We’ve turned the sports page and hit the website refresh button on the 2024 calendar, which can only mean one thing — it’s time to look ahead to what awaits in 2025.

That can’t be easy, though, can it? Not when most of our major sports programs came so close to something special.

Five beat writers from The Arizona Republic offer five storylines each in their areas of expertise as part of our "25 for 2025" presentation. Their work will appear over the next several days.

Many Arizona sports fans are still daydreaming about what could have been with coach Kenny Dillingham’s surprising Arizona State football team whose season ended in a double-overtime Peach Bowl loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

The regrets, what-ifs, and stomach-turning ending to the Arizona Cardinals ’ once-promising season is even fresher to the psyche after the Valley’s NFL franchise lost five of its final seven games to miss the playoffs. It was especially painful given an impressive 6-4 start and first-place showing in the NFC West entering the bye week in mid-November.

And let’s not forget the unexpected, crushing end to the Arizona Diamondbacks ’ season in which the reigning National League champions dropped five of their final seven games and were forced to wait for the outcome of a doubleheader regular-season finale between the Mets and Braves.

If one of those teams would have swept it, Arizona would have been back in the playoffs as an NL wild-card team. But the Mets and Braves split, and the Diamondbacks lost out on tiebreakers just a year after making a valiant run to their second appearance in the World Series.

Things haven’t gone so smoothly on the hardcourt, either.

The Phoenix Mercury, a team that has won three WNBA titles and advanced to the Western Conference finals nine times, lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs -- and their longtime superstar, Diana Taurasi, the league’s all-time leading scorer, is contemplating retirement.

The 2024-25 Phoenix Suns , meanwhile, have struggled mightily under first-year coach Mike Budenholzer in what he and team owner Mat Ishbia had expected to be a championship-type season, and things have been so disjointed it will take a mad finish to make it into the postseason.

If all of that weren’t gut-wrenching enough for Arizona sports fans to digest, we also lost our NHL franchise, the Arizona Coyotes, to Salt Lake City of all places! They are now masquerading — and doing rather well — as the Utah Hockey Club.

Bully for them. Crappy for us. Pour me another shot. And make it a double!

Honestly, can there be a better time to look at what the new year may bring to our professional teams and the ASU football program?

Since you’re all probably in need of a special hangover cure that doesn’t involve something weird from your crazy uncle or misguided mother-in-law, we have your back.

Check out what our talented collection of beat writers are offering about the future of the teams they diligently cover seven days a week.

From the Diamondbacks : Nick Piecoro explores the future of Chase Field and whether right-hander Corbin Burnes, whom the team recently signed to the largest contract in franchise history, will become the free-agent pitcher of their dreams.

From the Cardinals : Theo Mackie details what NFL free agency might bring, when fans might finally be able to purchase a Marvin Harrison Jr. jersey and what the future could look like regarding starting quarterback Kyler Murray.

From the Sun Devils : Michelle Gardner explains why Dillingham’s team enters the coming season as a favorite in the Big 12, how quarterback Sam Leavitt can make a run at the Heisman Trophy.

From the Suns : Duane Rankin weighs in on what could happen by the Feb. 6 trade deadline, Devin Booker’s chances of missing out on the All-Star Game, what’s the ultimate solution to get the organization back on track to win its first NBA championship and more.

From the Mercury : Jenna Ortiz dives into Taurasi’s future, Kahleah Copper becoming the team's newest star, Brittney Griner’s ascension in the WNBA’s record books and the league’s recent skyrocketing success overall.

Caitlin Clark wins the WNBA Most Valuable Player award

She finished fourth in balloting this past season as a rookie with the Indiana Fever and was sensational. She helped elevate women’s basketball to unprecedented heights and she’s going to continue to attract more and more fans to the game. Her first MVP honor won’t be her last, either. Clark will become the league’s first four-time MVP winner before long.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter goes No.1 in the NFL draft

No defensive back has been selected first overall in the NFL’s modern era, but this young man makes a strong case for being the first. The problem is the Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick and they’ll be eyeing a replacement for Will Levis at quarterback. I’d draft Hunter, who is also an exceptional wide receiver, and let him prove he can be the league’s next, great two-way star.

Scottie Scheffler will win 10 PGA Tour events

The best golfer in the world won seven Tour events last year, and, although he’s recovering from a puncture wound on his hand, he’ll bounce back to surpass Tiger Woods’ career-best nine tournament wins in 2000 and tie Ben Hogan (10 in 1948) for the second-most wins in a season. Sam Snead’s record 11 wins in 1950 will continue to stand.

The Diamondbacks induct Jerry Colangelo

It’s time for team owner Ken Kendrick to put aside any petty differences he may have had with the original architect of the franchise and permanently recognize Colangelo’s effort to bring Major League Baseball to Arizona. Colangelo’s name should be erected high above Chase Field and stand alongside those of the first two franchise hall of fame inductees, Randy Johnson and Luis Gonzalez.

More hope than a prediction: Bringing back the NHL

There’s at least some chance now that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has the idea on its agenda and Thomas Galvin, the newly elected chairman, is forming an advisory committee to try to make it a reality. I won’t hold my breath, but if the Browns can be reborn in Cleveland, the Coyotes can be reborn in Arizona.