Since 2004 the previous season’s Super Bowl winner has opened at home on the Thursday prior to Kickoff Weekend. That means the New Orleans Saints should be playing in the Superdome on Thursday, September 9, a date that no doubt gives the NFL schedule makers pause, as it coincides with the peak of hurricane season.

Looking at the list of the Saints’ 2010 home opponents (Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers) it seems highly likely that the Steelers will be the Saints’ opponent that night, as such a game would feature the two most recent Super Bowl winners.

Most of the other candidates can be eliminated on the basis of being unattractive matchups. Moreover, on only one other occasion has the Kickoff game featured a division matchup (Redskins-Giants, 2008), which virtually eliminates Atlanta, Carolina and Tampa Bay. Cleveland, St. Louis and Seattle don’t seem all that attractive either, owing to their losing records in 2009, not to mention their modest national fan bases.

That leaves Minnesota as the only other likely candidate, certainly attractive as it would be a rematch of the NFC Championship game. If Brett Favre commits to another season, Minnesota would have to be considered the odds-on favorite, except the schedule makers may not know his status at the time the 2010 NFL schedule is finalized.

Jason is editor and co-founder of Failure magazine.