It reminds me of the way they act before the Presidential debates. Saying things like, "Gore is going to destroy Bush." and "Kerry is much smarter than Bush and is going to wipe up the floor with hime."
The better thing for them to do would be to set up expectations exactly the opposite of that, but their smug arrogance just won't let them.
Yep, if you don't run like you are 20 points down you will lose by 20 points down.