We always seemed to be on a three year schedule at my old house. Not sure what happened every three years but we would always have a ton of them. I haven't kept track of the years since moving but this seems like it could be the year.
We have a lot this year but they are tiny. They do run every few years, but this is our first year of seeing the little air pellet sized acorns. I will say, the squirrels seem too dang happy.
We had a bumper crop of them last year, and the squirrels were busy, but nothing this year. Whatever is in those things really makes it tough on the grass trying to grow around the tree. At least I've got 2 more seasons to get it all back to where it was before starting over again.
Acorns are produced on the white oak group every year and on the red oak group every other year. So that could be why some year seem like bumper crop years.