The winners and losers of 2016

Led by quarterback Jake Coker, the Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff with a win over Clemson. The program has continued undefeated in 2016 and is eyeing a repeat.

After a historic letdown in the Alamo Bowl against TCU, Oregon's football program has continued its crash. The team finished with only four wins during the 2016 regular season, and head coach Mark Helfrich was fired following the season.

The Broncos had an upset victory in Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset with his second Super Bowl victory.

The Bengals lost their seventh straight Wild Card Round playoff game, this time in excruciating fashion as a series of personal fouls gave the Steelers life. Cincinnati has declined during the 2016 regular season and is on the outside looking in for a playoff spot.

Miller won the Super Bowl 50 MVP, leading a dominating defensive performance by the Broncos. He's continued to rank among the league leaders in sacks during 2016.

Newton had a disappointing Super Bowl 50 performance and didn't take it well at the post-game presser. His struggles have continued into the 2016 regular season.

The Penguins claimed the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup after finishing second in the Metropolitan Division during the regular season.

Toronto had its second straight horrific season, finishing in the cellar during 2015-16. The Maple Leafs finished the season with only 69 points, though did get the top pick in the draft, Auston Matthews, who scored four games in his first NHL game.

Despite failing to win the NBA Finals in an epic series with Cleveland, the Warriors had quite the accomplishment in 2015-16 with a record-breaking 73-win season.

Philadelphia's futility was historic in 2015-16, with a final record of 10-72. The good news for Philly is that its young talent is starting to gel this season.

The city of Cleveland ended its 52-year drought when the Cavs beat Golden State in a historic seven-game series in the NBA Finals. LeBron James brought the NBA championship home, winning the Finals MVP.

The Bulls had change at the top in 2015-16, firing head coach Tom Thibodeau despite going 50-32 the year before. The team hired Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg and finished only two games above .500 despite a star-studded roster.

Despite failing to win the NBA Finals, Curry had an unbelievable year in 2015-16 as the league MVP. He led the league with 30.1 points per game and had a record-breaking 402 three-pointers.

Howard wore out his welcome in Houston after only three seasons. He averaged just 13.7 points per game before departing to Atlanta.

Towns was even better than advertised in his rookie season, winning NBA Rookie of the Year for Minnesota. He averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds.

Russell had a fine rookie season for the Lakers with 13.2 points per game but became a household name for the wrong reasons. He recorded a private conversation with teammate Nick Young and posted it online, getting him in hot water.

The Rams returned to Los Angeles with a plan of opening a world-class home facility in 2019. Of course, the team's mediocre results have also been brought over from St. Louis.

Even after presenting a publicly funded plan to build a new downtown stadium in St. Louis, owner Stan Kroenke convinced the NFL that the Rams should be moved back to L.A. The city of St. Louis lost its second NFL team in less than 30 years, also losing the Cardinals after the 1987 season.

Perhaps the most improbable champion in the history of sports, Leicester City won the Premier League despite 5,000-to-1 odds entering the season.

Aston Villa finished last in the EPL standings during 2015-16 and was relegated for the first time since 1987.

Despite a lackluster group stage with three draws, the Portuguese team righted the ship and won Euro 2016.

Euro 2016 didn't go well for Ukraine, to say the least. The Ukrainians were ousted in the group stage after three straight losses and no goals scored.

The 2016 Summer Olympics went off without a major hitch, even with years of problems in preparation for the 2016 Games. There were some small issues but nothing that severely impacted the Olympics.

Between economic woes, the Zika virus and major sanitation issues, the Brazil Olympics looked like a disaster waiting to happen. Most of the worries were unfounded when all was said and done.

Team USA won its third straight gold medal in the Summer Olympics, though the team certainly experienced some challenges.

One of the clear favorites to win the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Team USA had a frustrating loss to Sweden and failed to medal in women's soccer. The team failed to make the semifinal in a major tournament for the first time in history.

Expected to be one of the top winners in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles didn't disappoint. The gymnast won five medals in her first Olympics, including four golds.

After losing to Sweden in the Olympics, U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo might have ended her national team career after calling the Swedes "cowards" and getting suspended.

The fastest man in the world added to his collection, winning three gold medals in Rio. The Brazilian sprinter won the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay.

Gatlin was expected to challenge Usain Bolt at the Rio Olympics. However, he failed to qualify for the finals in the 200-meter dash. He did win a silver in the 100-meter, only trailing Bolt.

Arguably the greatest Olympian ever, Phelps just added to his medal count with five gold medals and one silver medal. He's likely headed for retirement with 23 golds, three silvers and two bronze medals for his Olympic career.

Lochte embarrassed himself and the United States swim team after claiming that he and two teammates were robbed at gunpoint in Rio. Surveillance video showed the group allegedly vandalizing a gas station.

Head coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats won the 2016 men's NCAA Basketball Tournament with one of the best championship games in history against North Carolina. Kris Jenkins had the game-winning shot at the buzzer.

The Baylor athletic program continues to be in hot water due to allegations regarding its poor handling of numerous sexual assault incidents by athletes. The school's president, athletic director and football head coach Art Briles were already axed by the school or resigned.

Is head coach Geno Auriemma's program the most dominant in sports history? UConn women's basketball continues to make a case after winning a fourth consecutive NCAA Championship in 2016. The program has made nine straight Final Fours and has six championships over that time.

Coming off a 10-3 record and Fiesta Bowl loss last season, the Fighting Irish had high hopes in 2016. The team had a surprisingly awful year, finishing 4-8 and missing out on bowl eligibility. It only got worse late in the year when the NCAA ruled Notre Dame had to vacate wins from 2012 and 2013 due to violations by a student trainer.

Las Vegas recently unveiled the name of the city's new NHL team, the Golden Knights, who will launch next season. Sin City is also looking like a very possible destination for the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, who are looking for a new home after their Los Angeles plans fell through.

When it rains, it pours. The Oakland A's finished last place in the AL West in 2016, and Raiders owner Mark Davis seems desperate to move his team to Las Vegas. This just adds to the Warriors moving from the Oracle Arena to a new facility in Mission Bay in two years.

The curse is over! The Cubs finally won a World Series after a 108-year drought, winning an incredible seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Ben Zobrist was named the World Series MVP after winning the honor with the Royals last year.

After finishing a surprising 83-79 in 2015, the Twins regressed in a big way. The team finished the 2016 season with a league-worst 103 losses, and GM Terry Ryan was fired.

Day had another terrific year as the top-ranked golfer in the world. He's second in the money list and had three tournament wins in his 20 starts during 2016.

Woods was expected to return from back surgery early in the year, but his return didn't come until December in the Hero World Challenge. It was yet another disappointing year for the former elite golfer.

Jackson is the overwhelming favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after an incredible season at Louisville. The sophomore quarterback finished the regular season with 3,390 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns, along with 1,538 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.

Coming off an injury-riddled 2015 season, Romo had high hopes for a rebound in 2016. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury in the preseason that kept him out for the start of the year. While Romo was out, rookie Dak Prescott emerged as the Cowboys' savior and has kept the starting job since Romo's return.

Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship for the seventh time in his career and the first time since 2013.

Projected as the top talent in the draft by some evaluators, Tunsil fell all the way to the Dolphins at No. 13 in the NFL Draft after his Twitter account was hacked just before the draft, showing video of him smoking while wearing a gas mask. His Instagram account also showed a text requesting money from an Ole Miss assistant athletic director.

The Cowboys made a controversial decision by drafting Ezekiel Elliott fourth overall instead of addressing their defensive holes. That pick, along with the emergence of fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, has made the Cowboys the talk of the NFL in 2016 and also put them in an enviable long-term position.

Los Angeles finally got its football team back, but it's been a nightmarish season. The selection of first overall draft choice Jared Goff is still a work in progress, and the team has started the season 4-7 while frustrating fans. Head coach Jeff Fisher's controversy with former Rams star Eric Dickerson has caused another headache for the organization.

Herman was already a hot commodity after his immediate success coaching Houston last season, and he raised his stock from the jump this year with an upset win over Oklahoma. He left the Cougars for Texas after a great 9-3 season.

Strong's Longhorns made some progress this season and looked like they were headed for a breakout year after a great early-season win vs. Notre Dame. It turned out that the win wasn't very impressive when all was said and done, and Strong's fate was sealed with an embarrassing loss to Kansas. Strong was fired after Texas went 5-7.