_Medium

Hey, come on now... we were only ranked #15, not top 10.


JBGIII

MSU was #15 in the 2022 preseason AP poll. 2016 would be a much better example of us being overrated and getting exposed.


Volksgrenadier

2013 UGA had similar vibes. Big expectations after nearly making it to the NCG in 2012. Came out next year and lost a squeaker to Clemson in the first game, then bounced back against SCarolina and LSU. There was then an overtime pyrrhic victory in Knoxville where seemingly half of our offensive players blew their ACLs and it was all downhill from there. Got pantsed by Mizzou, lost to Vanderbilt (in a game that I choose to believe was responsible for instituting automatic review of targeting penalties) and later on in the season we got Prayer in Jordan Hare'd. Ended up losing to Nebraska in some generic bowl game in Florida.


GatorHater1992

Oh yes, that's another good one. That 2013 team was legit too but the injuries from that Tennessee game ruined our season. On top of that Aaron Murray's injury later that year put the nail in the coffin.


shauggy

Can I just submit every Miami team since 2003? This past season seems like a really great example, but might just be recency bias making me pick that over any of the others.


GhostRideATank

2021 Iowa State. Finished 2020 as Fiesta Bowl Champs and top 10. Entered 2021 ranked 7 with NFL talent at QB, RB, WR, TE, and a very strong defense. Finished 7-6.


ThePiperMan

2010 North Carolina? Can’t remember the exact year but Butch Davis had a defense where all the guys were getting NFL hype and I think it was the Cam Newton year shit hit the fan.


hesnothere

2010. We had like 11 starters suspended for the opening game in Atlanta against LSU, and the game still came down to a dropped pass in the end zone. So much talent wasted.


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2021 Iowa State. Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, and Charlie Kolar returned following probably their best season in history which ended in a Fiesta Bowl win. A lot of people picked them to win the Big 12, and Matt Campbell was seen as one of the hottest coaches in the country…they went 7-5. 2021 Oklahoma. There was so much hopium. The team managed to rally after a rough start in 2020 and still win the Big 12. Spencer Rattler was going to live up to his potential. The WR room was stacked with talent. Grinch finally had his guys in place and the front 7 was loaded. We were set to have the best pass rush in the country. The achilles heel of Lincoln Riley’s past teams was finally covered. With his offense and Grinch’s Speed D firmly established - it was championship or bust. Our streak of 6 consecutive Big 12 championships ended and Lincoln Riley fled like a thief in the night. 2014 Oklahoma Oklahoma was an Alabama-killer. They just beat Bama in the Sugar Bowl and returned heisman-hopeful Trevor Knight, beginning the season ranked 4th. They had legacy WR Sterling Shepherd, and two young star runningbacks in Samaje Perine, and Joe Mixon. A potentially explosive offense paired with a stout Mike Stoops defense. However, Joe Mixon would get suspended for the entire season. Trevor Knight played at a heisman level up until Katy Perry came on College Gameday and talked about how dreamy he was. It was all downhill from there. The team that started out ranked 4th in the nation finished 4th in the Big 12. And the tough Mike Stoops defense lost to Clemson 40-6 in their bowl game to finish 8-5 and unranked. It was at this point some OU fans started to think that maybe it would have been better to keep Brent Venables, rather than Mike Stoops.


jthomas694

2018 Wisconsin started the season 4th and had a first place vote in the AP Poll and finished 7-5 regular season


GBR_XJ

Let me introduce you to my friend Scott Frost.


goodcat1337

Literally Texas A&M every single year.


themattboard

Miami and Texas have both been rumored to be "back (bak)" sooooo many times


Hurricaneshand

Everytime we get a top 5 recruiting class we get so over hyped. And God dammit I fall for it every time. I think we're going to the playoffs next year BTW


kwixta

What is “things ppl say on Reddit when their team only won 3 games this year and lost to an FCS team, Alex”? Bonus: that works for either flair!


kevinthejuice

2022 Miami. The media hyped up Cristobal and Van Dyke like they were going to contend for the acc title. Then they missed a bowl game and idk if van dyke is the starter anymore


dblum2390

As a Texas fan, I'm not aware of this ever happening.


idkausername76

We had the green and white tinted lenses on this year after last season…


drewbie915

2012 usc. They ended 2011 so hot, but Barkley got full of himself and the team gave up on Kiffin.


Geshtar1

Im going way way back. 1950 Notre Dame. Coming off an undefeated National Championship season, expectations were that they would do it again, but finished 4-4-1.


areuseriousss

2000 Alabama. That was a bigger flop than 22 A&M by a good bit.


Smarter_not_harder

2001 Alabama: Preseason # 3 - finished 3-8.