Columbus plays its final game of 2014 Wednesday night, when they welcome Minnesota to Nationwide Arena. December has been very good to the Blue Jackets, as the team began the month with seven straight victories; this included four straight wins in overtime or a shootout. With this form the Jackets have put together recently (19 out of a possible 22 points from 11 games), one would think they’re right in the thick of the playoff race. However, with two long losing streaks earlier this season, Columbus are sixth in the Metropolitan Division, but have plenty of time to make up ground.

This year will be remembered by many Blue Jackets fans for generations to come. Buoyed by eight straight wins in early January, Columbus qualified for its second-ever playoff appearance in franchise history. Unlike their series against Detroit in 2009, the Jackets competed tough with Pittsburgh all six games; five of them finished with 4-3 final scores. With most of the roster from that run returning in 2014-15, including head coach Todd Richards, preseason expectations were high that the team could go deep in the postseason.

After early season struggles, Columbus is returning to the form that’s expected of any playoff contender. Brandon Dubinsky has been a welcome return since recovering from injury, while Nick Foligno has contributed vastly, leading the team in goals and points. Kevin Connauton, an in-season acquisition from Dallas, has been a pleasant surprise on both offense and defense, while Sergei Bobrovsky has maintained his status as the team’s top goaltender.

Wednesday’s game is the last of a five-game homestand for the Blue Jackets, which has provided confidence, as the team certainly benefitted from following a regular routine. They’ll begin 2015 with four games on the road, meaning a win over the Wild is critical to the players’ psyche. Getting results over Arizona & Colorado this weekend won’t hurt, either.

Will the Blue Jackets make the playoffs for a second straight year? 2015 should provide more memories for hockey fans in Central Ohio.

It’s halftime for the English Premier League season, with all 20 clubs having played 19 of 38 matches. Some have established themselves as favorites for the title; others will be hoping to put together a winning streak and avoid relegation to the Championship. Here’s a look at the teams through the first five months of the 2014/15 campaign. Clubs are mentioned in order of the Premier League standings.

Top 10: Title & European Contenders

Chelsea have maintained impressive form with only one loss in the first half of the season, and remain favorites to win a first league title since 2010. Defending champions Manchester City remain only three points behind, boasting leading scorer Sergio Agüero. Manchester United had a rocky EPL start to life under Louis van Gaal, particularly in coping with a lack of Champions League action, but the Red Devils have come to life with a nine-match unbeaten run. Southampton have been one of the major surprises, sitting fourth after four of their best players from 2013/14 left the club over the summer. Arsenal, West Ham United, and Tottenham are all just outside the Champions League spots, but certainly maintain goals of reaching Europe’s top club competition in 2015. Liverpool have endured a rough few months in both the Premier and Champions Leagues; the Reds came very close to winning the title last season, and have likely been dealing with mental doubts on whether they’ll contend again. Swansea and Newcastle complete the top half of the table.

Bottom 10: Relegation Battle

Stoke sit 11th, but have won their last two matches, and welcome Manchester United to the Britannia Stadium on Thursday. Everton and Aston Villa have the exact same record (five wins, six draws, eight losses), but both have time to climb back into the top half. Sunderland had a dramatic escape at the end of last season, and control their destiny right now at 14th. QPR have the league’s third-leading scorer in Charlie Austin, but will need him to maintain form if Rangers are to stay up. West Bromwich Albion have struggled, and will start the second part of the season with their third manager since May. Because Hull were FA Cup finalists last season, they’ve been competing in both the EPL and Europa League, and their domestic record has been disastrous: only one win since early October. Crystal Palace currently sit in the relegation zone, but with reports that Alan Pardew could be taking over as manager, will he bring good fortune to Selhurst Park? Burnley & Leicester finished second and first, respectively, in last’s year Championship; they are now second-bottom and bottom of the top tier. Both clubs got huge results on Sunday (Burnley getting a draw at City, Leicester winning for the first time since September), and will want to build momentum going forward.

Matchday 20 sees all 20 clubs in action on New Year’s Day. With eight matches all beginning at 10 AM Eastern time, NBCSN will present Premier League Breakaway, cutting in between the games in that time slot to show important action.

Who will take home the title in 2015? The Premier League’s second half should provide a lot of drama and excitement.

For those interested in the Championship standings, Bournemouth and Ipswich are currently the top two, and control their destinies for  automatic promotion. Derby, Middlesbrough, Watford, & Brentford are third-sixth, respectively, each in line for the promotion play-offs.

With 2014 coming to a close, many soccer sites and fans are posting montages of the best goals from the calendar year. While there were some beautiful strikes in many high-profile competitions, there are several goals that may not have caught worldwide attention, but are worth looking at again. This year, I saw two goals stick out in particular that didn’t receive a lot of attention, but they were not only spectacular, they also contributed to those teams’ fortunes in a deeper meaning.

Alex Revell

In the League One Play-off Final at Wembley last May, Rotherham United found themselves trailing Leyton Orient 2-0 at halftime. A 55th-minute goal from the 30-year-old Revell gave the Millers hope of a comeback, and it only took five minutes afterward for the former Orient striker to tie the game with an amazing half-volley…

Rotherham eventually edged Leyton Orient on penalties to earn promotion to the League Championship, the second tier of the English league system.

Drew DeLozier

In November, Maranatha Baptist University trailed Ohio Christian University by a goal at halftime of the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Men’s Division II Soccer Championship Game. But DeLozier, a senior from Watertown, Wisconsin, had this effort from the middle third, very reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal at Porto in 2009…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAexh5LzLjQ

Maranatha Baptist would get a winning goal minutes later from Wira Wama to win the championship 2-1.

Which goal do you think is better? Share your favorite below!

Last Thursday, Ohio men’s basketball was held scoreless in overtime of a road loss to Evansville. On Monday, they were limited to 15 second-half points against George Washington. Tuesday provided better fortunes, however, as the Bobcats defeated DePaul 99-78 in a consolation game at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

Javarez “Bean” Willis led all scorers with 31 points, while Ohio managed to shoot nearly 60 percent on field goals and only committed 10 turnovers. Antonio Campbell and Maurice Ndour both contributed double-doubles, while Treg Setty and Ryan Taylor each scored 17 points. The Bobcats scored exactly 99 points for the first time since consecutive wins over Buffalo & Northern Illinois (99-77, 99-84) in 2010; they scored over 100 most recently in a four-overtime loss at St. Bonaventure the following season.

Is this the spark that could lead to big things for Ohio in year one under Saul Phillips? The Bobcats are 4-5, having picked up their first win away from the Convocation Center, and will have a chance to go 2-1 in Hawaii on Thursday. Beating a Big East team will also provide a huge boost of confidence, although DePaul has struggled recently; the Blue Demons are now on a five-game losing streak. Both of Ohio’s last two games tipped off at 9:30 AM local time, so the team will now have the rest of Tuesday and all day Wednesday to rest and prepare for their Christmas Day opponent.

Ohio will face the winner of the second consolation game between Nebraska and Loyola-Marymount. Many Bobcat fans are hoping the Cornhuskers win that matchup, for multiple reasons: the sake of playing a Big Ten team; the fact that Nebraska head coach Tim Miles would face a former assistant in Phillips (the two were together at North Dakota State from 2004-2007); also, Ohio football head coach Frank Solich was a former star player and head coach in Lincoln. The players would definitely relish a chance to beat two teams from two historically elite conferences in back-to-back contests.

With the Bobcats putting Monday’s struggles behind them for this win over the Blue Demons, fans can’t wait to see if the team gets on a winning streak to take into conference play.

Every year, the two best teams in NCAA Division III football meet in Salem, Virginia for the Stagg Bowl. For the ninth time in 10 years, the championship game will feature the Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks and the Mount Union Purple Raiders. With these teams establishing a rivalry that literally has national championship implications, Friday’s game should be an interesting one.

The Purple Raiders (from Alliance, Ohio) come into this game undefeated after routing almost every opponent in the 2014 season. Their two closest games both came against conference foe John Carroll, who Mount Union beat 36-28 in the Division III quarterfinals. Purple Raiders quarterback Kevin Burke has thrown for over 4,000 yards and accounted for 59 total touchdowns through 14 games. Earlier this week, he became the first two-time winner of the Gagliardi Award, the Division III equivalent of the Heisman. Having led his school to a national championship as a sophomore, Burke will be eager (along with 2nd-year head coach Vince Kehres) to bring another trophy back to northeast Ohio.

Wisconsin-Whitewater is also 14-0 in their quest for back-to-back titles. The Warhawks were involved in tough battles in both the quarterfinal and semifinal wins, before beating Wartburg and Linfield, respectively. Quarterback Matt Behrendt has 38 touchdowns and over 3,000 passing yards on the year, while Dennis Moore and Jordan Ratliffe have split the workload in the running game. This will be an emotional game for UWW, as head coach Lance Leipold coaches his final game for the Warhawks, before heading to Buffalo in the FBS. Leipold has only six losses as Warhawks head coach since coming to Whitewater in 2007; a win Friday night would give him a sixth national championship.

The Stagg Bowl isn’t the only college football game this weekend. The NAIA and NCAA Division II will also crown national champions on Friday and Saturday, respectively, while the FCS playoffs are down to the last four teams. Most FBS fans are ready for bowl season to start, with the College Football Playoff commencing New Year’s Day.

Mount Union beat Wisconsin-Whitewater in three of the first four Stagg Bowls featuring both schools (2005, 2006, 2008). The Warhawks won in 2007, took three straight from 2009-2011, failed to make the championship game in 2012, but won 52-14 last year. Including this season, the Purple Raiders have been in Salem 17 of the last 19 years, and have won 11 titles, all since 1993. With both schools featuring high-scoring offenses, expect a shootout Friday night.

The England cricket team finished its tour of Sri Lanka Tuesday with the final of seven One Day International matches between the two countries. The hosts won the game decisively by 87 runs, and took the series 5-2. With the World Cup just two months away, this marked a significant opportunity for players to solidify their spot in the English squad. While at times, some players did just that, team management will have some questions to answer, with one touring series left before “cricket’s greatest spectacle.”

One could easily argue that Sri Lanka’s dominant performance Tuesday came from sentiment; it was the final home ODI for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, two of the greatest players in not just their country’s history, but modern cricket history in general. Both have announced they will retire from one-day matches after the World Cup, so it was fitting that Jayawardene, who made a century in the 2011 CWC Final, took the final wicket that sealed the hosts’ victory.

For England, there are a lot of positives and negatives from this tour. Joe Root and Moeen Ali both made centuries, but in separate matches and only one for each player. Alastair Cook’s struggles continued; his highest score during the series was 34, while his average was below 20 in six innings. (He was suspended for the fourth ODI for a slow over rate.) The captain has only five centuries for England, three of them at home, the most recent against the West Indies over two years ago.

On the bowling side, Chris Woakes had several significant contributions; he was England’s leading wicket-taker in both wins. But he also conceded 71 runs on Tuesday, the most of the six bowlers used. If he is named to the final World Cup squad, he will have a chance at redemption when England face Sri Lanka in pool play on March 1, but most of the other bowlers will also be making their first-ever appearance in this tournament, so inexperience will be a factor. James Anderson, who didn’t feature in this tour and hasn’t played an ODI since September, will be taking on a “role model” status for English bowlers if he heads to the CWC.

England’s next matches come next month in a tri-series with Australia and India. With the 2015 World Cup being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, this offers a great opportunity to find out what to expect from some of the grounds. But can England rally from a disappointing tour to turn things around before heading into group play?

Manchester United have been on a roll recently in the Premier League. The Red Devils’ 2-1 win at Southampton on Monday catapulted them into 3rd place in the table, and marked five wins in a row under Louis van Gaal. But Sunday provides another test for the 20-time English champions, when “old enemy” Liverpool comes to Old Trafford looking to get their season back on track.

The Reds finished runners-up to Manchester City in the 2013/14 campaign, but have not found that same momentum this fall. Through the Matchday 16 games on Saturday, Liverpool sits at 9th with 21 points. The club had a must-win home match in the Champions League on Tuesday with Basel, but could only manage a 1-1 draw, and are headed to the Europa League. Liverpool collected wins against United both at home and away last season, but will miss England international Daniel Sturridge this weekend.

The hosts, meanwhile, are enjoying a winning streak, with their last loss coming at Manchester City in early November. However, United will enter this clash without Angel Di Maria and several key defenders. Van Gaal will expect a tough match, as this rivalry reminds him of the famous Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid; the Dutchman managed the former in two separate stints in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

This match has traditionally been full of drama, as the clubs rank one and two in English domestic league titles won. With the cities separated by less than an hour’s drive, and the history that relates the two, it’s very easy for a visitor why the game means so much to fans from both sides. That emotion has carried to the players as well, from Nemanja Vidic’s history of red cards in this fixture; to the Patrice Evra-Luis Suarez racism row in 2011/12; to Gary Neville’s behavior toward Liverpool fans (as seen on this video uploaded to YouTube by vonkoidy) during a United win in 2006.

What will be added Sunday to the newest chapter of the Manchester United-Liverpool rivalry? It should be an exciting 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

Army and Navy will meet in Baltimore on Saturday for the 115th edition of one of the most storied rivalries in college football. For the Black Knights, the game will mark another opportunity to end what CBS announcer Verne Lundquist has called a “decade of dominance” for the Midshipmen. Navy’s last loss in this series was 2001, and have largely cruised through the last 12 meetings, with 2011 & 2012 being the only games in that stretch decided by single digits. Will the change of venue (the game is traditionally played in Philadelphia) benefit Army, or will Navy, whose academy is significantly closer to M&T Bank Stadium (they’ve already faced Ohio State there), exploit a degree of home-field advantage?

Army have struggled recently; their only winning season this century was in 2010. The Black Knights are on their sixth coach since last beating the Midshipmen, but Jeff Monken brings a factor for the team that could lead to victory. Monken was an assistant under former Navy head coach Paul Johnson, serving as running backs coach and special teams coordinator. The Peoria, Illinois native began his head coaching career at Georgia Southern in 2010, taking the Eagles to three straight FCS semifinals. In Monken’s last game at Georgia Southern, the Eagles won at Florida 26-20. Under him this year, the Black Knights have a 1,000-yard rusher in Larry Dixon, and are 6th nationally in rushing yards per game. But the defense has allowed over 30 points to seven opponents in 2014, including 49 in an overtime loss to Yale.

Navy, meanwhile, is 2nd nationally in rushing yards per game, only behind Georgia Southern; junior quarterback Keenan Reynolds has 20 touchdowns and 1,082 yards on the ground, and excelled in his first two games against Army. The Midshipmen are led by Ken Niumatalolo, who was Navy’s offensive coordinator at the same time Monken was also in Annapolis. After Johnson left for Georgia Tech before Navy’s 2007 bowl game, Niumatalolo took over head coaching duties for the Poinsettia Bowl, and began his first full season in charge the following fall. The former Hawaii quarterback has taken the Midshipmen to five additional bowl games, and at 6-5, the academy has accepted an invitation to play San Diego State in the Poinsettia Bowl on December 23.

It’s been generations since both teams were regularly competing for national championships, but the atmosphere surrounding this rivalry, where every player’s goal is to “Sing second,” makes it a must-see event. It’s difficult to describe the pageantry using only words, but this video, uploaded to YouTube by Stars and Stripes, perfectly captures the emotions of everybody involved. This was the game in 2012, which Navy won 17-13 after Army fumbled late in Midshipmen territory…

In 2009, the Army-Navy game was moved back a week, to reaffirm its position as the “grand finale” to college football’s regular season. In recent years, the rivalry had been struggling for a TV audience, competing with conference championship games on the same Saturday in early December. With the change, though, Americans get to appreciate a game filled with respect and pride, but one that also spurs strong emotions from both sides depending on the result.

Who do you think will win Army-Navy? Leave a comment below!