Now, for those of you who weren't around a year ago, you must know right away that I am a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. You must also know that the Super Bowl is being held in Dallas in February. Now, if you put two and two together, you will likely figure out my pre-season Super Bowl prediction. However, I will go a bit deeper, and look at the top five Super Bowl contenders going into the season.

1. Minnesota Vikings — The Vikes came within one bad throw of being in the Super Bowl last year, and who knows what Brett Favre would have done? But, Favre is back (again) and that makes the Vikings a legitimate threat to win it all this year. While it will be difficult for Favre to match his numbers from a year ago, he has one of the best runners in the league in Adrian Peterson to take some of the slack, not to mention a ferocious defence that will continue to haunt NFC quarterbacks on game day.

2. Indianapolis Colts — As long as Peyton Manning is in a Colts uniform (and healthy), the Colts will be near the top of the list. With new weapons coming through last year (Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie), and the return of aging superstars (Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark), Manning has one of the best supporting casts he has ever had. While the defence has had its struggles, they always seem to make plays in crunch time.

3. New Orleans Saints — The defending champs aren't getting a lot of credit going into the season, and maybe they should be. They still have Drew Brees, and an impressive group of wide receivers. The defence may not be as good as last year, but with such a high-powered offence, the Saints will certainly hang around. They will need Reggie Bush to finally step it up this year to contend with the top teams in the NFC.

4. Cincinnati Bengals — Though a lot of experts are predicting the Ravens will overtake the Bengals in the AFC North, the recent addition of Terrell Owens may change that. Quarterback Carson Palmer will have the best crop of wide receivers he has ever had. As long as he can pull his weight, the immense egos of T.O. and Chad Ocho Cinco will stay in check. The Bengals' defence was greatly improved a season ago, and they will hope to improve even more this season.

5a. Dallas Cowboys — How could it not be? The Cowboys are determined to play a home game in February. With Tony Romo at the helm, the Cowboys are always dangerous, though they will need a few players to step it up on the defensive side of the ball in order for them to go all the way.

5b. San Diego Chargers — With LaDainian Tomlinson in New York, the Chargers turn to rookie runner Ryan Mathews. The burden will be on quarterback Phillip Rivers to carry this team, however, he will get help from the defence. Book this prediction: linebacker Shawne Merriman will have a huge season, and lead the Chargers' D towards the playoffs.

So, there are my preseason favourites to win the Super Bowl. We are now days from the start of the season, and it's time to get excited.

For next week, I will start my weekly NFL game of the week article.

For more from the NFL Czar, check out his blog at jvzsblog.blogspot.com