In fact, there are much more than 15 games that could've been on this list. I could've easily selected 15 games from each sport individually. But here are my top 15 from 2015. Unlike my memorable moments from the other day, these are ranked in order. Feel free to disagree. I'd be surprised if people didn't...
15. Daytona 500-February 22, Daytona, FL: Jeff Gordon won the pole for his final Daytona 500 and led for most of the race. But he got caught in Daytona's famous "Big One," bringing out the red flag. That meant we were in for a great finish, and they delivered. Joey Logano ended up taking the checkered flag in a race that featured 27 lead changes among 12 drivers.
14. Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey-November 15, Melbourne, Australia: It took all of three minutes, yet it sent shockwaves through the entire sporting world. The undefeated Rousey was UFC's biggest draw, as evidence by the record crowd of more than 56,000 and the 1.1 million pay-per-view buys. Holm did the unthinkable and took the champ to the second round. Then she did the downright "impossible," knocking Rousey out 59 seconds later.
13. Belmont Stakes-June 6, Elmont, NY: This one makes the list not because of how good the race was, but because of what it meant. American Pharoah dominated. It wasn't even close. It was like Secretariat. When he turned for the stretch run, nobody was hoping for a Triple Crown. We all knew. NBC's Larry Collmus summed up everybody's feelings perfectly: "The 37-year wait is over! American Pharoah is finally the one! American Pharoah has won the Triple Crown!"
12. Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 5: Rangers 2, Capitals 1 (OT)-May 8, New York: There were so many great games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs to choose from. But I went with the one that had me on the edge of my seat the most. The Rangers came home down 3-1 in the series and Washington led 1-0 late when Chris Kreider tied it with 1:41 left in the 3rd period. Ranger captain Ryan McDonagh then scored 9:37 into the extra session to keep the Rangers alive in a series they'd eventually win in seven.
11. Rugby World Cup: Japan 34, South Africa 32-September 19, Brighton, England: On the second day of the Rugby World Cup, Japan pulled the biggest upset in the sport's history. Japan trailed the vaunted two-time champion Springboks 32-29 when Japan declined to take a late penalty kick that would've tied it. The strategy worked, as the Japanese scored the game-winning try on the last play of the game to secure the 34-32 victory.
10. Women's Final Four: Notre Dame 66, South Carolina 65-April 5, Tampa, FL: When all four of the No. 1 seeds advanced to the Women's Final Four, you knew that it was going to be a good one. Notre Dame led by four at halftime and was up 64-52 with 7:51 left when South Carolina went on a 13-0 run to go ahead. But Madison Cable's only basket of the game put the Fighting Irish back in front before All-American Tiffany Mitchell missed a three at the buzzer, sending Notre Dame into its four National Championship Game in five years.
9. IAAF World Championships, Men's 100 Meter Final-August 23, Beijing: Many thought this was Justin Gatlin's best chance to finally beat Usain Bolt. Gatlin was faster in both the heats and semifinals, while Bolt looked downright pedestrian. But lest we forget, Usain Bolt is not human. And he shines brightest on the biggest stage. Gatlin got out great and held the lead most of the way before Bolt did what he always does. Win. At the site of his Olympic three-peat in 2008, he earned the first gold medal of a 2015 World Championships three-peat.
8. NCAA Tournament, 1st Round: Georgia State 57, Baylor 56-March 19, Jacksonville, FL: Games like this one are why we love March Madness. Baylor was tabbed as a potential Final Four team, but 14th-seeded Georgia State went on a 13-0 run over the final three minutes to pull off the upset. The game-winning bucket was a three-pointer by R.J. Hunter, which caused Bulldogs coach Ron Hunter, R.J.'s dad, who already had a torn Achilles suffered celebrating the Sun Belt tournament title, to fall off his stool celebrating.
7. Women's World Cup, Quarterfinals: Germany 1, France 1 (Penalty Kicks: 5-4)-June 26, Montreal: Just like the 2014 Men's World Cup, the 2015 Women's World Cup gave us plenty of memorable games (as well as plenty of stinkers, like Germany's 10-0 rout of Ivory Coast). One of the best, though, was the quarterfinal matchup between No. 1 Germany and No. 3 France. France drew first blood, but the Germans tied it on a penalty kick in the 84th minute. Both teams had chances in extra time, but it went to penalty kicks. After Germany made all five, Nadine Angerer stopped France's final shot to set up a semifinal showdown with those American badasses.
6. Wimbledon Gentlemen's Final: Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer-July 12, Wimbledon, England: These two met in the Wimbledon final for the second straight year, and it was just as epic as their 2014 clash. And once again, Djokovic came out on top. They split tiebreaks, with Federer winning a 12-10 marathon to take the second set, but Djokovic got a break in the third and one in the fourth to secure a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory. They met again two months later in the US Open final, and that one was a classic, as well. It easily could've been on the list instead of Wimbledon.
5. College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl: Ohio State 42, Alabama 35-January 1, New Orleans: I think we can all agree that the first year of the College Football Playoff was a rousing success. And this game showed why. Fourth-seeded Ohio State only got into the playoff after routing Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game and was given no shot against No. 1 Alabama, the prohibitive favorite for the first true national title, in the Sugar Bowl, which served as one of the semifinals. Alabama showed why they were favored early, building a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter. But Ohio State responded with a 36-7 run to go up 42-28. The Crimson Tide scored a late touchdown, but it was too late. The Buckeyes were going to the National Championship Game, where they would dominate Oregon.
4. World Series, Game 5: Royals 7, Mets 2 (12 innings)-November 1, New York: Really, with the 2015 World Series (and the 2015 MLB Postseason in general), you could pick any game as the best. But I went with the one where the Royals clinched their first championship in 30 years. It was 2-0 Mets going to the ninth, which is when Royals games get fun. Matt Harvey convinced Terry Collins to let him come out for the ninth, but he was gone after a walk to Lorenzo Cain and an Eric Hosmer double. Jeurys Familia came in and got the first out rather routinely. Hosmer was on third when Salvador Perez hit a grounder to third and, as soon as the throw went to first, he dashed for home. Lucas Duda's throw went somewhere on Long Island, and suddenly the game was tied. It stayed 2-2 until the top of the 12th, when Christian Colon, in his first plate appearance in a month, opened the floodgates with the series-winning single.
3. U.S. Open (Golf) Final Round-June 21, Seattle: Now, to be clear, I'm still not a fan of golf. But since the final round of the U.S. Open is always on Father's Day, and I was at my sister's house, I ended up watching the final round with my brother-in-law, who's a big golf fan. You knew it would be crazy when four players went into the final round tied for the lead. Jordan Spieth was up two strokes after 16 holes, but double-bogeyed 17 to fall into a tie with Dustin Johnson. Spieth birdied 18, but Johnson two-putted, giving Spieth his second Major of the year.
2. Western Conference 1st Round, Game 7: Clippers 111, Spurs 109-May 2, Los Angeles: All those who watched this series wished it hadn't been in the 1st round. Because neither team deserved to be the loser. Game 7 was just like the entire series. Both teams were at their best. There were 19 ties and 31 lead changes. With one second left, Chris Paul hit the series-winning shot. Final score: Clippers 111, Spurs 109. Series result: Clippers 4, Spurs 3.
1. Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24-February 1, Glendale, AZ: For the best game of 2015, I think this was a pretty easy call. The SUPER Bowl doesn't always live up to its name, but this matchup between the defending champion Seahawks and a Patriots team looking for its fourth title of the Bradicheck Era sure did. How evenly matched were they? It was 0-0 after one and 14-14 at halftime. Seattle eventually built a 10-point lead, but the Patriots scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, taking a 28-24 lead with 2:04 left. As it turns out, that was plenty of time for Russell Wilson. Jermaine Kearse made the David Tyree he-just-did-what?! catch to set up 1st-and-goal with 1:05 remaining. After a Marshawn Lynch run got the Seahawks to the 1, the play call heard around the world followed. For some reason, Seattle tried a pass through the middle, which was intercepted by New England's Malcolm Butler, icing the win for the Patriots and cementing Super Bowl XLIX's place as one of the greatest games in Super Bowl history.
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