When one thinks about how Manchester United have fared over the last 10 years, the first instinct is to divide the decade in two parts: the club under Sir Alex Ferguson, and after Ferguson’s retirement. How one man was able to affect the fortunes of a club and a domestic league could be dismissed as an exaggeration, but there is no way to exaggerate the impact Ferguson had on United, and the Premier League has a whole.

The 2009/10 season saw United once again challenge for a Premier League title, only to falter to Chelsea on the final day. The Red Devils would bounce back to regain the championship in 2011, also advancing to the Champions League Final. After the heartbreak of the 2011/12 finale, when crosstown rival Manchester City won the EPL with literally the last kick of the season, United added Robin van Persie to their roster. The Dutchman quickly made an impact in his first season at Old Trafford, leading the Premier League in goals as United sent Fergie into retirement with another league title.

David Moyes had the unenviable task of succeeding Ferguson, and he did win the Community Shield in his first match of consequence with the club. However, despite United reaching the Champions League quarterfinals, their poor form in the league meant Moyes was sacked prior to the end of the 2013/14 season, with Ryan Giggs serving as interim player-manager in the final games. Louis van Gaal took over in the summer of 2014, and he did lead United back into the Champions League and to their first FA Cup triumph in 12 years, but he too was let go after two seasons at Old Trafford.

Jose Mourinho arrived in the summer of 2016, as did big-name players Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba. United started the Premier League season well, but it soon became clear that Mourinho was banking on the club winning the Europa League, which they would do by defeating Ajax in the Final. United would then finish runners-up in the EPL in 2017/18 – their highest finish in the post-Sir Alex era – their season marked by a famous 3-2 win at Manchester City. But struggles early in the 2018/19 campaign meant Mourinho was out by December, and in came Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

With the former striker as caretaker manager, the players seemed to be relaxed and comfortable, going on an impressive win streak and upsetting Paris Saint-Germain to reach the Champions League quarterfinals. Once Solskjaer was given the job full-time, however, the performances dipped, with a final day home loss to Cardiff summing up the struggles of the last few months of that season. For the first half of 2019/20, there appear to be two different Uniteds for the most part; the team that shows up for big matches against old rivals, and the side that loses to lesser-known clubs. December alone has been a great example; United began the month with wins over Tottenham and Manchester City in a four-day span. They would later settle for a home draw with Aston Villa, while losing at then-last place Watford.

Manchester United closed 2019 with consecutive wins over Newcastle United and Burnley, and will start 2020 on the road at Arsenal. All signs appear to show that management will observe how the transfer window goes, then allow Solskjaer to finish out the season before making a decision moving forward. Will United have another roller-coaster decade in the 2020s? Fans will certainly hope for a return to consistency, and a return to the world’s elite.

The “Decade in Review” series continues with a look at how Ohio Bobcats football fared during the 2010s. In one sense, it was a consistent decade for the team, as head coach Frank Solich presided over squads that consistently posted bowl-eligible records. At the same time, there was a fair amount of unpredictability, with teams picked to seriously contend for a MAC title ultimately underachieving.

The Bobcats closed the previous decade with an unexpected MAC East championship in 2009, and after a rocky start to open the 2010 season, appeared destined for a return trip to Detroit following seven straight wins. However, a road loss at Kent State meant Ohio would watch their archrival Miami win the conference crown instead.

Ohio regrouped in 2011 and not only won the East, but took a 20-0 lead into halftime of the MAC title game against Northern Illinois. However, the Huskies rallied with 23 unanswered points to win the championship, but Ohio would go on to rally in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and beat Utah State for their first-ever bowl game victory. 2012 began with a non-conference win at Penn State, as the Bobcats won their first seven games and entered the BCS rankings for the first time. Although they’d drop four of their last five to close the regular season, they would dominate Louisiana-Monroe in the Independence Bowl 45-14.

The 2013, 2014, and 2015 campaigns saw Ohio consistently finish in the middle of the MAC East standings, with 2014 being the one year in the decade that the Bobcats would miss out on a bowl invitation, despite finishing 6-6. In 2016, Ohio would emerge from the East as division champion for the third time in an eight-year span. They would give unbeaten Western Michigan all they could handle in the championship game but the Broncos ultimately prevailed 29-23.

The last three seasons of the decade have a common thread: high expectations that were not met. Ohio was the preseason pick to win at least the East in 2017, ’18, ‘and ’19; the last two of those they were also tabbed to win the MAC. However, it was a case of one or two games that Ohio expected to win but didn’t.  The last two years, that proverbial thorn in the Bobcats’ side has been archrival Miami, who kicked a late field goal in November to win the 2019 meeting. Ohio found themselves needing to win their final two games this fall to become bowl-eligible, but they did just that by outscoring Bowling Green and Akron by a total of 118-27. The Bobcats will return to Boise, Idaho on January 3 as they face Nevada in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

So what’s next for Ohio football as they enter the 2020s? One thing likely to change is their head coach, as Frank Solich is already well in his 70s. The Bobcats will also begin the decade with a new quarterback following the graduation of Nathan Rourke, who has set many career and single-season records over his time in Athens. The million dollar question remains, will Ohio stay near the top of the MAC standings, or will it fall back into the state it was in prior to Solich’s 2005 arrival? Expect the next few seasons to reveal the answer.

With the New Year beginning next week, that’s brought many “Best of the Decade” lists, although one could argue the current decade doesn’t end until 2020. Regardless, the last ten years have seen inevitable change to sports teams around the globe. This series will take a look at several of those teams who have adapted well to change, and those who haven’t.

This edition will examine how Ohio State Buckeyes football fared in the 2010s.

The start of the decade saw high expectations for the Buckeyes, as they began the 2010 calendar year with a Rose Bowl win over Oregon. With quarterback Terrelle Pryor back along with other other returning starters, Ohio State was a heavy favorite to contend for the national title, but a midseason loss to Wisconsin saw the Buckeyes settle for a shared conference title.

While Ohio State would win their Sugar Bowl matchup with Arkansas, they would ultimately vacate that result – along with the whole season – as punishment for violations involving a memorabilia scandal that would also force the resignation of head coach Jim Tressel. While Luke Fickell did the best he could as interim, the Buckeyes would endure their first non-winning season since 1999, with losses in their final four games, including to archrival Michigan.

Urban Meyer was brought in as the new permanent head coach, and started his tenure with 24 straight wins. There would come a point, though, when the Buckeyes lost three of four – the Big Ten Championship Game to Michigan State, the Orange Bowl to Clemson, and a regular-season matchup with Virginia Tech. Despite that, the 2014 Buckeyes responded to that early setback with 13 straight wins, culminating with victories over Alabama and Oregon as they won the inaugural College Football Playoff. After many years of near-misses, Ohio State returned to “National Champion” status.

The 2015, 2016, and 2017 seasons would all be extremely similar, with Ohio State fielding good teams, but never quite able to get back to the championship game. The Buckeyes did return to the playoff in 2016 despite not winning the Big Ten, but were outclassed by eventual national champion Clemson. 2017 saw a rare two-loss season, with Oklahoma and Iowa both getting the better of the Buckeyes. 2018 could also be in the same category, with Ohio State engineering a nearly flawless season, with the exception of a nightmare Saturday night at Purdue.

Now in 2019, Ohio State has another opportunity to return to the top of the college football world. The Buckeyes navigated an unbeaten regular season, followed by a come-from-behind performance in the Big Ten Championship Game, and doing this with Ryan Day experiencing his first full year as a head coach. Justin Fields has handled the transition from Georgia to Ohio State well, and Chase Young has emerged as the best defensive player in the country; he was the first defensive player to be invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony since Manti Te’o in 2012. Now the Buckeyes have a chance to avenge the December 2016 Fiesta Bowl loss with another meeting against Clemson. Should they win, Ohio native and onetime Buckeyes quarterback Joe Burrow likely awaits in the national championship game. All signs point to Ohio State continuing their high level of play in the coming decade.

With that comes high expectations. But Ohio State has embraced those in the past, and there’s no reason to believe that will change anytime soon.