No matter how smart and capable an individual is, no matter how on top of his game, he or she will be hit with a sudden disaster for which he must draw upon his own internal resources, making judgments for which there often is no precedent.
The top one went to No. 4-ranked Louisville, which stumbled through a three-game losing streak in January after rising to No. 1 in the poll, and came up short in an epic five-overtime loss at Notre Dame a few weeks later.
This display of dominance is enough to destroy everyone else's confidence, no matter how many times the top three expound on the depth of the men's game, or the difficulties they face in each round.
This happened because the complicated formula constructed to try to funnel the top two teams into the designated Big Game ended up leaving out USC (rated No. 1 in the polls of sportswriters and coaches) in favor of Louisiana State and Oklahoma.