thaumaturgy \THAW-muh-tuhr-jee\, noun:
The performance of miracles or magic.
Even if I do agree that basing expectations for this year on last year's performance is an exercise in foolishness, you really can't blame a fanbase that expected 8-4 and got 12-0 to not think their coach is capable of a second round of coaching thaumaturgy with 9 starters back from a defense that was the biggest part of last year's success.