10. 2017-18 Wisconsin Basketball: Expectations for this
Badger were not super high coming into the season, as they began the year
unranked. However, 4 straight sweet 16 appearances from 2014-17 led to the
expectations being that another modest run was possible.
The Reality: The Badgers sputtered to a 14-17 record, a
season that was seemed unfathomably bad to a young generation of Badger
basketball fans like myself who knew nothing but success. It was the first time
the Badgers did not make the NCAA Tournament since 1998, one of the longest
streaks in college basketball.
9. 2011-12 Tampa Bay Lightning
The Expectation; The Lightning made a shocking run to the
Eastern Conference Final in 2011 led by an unusual mix of veteran hall of
famers (St Louis, Lecavalier) and the beginning of the careers of others
(Stamkos, Hedman.) The team was expected to take a step forward with Stamkos
and Hedman continuing their ascent.
The Reality: After leading the lightning in net through
their playoff run the previous season, father time came for Goalie Dwayne
Roloson fast and hard. The Lightning had no problem scoring goals (this was
actually Stamkos famous 60 goal season), but they had an impossible time not
giving them up. The Lightning finished the season dead last in the league in
goals allowed, and stumbled their way to 82 points, a 21 point drop off from
the previous season.
8. 2018 Green Bay Packers
The Expectation: After 8 straight playoff appeearnaces,
Packers had a rough 2017 season thanks to an Aaron Rodgers injury that
sidelined him for most of the season. With a healthy Rodgers back, 2018 was
supposed to be a return to playoff form for the green and gold.
The reality: The team looked lifeless most of the season and
pulled out a dreadful 1-7 road record, the lone win coming in OT against the
pathetic jets. After a December loss at Lambeau to the 3-9 Cardinals Mike
Mccarthy was fired.
7. 2014 Boston Red Sox
The Expectation: Coming off winning the World Series in
2013, the 2014 Red Sox were expected to at least compete to defend their title.
They were not favorites to win again but everyone thought they would at least
compete for a playoff spot.
Reality: The season started off pretty mediocre, a 20-19
record through 39 games was slightly disappointing but left plenty of time to
right the ship. Then a 10 game losing streak all but doomed the season. The
team sputtered to a 71-91 record, a 27 win drop off from the year before.
6. 2018 Wisconsin Badgers Football
The Expectation: coming off a top 10 finish in 2016 and an
undefeated regular season in 2017, the vibes were higher than ever headed into
2018. The Badgers were preseason ranked number 4 and expected to possibly
compete for a playoff berth.
The reality: Reality came crashing hard and fast as in week
3 the Badgers were upset by BYU as a 23.5 point favorite. It only got worse
from there as a blowout loss at Michigan cemented their fate as a
disappointment. The cherry on top was getting dismantled by Minnesota, their
first loss to their biggest rival since 2003.
5. 2024-25 Orlando Magic
The expectation: After earning the five seed and pushing the
Cavaliers to 7 games in the 2024 playoffs, the Magic were expected to take the
next step.
The reality: the final outcome has yet to be written, but
the vibes and high hopes built up over the past two years have all come crumbling
down over the past 2.5 months. The team sits at 29-35 and in 9th
place in the east. The team would need to finish 18-0 to match last years
record.
4. 2012 Boston Red Sox
The expectation: The 2011 Red Sox were supposed to be one of
the greatest teams of all time and through 135 games, they looked like it. Then
they stumbled to a infamously bad 7-20 final stretch and missed the playoff by
one game. 2012 was supoosed to be the rebound season, they were the same team
on paper as last year, the redemption team
The reality: The Red Sox bumbled and stumbled their way to a
53-51 record through 104 games, waffling between showing flashes of the
brilliant team they should be and looking shockingly inept. But they were still
hanging around in the playoff race. Then the wheels completely fell off, they
went 16-42 over the final 58 games and finished in last place for the first
time in two decades.
3. 2022 Green Bay Packers
The expectation: Three straight 13 win seasons from
2019-2021 led to expectations for yet another strong regular season showing in
2022 and another potential run at getting Rodgers a second super bowl.
The reality: It started off that way. The Packers started
3-1 and led the Giants by 17 points at halftime looking like they were cruising
to a 4th win. Then a shocking 2nd half choke cost them
the Giants game, dropping them to 3-2 and it was all downhill from there. The
Packers would go on to lose 7 out of 8 games and fall to 4-8. Despite the
season turning into a disaster they actually rebounded and wont four straight
to get to an 8-8 record. A win in their final game would have given them a
playoff berth, but in the last game of the season they lost to the Lions at
Lambeau, finishing 8-9 and out of the playoffs. The loss was the official end
of the Aarond Rodgers in Green Bay.
2. 2008 Wisconsin Football
The expectation: Four straight 10 win seasons from 2004-2007
made Wisconsin tout itself as a consistent football school. 2008 was supposed
to be the year that officially declared Wisconsin as a big ten powerhouse and
be the emphatic exclamation point on an impressive run. The Badgers began the
year ranked 10th, their highest preseason ranking ever, and a big
road win against a top 25 team in Fresno st In week three only ballooned
expectations and moved the Badgers up to number 7.
The reality: In week 4 the Badgers led Michigan 19-0 at
halftime, looking like they were going to cruise their way to a 4-0 start.
Then, a collapse began. The Badgers blew the 19 point lead and lost to
Michigan. The following week they blew a 4th quarter lead to Ohio St
and fell to 0-2 in the Big Ten, basically ending their goals for the season and
it was barely October. It only got worse from there, next week they got
railroaded 48-7 at home to Penn St, the worst home loss for the program in
nearly twenty years. A 38-16 beatdown at Iowa put a capper on a miserable 4
game losing streak. The would mildly rebound to win 4 of their last five and
finish with a 7-5 record, though they hardly looked impressive doing it. (it
took a missed extra point in OT to defeat Cal Poly and a big 4th
quarter comeback to defeat Minnesota) The capper to the miserable season was a
42-13 laugher loss in the Champs sports bowl to FSU, a game famous for the FSU
punter being awared MVP of the game.
1.
2016-17 Tampa Bay Lightning
The expectation: After back to back appearances in the
conference finals (one of which ended in the Stanley cup final), the Lightning
were the odds on favorite to take the next step and win the Stanley cup this
season.
The reality: The first quarter of the season went according
to plan. The Bolts were humming along with a 13-7-1 record, on pace for 105
points. Then the injuries piled up and the bottom fell out in a way that seemed
inconceivable with this roster. The lightning went 9-18-5 over the next 32
games, dropping them well out of the playoff race. The team got healthy and
rounded back into shape and went 20-6-4 over the final 30 games, but ultimately
finished 1 point out of the playoffs. In some ways its unfair to put this team
#1. They started and ended great, it was just the middle stretch dominated by
injuries that was awful. And it ended up being a blip season as they went right
back to the conference finals in 2018.
