As students across campus don football jerseys of their favorite team, we are reminded that the end of summer also brings the end of preseason for the National Football League.  All 32 teams competed throughout the end of August, providing sports fans with a perfect opportunity to scout who’s strong and who’s struggling.  With the NFL regular season beginning in just two days, University students scramble to finish their fantasy football leagues and befriend that one kid who has cable.

Several buzz-worthy controversies will greatly affect the 2016 season.  Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, is suspended from the first four games of the season.  His alleged participation in a scheme to deflate game footballs before the 2015 AFC Championship resulted in this punishment.  Brady will not return until Week 5, when the Patriots go head-to-head with the Cleveland Browns.

During a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo suffered a severe bone fracture in his spine.  This happens to be the second time Romo has dealt with back injuries—in 2014 he sustained two smaller fractures in transverse processes.  The quarterback returned to the field only two weeks later, however, this time around does not look as promising.  A specific timetable for Romo’s return has not yet been determined.

As summer gives way to fall in the coming weeks, fantasy football fans will surely be keeping their eyes on these competitions, hoping to clinch the win in their respective leagues.