What’s up?

It took me forever to decide what to write for my first column, but I decided to go with the tradition every sports magazine has set before me, and give my own football preview.

The NFL is first, since they are the professionals, and because I picked last year’s Super Bowl match-up, and the past two Super Bowl winners. It really wasn’t very hard; I just followed my favorite player Deion Sanders.

I’m sick and tired of the NFC winning the Superbowl every year. So is the AFC, and hopefully they can produce a winner this year.

My favorites in the AFC are the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Houston Oilers. However, Buffalo is the only team of the three that has a good offense, so I forsee yet another Super Bowl in their near future.

The NFC is a bit easier. If I didn’t say that the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers were the top Bowl contenders I’d be crazy. How long do I have to wait before my fave— the Buccaneers — become a favorite?

I will have to take the Cowboys even with all their off field problems. Teamwork is just not a commodity that seems to matter in team sports anymore (just ask the Bulls).

Call me insane, but I have to pick the Bills to become the next world champions. Defense is becoming increasingly more important in the NFL, and the Bills are just a little bit better than the Cowboys on defense.

With college football, it’s a little harder to pick a national champion. I don’t think I have ever picked a collegiate national champion, but I’ll make you read my opinion anyway.

Part of my problem is that I never pick Nebraska, and if a Florida school does win I always choose the wrong one. Every year, I tell people to look out for Kansas State, but after last year, everyone knows K-State is for real. I like K-State, but I have to think the Colorado Buffaloes are going to win it all this year.

I have never chosen Colorado to win before, but I like their chances this year. Koy Detmer is incredible, and if he can stay healthy, I don’t know if any defense can stop him.

Even though I praised Detmer, I don’t think he can win the Heisman. I have to take Warrick Dunn to win college football’s most prestigious award. He has it all, and will finally spend a year headlining the Florida State offense, not behind quarterback Danny Kanell.

Every football preseason also has a major controversy, such as athletes leaving school early, instant replay, or the NFL’s dress code. My controversy this year is giving kickers the boot.

Several great field goal kickers were dumped for inexperienced cheaper free agents in order to manipulate salary cap money. Jimmy Johnson started this tactic with the Cowboys, and they won three Super Bowls. The NFL seems to like this tactic and, to the dismay of experienced goal kickers, is using it more and more.

The only team upgrading its kicking situation is the Kansas City Chiefs, and who can blame them? Maybe I’m wacko, but I’m just hoping that teams start to realize once again that kicking is more important than the lowest salary on the team.

Hopefully it won’t end up being proved in the Super Bowl.

Cade Remsburg is a senior in journalism from Ames.