Damien Harris burst out of the Alabama locker room moments after the Crimson Tide captured the national championship.
Harris joined his teammates following their thrilling 26-23 overtime win over Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the junior running back had a message for those who doubted this team.
“People said we weren’t supposed to be here, but we won this!” Harris screamed while racing past media members who had assembled outside the team’s locker room.
Alabama captured its fifth national championship during the past nine seasons and while the Tide weren’t my pick to win it all this season, they were my No. 2 choice in my preseason 2017 Orlando Sentinel college football top 130 rankings.
Now that the season is over, let’s take a look back at some of my hits, my misses and some of my way-off predictions.
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Hits
—Alabama Crimson Tide
Where they finished: 13-1
Where I ranked them: No. 2
The Buzz: Alabama has finished ranked either first or second in the final Associated Press top 25 rankings each of the past four seasons, making it a safe bet putting the Tide near the top of my predictions.
—Oklahoma Sooners
Where they finished: 12-2
Where I ranked them: No. 3
The Buzz: Oklahoma secured a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons thanks to the stellar play of Heisman winning quarterback Baker Mayfield.
—Wisconsin Badgers
Where they finished: 13-1
Where I ranked them: No. 8
The Buzz: The Badgers have been oh-so-close during their hunt for a spot in the semifinals, finishing eighth in the playoff rankings in 2016 and eighth in the poll this season despite making it to the Big Ten title game.
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Misses
—Florida State Seminoles
Where they finished: 7-6
Where I ranked them: No. 4
The Buzz: There was so much optimism surrounding the Florida State program heading into 2017, but that all went out the window after the first game. It started with the season-ending injury to Deondre Francois and ended with the contentious departure of coach Jimbo Fisher to Texas A&M.
—Georgia Bulldogs
Where they finished: 13-2
Where I ranked them: No. 13
The Buzz: It's amazing how quickly Kirby Smart was able to propel the Bulldogs into the national title game in just his second season at Georgia. The team fell just short in the national championship game against Alabama, but you can believe this team will be back contending for a title soon.
—UCF Knights
Where they finished: 13-0
Where I ranked them: No. 48
The Buzz: Nobody — and I mean nobody — could have predicted the type of season that UCF delivered in 2017. Hurricane Irma may have disrupted the team's schedule, but the players bond on their way to a conference championship and a win in a New Year's Six bowl game.
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Way off
—Florida Gators
Where they finished: 4-7
Where I ranked them: No. 18
The Buzz: Florida's season had more ups and downs than an episode of The Bachelor and, in the end, it led nothing but heartbreak for the Gators. Coach Jim McElwain resigned late in the season as the team capped its worst campaign since 2013.
—Tennessee Volunteers
Where they finished: 4-8
Where I ranked them: No. 22
The Buzz: If things looked bad at Florida, imagine how it looked at Tennessee. The Volunteers lost seven out of their last eight games, fired coach Butch Jones and then botched the coaching search after trying to hire Greg Schiano to the chagrin of fans.
—FAU Owls
Where they finished: 11-3
Where I ranked them: No. 106
The Buzz: When FAU hired Lane Kiffin, I had my doubts. It's hard to blame me when you consider Kiffin's past, but the enigmatic coach proved me wrong by leading the team to its best season in school history. I admit it, I'm now all aboard on the Lane Train.
—UAB Blazers
Where they finished: 8-5
Where I ranked them: No. 130
The Buzz: This is one time when I'm happy to be wrong. UAB is one of the feel-good stories of 2017, with the Blazers putting together a record-setting season that saw the program make its third bowl appearance two years after being temporarily shut down.
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