Are you ready for some football?

With the tediousness of the summer sports season winding down -- all NFL training camps will open within a week -- it's time to get the football juices flowing by posing the following questions:Who will win the Super Bowl?No NFL team has ever won three consecutive Lombardi trophies, and only one team in the modern era, the 1965-67 Green Bay Packers, ever won three consecutive NFL Championships (the Packers' last two NFL titles were Super Bowls I-II). So history is stacked prohibitively against New England from equalling the feat.And that's before one considers that the Patriots are bringing in both a new offensive and defensive coordinator. Having to replace one would be challenging enough. But with two, it's hard to fathom that there isn't some sort of adjustment period. - College Football -
How long would it take? Tough to say. Would it matter much anyway? Well, during the Patriots' three Super Bowl seasons, they had to go on the road twice to win the AFC Championship.Tom Brady's health is key, of course. The loss of Tedi Bruschi, while demoralizing in the locker room, probably won't mean much on the field. Remember, this is a team that cut team leader Lawyer Milloy just days before the 2003 season opener, watched him sign with Buffalo -- the Pats' season opener that year -- and deliver some big plays in a 31-0 shellacking. - College Football -
Two weeks later, the Pats started an NFL-record 21-game winning streak. In between was a Super Bowl victory against Carolina.The Patriots are obviously the favorite to threepeat until someone says otherwise by ending their season with a loss.Who could be that team?In the AFC East, the Pats face challenges from the New York Jets and Buffalo. Both teams, while full of strengths, have some question marks. In New York, can Curtis Martin again put up the season he had last year, when, at 31, he become the oldest player to lead the NFL in rushing yards?In Buffalo, can the Bills get enough from first-year starter J.P. Losman, who is replacing over-the-hill Drew Bledsoe, to complement an outstanding defense that ranked second overall and an offense featuring Willis McGahee, Eric Moulds and Lee Evans.Ben Roethlisberger proved a keeper as Pittsburgh's quarterback, but his performance in the playoffs left a lot to be desired. - College Football -
Will another year under his belt make a difference?If Indianapolis could've avoided New England at all the last two seasons, it's likely the Colts could've won back-to-back titles instead of the Patriots. Can Peyton Manning get them over the hump?There are others, but those four represent the best threats to end the Patriots' reign.Who will make the most noise in the Big 12?Texas has the biggest games: at Ohio State on Sept. 10, followed by their annual tilt against Oklahoma on Oct. 8. If the Longhorns win both, it'll be tough to envision them not playing for, at worst, a share of the national title.But the surest bet for quickest start belongs to Texas Tech. - College Football -
The Red Raiders' early schedule is truly pathetic, with non-conference games against Florida International, Sam Houston State and Indiana State. They start conference play against three teams from the North Division (vs. Kansas, at Nebraska, vs. Kansas State).There's no reason to believe the Red Raiders won't be 6-0 entering their Oct. 22 game at Texas. Then reality sets in.Could a big-name team be shut out of the national title race, a la Auburn last season?Very likely. USC is heads and shoulders above everyone in the Pac-10, although a late-season non-conference game against Fresno State is a trap game if there ever was one. - College Football -
The Tennessee-Florida winner could run the table. We know what Texas has to do to get into the mix. That's three teams, and we haven't even gotten to Michigan or any of the ACC favorites.This corner is salivating over a USC-Florida matchup in the Rose Bowl. You'd have the two-time defending national champions against a team coached by Urban Meyer, who has set college football ablaze at Bowling Green and Utah with his innovative spread offense. With it, Meyer-coached teams have gone 39-8 the last four years.It couldn't be any worse than last year's title game, right? - College Football -

PATRICK SHELTRA
Traveler News Editor