I bet you thought this column would be about the Big 12 Championship controversy, right? Probably something along the lines of the South Division winner being determined by team GPA or how many hot dogs the coaches can eat.

Not this time around.

In my mind, it’s time to start thinking about the NFL playoffs.

If it were possible to go back in time, how surprised would you be if I told you the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were getting a first-round bye?

Going into the season it seemed like the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys were the locks for No. 1 seeds.

Surprisingly enough, the two strongest divisions in both conferences come from the East, where the teams are legitimately battling for the two wild card spots.

This brings me to my next topic: the New England Patriots.

Since quarterback Tom Brady has been out, Matt Cassel has done a good job in filling in for him, considering the last time Cassel was a starter came in high school.

In fact, he has done a decent enough job to solidify himself as a starting quarterback in this league, obviously outside of New England. He can expect a big contract in the offseason.

But where does that leave the Patriots’ hopes for the postseason?

Well to start things out, they are nowhere near the talent level without Brady. Laurence Maroney is out, Randy Moss isn’t as effective and the defense is allowing teams to score on them.

It’s crazy how one player can affect a team so much.

They can still win their division — which is led by the 8-4 New York Jets — and statistically could still win a wild card spot, but I don’t think they have the talent to win one game.

Then you have to wonder the reason for the Cowboys slump. It’s simple: injuries.

Of course Tony Romo missed a few games — resulting in the team looking terrible — but nearly everyone in the secondary has been hurt at some point in the season.

Now, DeMarcus Ware, Marion Barber and Jason Witten are battling injuries.

Winners of three straight, and with a healthy Romo pinky, the Cowboys have a slim chance at catching the Giants for the division, but still can nab a wild card game against the Arizona Cardinals or the winner of the NFC North.

It’s sure not what we expected, but there is still much excitement to be seen.