Remember how the 2007 college football season unfolded?

Ohio State was firmly the #1 team in the country in mid-November, but their national championship hopes seemed dead after a 28-21 home loss to Illinois. The Buckeyes dropped to #7 in the BCS, and with the Big Ten not yet having a championship game, and no second bye week meant the Buckeyes played their regular season finale before Thanksgiving, it appeared unlikely they’d make it to New Orleans. Jim Tressel and company did win at Michigan 14-3 to clinch the Big Ten title outright, but it looked like the Buckeyes would go to the Rose Bowl; not a consolation by any means, but not the national championship site that year. They were hoping for a lot of upsets, which indeed happened, although OSU would fall to LSU in the title game.

Now the Buckeyes have re-entered that kind of scenario in 2015. Saturday’s loss to Michigan State means that the Buckeyes need to win at Michigan and root for Penn State to beat the Spartans. If one or neither of those outcomes occur, Ohio State won’t be in the Big Ten Championship Game, let alone the college football playoff and the national championship. First things first, though; the Buckeyes need to beat the Wolverines.

This post was originally going to be similar to a warning letter, with reminders of how previous Buckeyes teams saw undefeated seasons in the past go up in smoke in Ann Arbor, particularly against first-year coaches for the Maize and Blue. 1969 & 1995 are the most vivid examples, and while Michigan was the favored team in 2011, Brady Hoke began his time there by ending the Wolverines’ long losing streak to their rival. With Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State, however, this post takes a different approach to addressing the rivalry.

2007 was the last year both teams were ranked heading into “The Game,” and with both schools in the Top 10, this year may bring back memories of the epic battles between Lloyd Carr and John Cooper, and later Carr vs. Tressel. Jim Harbaugh & Urban Meyer both have a long personal history with this rivalry, each wanting to add another chapter to their legacy in the matchup. And with Michigan in the exact same boat as Ohio State (A win AND a Michigan State loss means a trip to Indianapolis), the Wolverines hope to capitalize on the home-field advantage.

What new memories will 2015 add to the history of “The Game?” Buckeye and Wolverine fans can’t wait to find out.

The motto for Ohio football’s 2015 season has been to the point: Restore the Roar. After 2014 saw the Bobcats miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 2008, the team came back in August prepared to prove that last year was a fluke compared to the recent success for the program. Also among the goals was an improvement within the MAC, as the Bobcats went 4-4 against league opponents in each of the last three seasons.

2015 saw the program open with a road win at Idaho, and while there were moments where the Bobcats didn’t play their best, the Vandals never looked like a team that could overcome a challenge of playing from behind. After more than a week in between games, Ohio returned to Athens for a rivalry game with Marshall, who embarrassed the Bobcats the previous year in Huntington. In a game filled with penalties on every side of the ball, the Bobcats got their revenge on the Thundering Herd, and ended non-conference play 3-1 after a controversial loss at Minnesota.

MAC play began brightly for the Green and White, leading many to wonder about the chances of a conference championship. Then came the dismal three-game stretch in late October and early November; the Bobcats have struggled in recent years against Western Michigan & Bowling Green, and 2015 was not an exception. Sandwiched in between those two losses, however, was a setback at Buffalo, a team that Ohio usually beats in Athens, but gives the Bobcats fits in New York. At that point of the season, Ohio stood 5-4, 2-3 in the MAC, with fans questioning the chances of a second straight year without a postseason appearance.

Ultimately the Bobcats got back on track with convincing wins over struggling Kent State and Ball State, followed by Tuesday’s improbable win at Northern Illinois. The Huskies have been the standard-bearer of MAC football for the better part of the last decade; before the season, their last November losses came in 2009, to Ohio and Central Michigan – the two teams that would in the MAC Championship Game that fall. NIU rallied to stun Ohio and win the 2011 MAC Championship, before another comeback in Athens last year. In DeKalb, the Bobcats were the team off to a fast start, holding for a 26-21 win that could deny the Huskies a sixth straight trip to Detroit.

So Ohio closes the regular season with an 8-4 record, 5-3 in the MAC, second place in the East Division. The Bobcats have not only guaranteed themselves a bowl game, but one of the five games with MAC tie-ins (meaning the Camellia, Famous Idaho Potato, Boca Raton, GoDaddy, or Bahamas Bowls). Another thing to keep an eye on is the long-term program, which the bowl result will impact. Head coach Frank Solich turned 71 in September; as he brings his 11th season in Athens to a close, will this be when he calls it a career? What about the many redshirt seniors on the squad? During their first year in Athens, 2011, Ohio made school history winning 10 games, including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. After that second-half collapse to Northern Illinois, the Bobcats had one of redemption in Boise against Utah State. If the Bobcats do head back to Boise, it would be a poignant full-circle moment for those players.

2015 has been a year to remember for Ohio football, and the good news for fans: it’s not over yet.

The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season came to an end Sunday with a storybook ending. Not the ending many were hoping for, where Jeff Gordon would’ve gone out on top with a fifth championship. Kyle Busch, who suffered injuries during Daytona 500 Week that kept him out of the first 11 races of the season, won the race and therefore his first title, holding off defending champion Kevin Harvick in the final laps to take the checkered flag.

2015 was always going to be known primarily as the final racing season for Jeff Gordon, but the year also marked NBC’s return to airing the sport after an eight-year absence. During the last year of the previous contract (2006), the network was heavily criticzed for the bland style of commentators Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach, and Benny Parsons. This year, fans were drawn to the comparatively fresh delivery of Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte. Some of the talent moves included Allen & studio host Krista Voda joining from Fox, while studio analyst Dale Jarrett left ESPN.

NBC was originally scheduled to air seven races this season on the network: Daytona, Darlington, Charlotte, Kansas, Texas, Phoenix, and the championship at Homestead-Miami. The Darlington, Kansas, and Texas races went as planned. The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona – the first race broadcast by NBC Sports since 2006 – didn’t start until after 11:30 PM Sunday night, but the network stayed on air through the delay and aired the race in its entirety.

The Charlotte race was planned for a Saturday night run, which NBC would’ve used as a perfect transition into Saturday Night Live. However, rain went on throughout the evening, postponing the race to Sunday afternoon, and it was aired on NBCSN. The penultimate race at Phoenix was also delayed heavily by weather, and while the network stayed with NASCAR content until 6:00, the race was moved to cable, where it was aired in entirety.

Sunday’s championship race presented a similar scenario; there was beautiful weather around Homestead-Miami Speedway when NBC first came on air, before storms rolled in and delayed the start of the race. The network aired the Ford EcoBoost 400 in its entirety, even as it became clear that the race would not finish before 7:00 PM, the time that Football Night in America usually starts. After the race ended, Allen quickly mentioned that post-race coverage would be on NBCSN, before the network cut to commercials and began an abbreviated Football Night before 8:00.

Presumably one reason NBC got NASCAR rights back was because of a commitment to airing races on broadcast television, as opposed to ESPN. That commitment was put to the test Sunday, but the network sent a message to NASCAR and its fans that they are indeed making the sport a priority by not moving a race in progress to cable, despite complaints from football fans. The network has consistently received praise for its coverage of the NFL, NHL, Premier League, and other events such as the Rugby World Cup. With Year 1 of the new NASCAR contract in the books, NBC has set the bar high for its coverage of stock car racing, and 2016 will be a season to watch to see if they can keep up that high quality.

How many times have sports fans seen a legend retire as a champion? In tennis, Pete Sampras called it a career after winning the 2002 U.S. Open for his 14th major title, then a record. In basketball, David Robinson went out as the champion center with the 2003 San Antonio Spurs. In football, Jerome Bettis, Michael Strahan, and Ray Lewis have all retired in the last decade with the opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in their swan songs.

On Sunday, one of auto racing’s legends can join that club, as Jeff Gordon will compete for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Even for those who aren’t racing aficionados, they know who #24 is and the place he holds in modern American sport.

Gordon’s farewell year started perhaps the best way possible, when he won the pole at February’s Daytona 500. Although he didn’t, one had to wonder if the stars would align for a fairytale season. Then came the pre-Chase races, and while other drivers collected wins, including Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, Gordon failed to pick up a checkered flag. As it would turn out, #24 was one of five drivers who would make the Chase solely on points, and it was also on points how he qualified for the Contender & Eliminator rounds.

Then came the race at Martinsville, where Gordon was second for much of the day to Joey Logano, who was riding a hot streak having swept the Contender round races. That all came to an end with less than 50 laps to go when Matt Kenseth, in an act of revenge from Kansas two weeks prior, took Logano out of the race; Gordon would hold off a late charge from Jamie McMurray to win and book a spot in Homestead.

Now it’s come down to one race, as Gordon faces three other drivers for the 2015 title. It would be his fifth Sprint Cup championship, and first since 2001. Can he complete the storybook ending?

So far, 20 teams have qualified for next year’s European Championships in France; the list includes defending champion Spain, reigning world champion Germany, and many continental powers including England & Italy. With the field expanded to 24 from 16 in past tournaments, it’s given several more nations a chance to qualify, and teams that may not have had the pedigree in the past have taken advantage of the opportunity. Currently five nations will be making their Euros debut in France; Iceland, Northern Ireland, Albania, Wales, and Slovakia.

Eight teams are competing for the four remaining spots in the finals, and they’ll meet in the standard two-leg playoff that’s used among all UEFA competitions. By November 17, all the tickets will have been punched, but the drama surrounding the playoffs should be just exciting.

The first match comes Thursday when Norway hosts Hungary. The Hungarians were just minutes away from being the best third-placed team in the qualifying groups, meaning an automatic spot in the finals. However, the nation that produced soccer icons like Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis has a new generation of players eager to show what they can do on an international stage. After being absent for the past several Euros and World Cups, there might be tremendous pressure on Hungary to prevail over Norway in a matchup where the former is the favorite.

Another interesting playoff features Sweden facing Denmark. These two have consistently been the strongest of the Scandinavian sides, so it was a shock for some to see both at the stage while Iceland won its group. Sweden underperformed in each of the last two Euros; their lone group win in 2012 came after they were already eliminated. Is this the last chance at Euro glory for Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, or will he be around the national team for the 2020 cycle?

The other two playoff ties see 2012 co-host Ukraine face Slovenia, white Bosnia & Herzegovina meet Ireland. The big story remains the Netherlands’ failure to even make the playoffs, the second time this century the Dutch have failed to qualify for a major international tournament (2002 World Cup). But for the teams still with a chance to qualify, it’s do-or-die, and exciting drama awaits.