After six months of contract holdouts, court hearings, owners meetings, reality shows, controversial tweets and fantasy drafts, fans of the NFL finally remember what the “F” stands for: football.

The NFL season will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on NBC with the much-anticipated rematch of last season’s NFC Championship game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings.

Here is a quick acrostic preview of what to watch for in the 2010 NFL season. And check out our poll on iowastatedaily.net to cast your vote on who you think will win Super Bowl XLV.

New Orleans will be a heavy favorite to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Saints fans may be knocking on wood in hopes that Drew Brees can break the Madden Curse, and Reggie Bush did cause USC a laundry list of NCAA violations that may have cost him the 2005 Heisman Trophy.

But all injury curses and free Escalades aside, the Saints return nearly all the key players who helped send Bourbon Street into pandemonium Feb. 7. Sean Payton has proven to be a class act and a coaching mastermind early in his career, and with “Who Dat” Nation behind them, the Saints might be marching into Cowboys Stadium come February.

As for the AFC, the Peyton Manning-led Colts will deal with some inexperience on the offensive line, but should have no problem winning the AFC South for the seventh time in the last nine years.

Right behind the Colts will be a pair of defensive-minded squads, led by a pair of young quarterbacks in the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets.

Both teams acquired their fair share of former Pro Bowlers as the Ravens acquired wideouts Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and the Jets inked running back LaDainian Tomlinson, defensive end Jason Taylor and defensive back Antonio Cromartie.

Other teams to watch for in the AFC include the Belichick-Brady duo in Foxboro, the T.O. and Ochocinco show in Cincinnati and the upstart Titans led by the league’s fastest running back Chris Johnson.

The rest of the NFC, like the AFC, has two front-runners to overthrow the defending conference champions, Green Bay and Dallas.

Although cheeseheads will be looking ahead to what could be Aaron Rodgers’ “career year,” the Packers’ strongest unit may be their young defense that gave up the fewest yards in the NFC last season.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, will look to their three-headed monster of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice at running back to carry America’s team this season as they try to become the first team to ever play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Other squads that can challenge New Orleans, Green Bay and Dallas are the Mike Singletary-coached 49ers, the Falcons with Matt “Matty Ice” Ryan under center.

And, of course, the Minnesota Vikings will look to make a return trip to the NFC Championship, led by the once, twice, three times retired Wrangler-wearing field general Brett Favre. The former Falcons draftee turned Packers legend, turned Jets one-year wonder, turned Vikings savior will return for year No. 20.

No. 4 logged his best statistical season as an NFL quarterback in 2009, completing 68.4 percent of his passes with 33 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. Those stats don’t include his last-second heave to beat the 49ers, a regular season sweep of the Packers. And who can forget the “Pants on the Ground” post-game celebration?

Needless to say, the Mississippi man hit his stride his 19th season. However, he may be the Cal Ripken Jr. of football, with 309 consecutive starts, but when he makes his 310th Thursday night, it will be on a bum ankle that required off-season surgery.

The Vikings’ offensive line may be one of the best-run blocking units in the league, but they will need to keep Favre on his feet more often than last season — he was sacked 34 times — if they want to keep their title hopes alive. Offenses like the Vikings may have more to worry about with more teams playing lights-out defense.

Last year’s Super Bowl pitted two offensive juggernauts against each other in Indianapolis and New Orleans. This season, will we see the mantra “Defense wins championships” come true on Super Bowl Sunday?

Well, if the 2010 NFL Draft was any indicator for an increased focus on defense — three of the top five picks were defensive players — then this season could be a year in which scores are lower and punts are aplenty.

The spread and wildcat offenses are all fine and dandy, but with a Dwight Freeney in the backfield, a Patrick Willis running sideline-to-sideline or a Darrelle Revis coaxing quarterbacks to “Revis Island,” a dominant defense will be a prized possession this season.

The last team to hold a team under 10 points in the Super Bowl? The Baltimore Ravens in 2001.

They may not hold Rodgers and the Packers in single digits, but I’m taking Ray Lewis and Co. in Super Bowl XLV as Baltimore downs Green Bay 28-17.