Luckily that hasn't stopped me from entering the contest at VirginiaLiving.com/Football. A knowledge of NFL players and teams would probably be helpful, but it's certainly not required. All I've had to do is go down the schedule for Week 1 and predict the winners of each game by checking a box. Easy.

In some cases I've gone with the majority opinion—the game shows you which team is favored as a percentage of who has picked who to win. In some cases I've used arbitrary criteria like: Have I visited that city? Which is how I came to pick Baltimore over Pittsburgh. In other cases I've deliberately gone against the majority and crossed my fingers for an upset—because you don't win prizes by following the herd.

And there are some fine prizes up for grabs. Grand prize for the player with the most correct picks at the end of the season is a trip for two to Hawaii. I think my wife would be so happy if I won that she may even forgive my sudden, and seemingly unexplained, interest in the National Football League.

So why have I even entered if I'm a self-proclaimed NFL know-nothing? Well, it was free to enter and it's at least mathematically possible that I emerge with a trip to Hawaii at the end of it. There's also such a thing as over-thinking sports results, and the good news in my case is it's literally impossible for me to fall into that trap. See above.

To see my picks for Week 1 click on the image to your left. The action begins tonight when the New Orleans Saints visit the Green Bay Packers for some Thursday Night Football. To get in the game and make your own picks, visit VirginiaLiving.com/Football.