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You hate to cast anything short of a national title as a disappointment.

That might sound strange coming from me, a card-carrying member of the "appreciate the moment" camp. It has long been the view from this corner that every year you get to the playoff is an achievement.

But boy, it feels like the expectations and standards were somehow ratcheted even higher with that pimp slap of the Crimson Tide.

There's just no way around it: When you do whatever you want to a highly regarded Alabama defense, and most of the players who orchestrated it are returning, the baseline from everywhere and everyone is going to be complete pillaging from beginning to end.

From the ROY Bus to the Destroy Bus, if you will.