Every season brings a new chapter, but it's still part of the same book. Wins, losses and experiences the season prior will shape 2015 in some ways. Promising players emerged, jobs were saved and future playoff contenders were identified.
Here are five 2015 storylines that have roots back to the 2014 season.
Early in the 2014 season, it appeared the state of Virginia's top two programs righted the ship. Virginia lost in heartbreaking fashion to No. 7 UCLA but upset a ranked Louisville two weeks later. Virginia Tech went on the road and took down a top-10 Ohio State team on Sept. 7. However, when the Cavs and Hokies met in the regular-season finale, it was a battle to reach bowl eligibility. If not for the early-season upsets, administration officials for each school might have opted to make a change. Instead, the wins might have given Virginia's Mike London and Tech's Frank Beamer one more season to restore pride in their respective programs.
At last week's ACC spring meetings, league coaches were trying to spin the conference narrative in their favor. Critics have chosen to remember Florida State's 59-20 loss to Oregon as the ACC's lasting image, though FSU coach Jimbo Fisher chose to call them "uneducated." The ACC swept the SEC on the final weekend of the regular season and won the Orange Bowl, but the Rose Bowl loss, which some saw as vindication for the selection committee's rankings of FSU, still hangs over the conference.
Notre Dame beat Syracuse by two scores on Sept. 27, but that win set the Everett Golson-to-Florida State wheels in motion. The turnovers that plagued Golson in 2014 began against the Orange. He turned it over four times that night, and it was a snowball effect from there, ending with 22 turnovers. Eventually, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly washed his hands of Golson and turned to Malik Zaire, prompting Golson to transfer Tuesday to the Seminoles.
The 2015 Heisman campaign of Clemson's Deshaun Watson started after his first throw against Georgia. It began in earnest a few weeks later when he accounted for six touchdowns against North Carolina. However, Watson's Heisman odds are tough to gauge. In November, Watson tore his ACL and he might not be ready for the season. If he's not, his Heisman hopes are likely dashed and so too might be Clemson's goal of an ACC title.
Georgia Tech tops our post-spring power rankings, which means the Yellow Jackets might have the best chance among ACC teams to earn a playoff invite. Coach Paul Johnson would probably be on the hot seat if Georgia Tech hadn't closed the season as the ACC's hottest team. The Jackets rolled Clemson and Mississippi State, took down rival Georgia on the road and nearly upset Florida State for an ACC title. There's not a more confident ACC team heading into 2015 than Georgia Tech.