I think they expect titles. Like they should. Like I expect titles from UT. I guess I expect more than some here do. Miles is a victim of his own success. No one has lost more underclassmen to the NFL than has LSU in the last few years.
We all expect titles, but after six consecutive seasons of 7 or fewer wins, like it or not, 8-4 is a break through. Expect titles all you want, but by your own admission you expected 8-4 this year so you clearly were not expecting a title.
There are two parts to this.
One, it's correct to expect greatness when all the pieces are in place for that to happen. This is the first year that has even been partially true. Next year it will be more true, and my expectations for next year are correspondingly much higher. Sometimes it's not reasonable to expect a title and that was certainly true of 99.9% of Vol fans this year. Only the lunatic fringe thought we would win the SEC (and yet it now looks very reasonable...so arguably Butch has exceeded expectations!)
Two, it's not reasonable to expect a title every year, ANYWHERE, even if all the parts are there. The SEC is too good and there is too much competition. It is reasonable to expect that in any given year, we HAVE A SHOT at a title. But seriously, there are some fans who think the Vols should win 8 consecutive national championships because they "have standards" and "the coach makes millions" and "it's what we should expect". Those people are idiots.
Who is the exception to no. 2? Earlier this year, people like you loved to compare Butch to Freeze and McIllwain, but the bloom is already off those two. I myself thought highly of the guy at Texas A&M but he has stumbled badly this year. SOS and Pinkel are out, Miles may follow them.
What makes Satan so great that bammer is almost always in the picture? He cheats at recruiting. Bammer has as much talent as the next two teams combined. ANY coach could win with that talent. But Saban is a really good coach, so he wins a lot. If bammer recruited like LSU instead of like no team in the entire history of CFB ever has or ever will again, they would be more like LSU over the last 6 years and less what they have been.