The U.S. women's national soccer team won the World Cup final on Sunday, beating the team that eliminated the Americans in the 2011 final: Japan.
Revenge games don't get much sweeter than that.
Every team in college football has a game or two circled in red on the 2015 schedule, but some carry a bigger revenge factor -- and higher stakes -- than others. Here are five of the biggest revenge games on tap this fall at the college level, one for each of the Power Five conferences:
Big 12: Baylor at TCU
The hunter: TCU
The hunted: Baylor
The date: Nov. 27
The rub: TCU lost any shot at the College Football Playoff with a narrow loss to the Bears last year, although given that Baylor was left out of the playoff, Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs can only wonder if winning that game would have made a difference. Regardless, the loss came in heartbreaking fashion: 61-58 on a game-ending field goal after TCU had led by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This is the game TCU has circled.
Big Ten: Michigan State at Ohio State
The hunter: Michigan State
The hunted: Ohio State
The date: Nov. 21
The rub: Mark Dantonio's team has been left on the doorstep of national championship contention for a couple of years now. While Michigan State knocked off Ohio State in the 2013 Big Ten title game, last year's 49-37 loss to the Buckeyes dropped the Spartans' hopes from slim to none. Now, Michigan State will be faced with the task of slaying the defending national champions in front of a hostile crowd of nearly 105,000. Senior quarterback Connor Cook can score a signature win, put MSU over the hump for a league title, and give NFL scouts a benchmark game film all at once.
ACC: Florida State at Clemson
The hunter: Clemson
The hunted: FSU
The date: Nov. 7
The rub: No ACC team had Florida State on the regular-season ropes quite like Clemson did last year. With star FSU quarterback Jameis Winston suspended, Clemson was poised to win the game with a last-minute field goal of less than 40 yards when a C.J. Davidson fumble gave the Seminoles overtime life. Final: FSU 23, Clemson 17. Davidson is back this year, and so is the bad taste in the Tigers' mouths.
SEC: Florida vs. Georgia
The hunter: Georgia
The hunted: Florida
The date: Oct. 31
The rub: There is no other way to describe the Bulldogs' 38-20 loss to their archrivals last year than embarrassing. Georgia blew its chance to win the SEC East by giving up 418 rushing yards to a Florida team was no real threat to pass. Lame-duck Florida coach Will Muschamp got his one good memory from an otherwise forgettable season, while Georgia had to watch Missouri win its second division title in a row. If the SEC East is again on the line again here and Florida wins again, Mark Richt had better have his Halloween mask handy leaving the stadium.
Pac-12: Arizona at Arizona State
The hunter: Arizona State
The hunted: Arizona
The date: Nov. 21
The rub: The Sun Devils suffered a heartbreaking 42-35 loss to the Wildcats last year with a berth in the Pac-12 title game on the line. The national championship was already out of reach for both, but the loss still came with plenty of sting. Arizona didn't exactly acquit itself well in the Pac-12 title game rematch with Oregon (Arizona beat Oregon in the regular season), falling 51-13. ASU had to be thinking it could have put up more of a fight. The Sun Devils get their chance for revenge at home this year in a season finale that could again come with postseason stakes.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
