The NFL's 2008 regular season starts this weekend (or, rather, it started last night), and in the spirit of everyone being on an uplifting, even playing field note, I thought it might be interesting to unveil, for the first and possibly last time, the Buffalo Rumblings NFL Power Rankings.  This isn't something I plan on doing every week - mostly because everyone and their brother thinks it's the bees' knees to put together a list like this - but I thought it'd be a good way to get my pre-season predictions out into the ether.  Not that any of you should feel obliged to care.

Without further ado, because I'd much rather talk about the Bills/Seahawks season opener (which we'll do soon, I promise), here are the Rumblings Power Rankings:

1.  New England.  Until someone other than the Giants beats this team, they're still the best in the league.  Which, of course, sucks for us.

2.  San Diego.  Shawne Merriman may be dumb, but this team is talented offensively and physical defensively.  They have a cake schedule, too.

3.  Dallas.  See San Diego - talent offensively, physical defensively.  I don't expect Dallas to have much competition in the NFC outside of the Giants.  It's between those two teams for NFC Super Bowl representation.

4.  Indianapolis.  They're not the team they once were, but they're still a really good football team.  They're in a dogfight to retain their division crown; the AFC Championship game might be a difficult achievement.

5.  Jacksonville.  They've got to prove something before I can give them the AFC South crown.  I'm not as impressed with their defense as I have been in the past.  The South is still Indy's to lose, but this is clearly a good football team.

Where does Buffalo rank?  Make the jump to find out.

6.  NY Giants.  The Giants are the most physical team in the league in all three phases, which gives them the ability to beat a lot of teams.  They're the only serious challenger to Dallas for the NFC crown, in my book.

7.  Pittsburgh.  I think the Steelers have excellent talent, but their season will ultimately be classified as a disappointment.  Their schedule is ridiculously difficult, and I think it'll ultimately beat them into submission.

8.  Seattle.  Their record will be better than their talent (which is good) because of their schedule and the fact that they play in the NFC West.  This will be a run-of-the-mill season for Seattle: division crown, wild card win, loss on the road in the divisional round.

9.  Cleveland.  I think they're a tad overrated, but there's something to be said for offensive firepower in today's NFL.  They'll win a lot of games simply because they score points, but they're not a serious contender in the AFC.  Their defense will be worse than expected.

10.  Carolina.  The NFC South champs.  In case you can't tell, I think physical football teams will be the best teams this year, and Carolina plays that brand of football.

11.  New Orleans.  See Cleveland; they're essentially the Browns of the NFC - high potential, high risk factor.  If they can stay healthy they should contend, but I'm not a fan of their defense, even with a couple of solid additions.

12.  Minnesota.  NFC North champs.  I think Tarvaris Jackson will be better than advertised, but he needs to keep himself healthy.  The Vikes might end up with the best defense in football this year.

13.  Philadelphia.  Third in the NFC East doesn't mean much, because the Eagles are going to rebound well this year.  They seem to be one year up, one year down, so expect them to push for a playoff spot in the NFC, even while finishing in the latter half of the East.

14.  Tennessee.  Physical on both sides of the ball, particularly defensively.  I think rookie running back Chris Johnson's impact will be felt early and often.  Houston is charging, but I think the Titans are still a better football team - for now.

15.  Houston.  This defense is going to be phenomenal late this season and in 2009, but their offense still lacks playmakers, and Matt Schaub is still inexperienced.  Their schedule doesn't help.

16.  Detroit.  My surprise team in the NFC.  I think they have an outside shot at the NFC North crown, and are legitimate contenders for a wild card spot - especially if Jon Kitna learns to avoid the picks.

17.  Buffalo.  Finally, our Bills.  I still give them a slight edge over the Jets, because the Bills are building their team the right way, while the Jets are the modern day Redskins.  It's quite close between this team, but I think the Bills are more physical and have much more potential.

18.  Green Bay.  I like Aaron Rodgers - I think he's going to be a fine NFL quarterback, particularly in Green Bay's system - but he's a year away.  Their talent is superb, but I anticipate a down year before becoming an elite long-term contender in the NFC.

19.  NY Jets.  Right in the same area as Buffalo, but I just wanted to rank the Packers ahead of the Jets because of my dislike for Brett Favre.  It helps that I actually do think the Packers are better than the Jets.

20.  Denver.  There's a lot of potential with this team, but there are too many holes to rank them much higher than this.  I think they'll surprise people early, but fade.

21.  Tampa Bay.  Physical, check.  Crazy head coach, check.  This team is aging offensively, however, and they lack the firepower to keep up in their division.

22.  Washington.  Boy, I'm not a fan of Jason Campbell.  If the light goes on for this kid, watch out; if it doesn't, the Redskins could be looking at another rebuilding project.

23.  Arizona.  There's obviously talent on this team, but little of it is on the defensive side of the ball, and there are too many good teams in other divisions to compete with.  Another disappointing year for the Cardinals.

24.  Chicago.  Should be in the running for league's worst offense by season's end, mostly because of their offensive line.  Defense and special teams could keep games close, but this team is highly mediocre in my book.

25.  Miami.  This team is going to come on fast.  I like their building model - physical players, built from the lines out, and a veteran quarterback to lead the charge.  They shouldn't be very good, but they'll give a lot of good teams fits.

26.  San Francisco.  I'm curious about J.T. O'Sullivan - if that gamble pays off, the 49ers could actually be quite good.  But that's a tough sell.  Their defense could be very good in a year or two.

27.  Cincinnati.  This team has all the talent in the world, and just the right people (Chad Johnson and Marvin Lewis) to blow it up.  Poor Carson Palmer.  He'd look good in Bills blue.  (Please don't read anything into that statement.)

28.  St. Louis.  Awful, awful, awful defense here, folks.  Their offense won't be good enough to keep them from losing a lot of football games, though they should keep fantasy owners happy.

29.  Oakland.  There's talent, but it's all young, and their head coach is probably the worst in the league.  This team is a long way from being good.

30.  Kansas City.  A solid draft class won't save this team this year.  Brodie Croyle has more to prove than any other starter in the league, and Larry Johnson's career seems to be on the slide.

31.  Atlanta.  They're starting the rookie, Matt Ryan, at quarterback, so they're only going to get better.  But they're not going to be good.  Not by a long shot.

32.  Baltimore.  They've essentially got a three-man rotation at quarterback, slow/injury prone offensive weapons, and a defense that is quickly heading over the hill.  There's talent, but I expect this team to be a disaster.