Preseason talk don't do diddly for me. Last year at this exact time, all the big sports analysts were saying Bama would be on a revenge tour and were hands down, the pick to win out. And nearly every diehard Tennessee fan I know and am around on a consistent basis, were automatically accounting for 2 losses for the season without a snap being taken....Georgia and Bama being those two losses. I think even the most optimistic fans, had them at best, only losing 3 to 4 games. Even as close as the week of the 3rd Saturday in October, I didn't hear a single Vol fan have confidence that their team would come out victorious. At best, I heard a lot of "I think we'll play em close for the first half...then get blown out in the 2nd". Thus the shock of actually winning and fans rushing the field like they had won something bigger than a regular season game. And unlike the preseason talk and predictions...Bama didn't even win their conference, or division. The revenge tour fell apart.
Remember it wasn't that long ago when disgruntled fans of all teams were saying things like "just make the championship game be Bama vs Clemson...". And just like that...neither one were in the picture.