1994 caught them by surprise, too. Remember Peter Jennings on TV, shocked, saying America was throwing a temper tantrum. Even in 1984, they only gave Reagan the edge in the week or so before the election, and never, not once, predicted the wipeout landslide that it ended up being, and probably always was.
I was still listening to NPR back in 1994, and I'll never forget the on-air demeanor of their "what the hell happened?" panel discussion on the morning after the election. Three or four of their "analysts" were on the panel, and they all sounded like they desperately wanted to be somewhere else, like in a soundproof room where they could do a few hours of primal scream therapy.
They were all talking very slowly, with somber, muffled voices. It was striking.