After the New York Giants won the Super Bowl this past season, that meant they would be scheduled to host the first game of the 2012 NFL Season. Because the Cleveland Browns were going to be one of the Giants' opponents at home, there was a slight chance that they would be selected (that went out of the window once they lost out on Robert Griffin III). Instead, the league is going with the Dallas Cowboys to square off against the Giants in Week 1. The opening game of the season takes place on a Wednesday this year instead of a Thursday. President Obama is speaking at the Democratic National Convention on that Thursday.

The full NFL schedule will not be unveiled for another month, but a few more prime time games could be announced in the mean time. It is already rumored that the Denver Broncos will receive the Sunday Night Football slot in Week 1, thanks to the arrival of quarterback Peyton Manning. I don't think the league wants to waste the Manning-Brady hype right off the bat, but I could definitely see the Pittsburgh Steelers getting a re-match (ironically, against a 10000000x better quarterback).