What a year… If, at the beginning of 2004, you told me that even one of the following headlines was going to turn out to be true, I'd have branded you a scurvy liar:

　　ESPN NFL 2K5 officially $19.99EA Sports announces across-the-board price cutsTake-Two preps industry for ESPN sports game price hikeBig Deal: EA and NFL ink exclusive licensing agreement Rumor Control: Region-free PSP defects and EA dumps Madden

　　Yet, as it turns out, each of the above headlines (except for the rumor of EA dumping their football series' namesake, which remains unconfirmed) has been another well-chronicled step in the year-long fight for the NFL that came to a head here in 2004. As we outlined in our feature, The Battle for the NFL, the actual clash between Sega and EA for that most precious sports license has roots that reach back years, to the beginning of the next generation consoles. This was just the year that the gloves came off and the bloodletting began...

　　There was only one college football title to speak of this year: NCAA Football 2005. While the game was criticized by some as step back of sorts after the previous year's version, it was still the only college game in town and, for the truly hardcore college pigskin fan, that was all they needed to know. In the real world of college ball, the BCS continued to suck wind and ruin the championship hopes of more than one football program. You probably know how we here at GameSpot Sports feel about the BCS system. It seems like the Associated Press agrees with us, having just announced that, starting next year, they will remove their poll as part of the BCS championship formula. That's a good start but we've got even more ideas on how we'd fix it, were we given the power. Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think.

　　The most compelling sports story in early 2005 will surely be: How will Sega/Take Two/Visual Concepts respond to EA's coup de grace? Will they choose to go for a lesser known pro license such as the Arena League or CFL, move their efforts into a college football title to challenge EA's hold on that market, or create something entirely new? So far, the company is mum on their plans. Expect fireworks, however, because this one's far from over.