Regular season football has kicked off, but before we get too far, CSU researchers would like to have a word about the preseason.

Economists Nancy Jianakoplos and Martin Shields recently published “Practice or Profits: Does the NFL Preseason Matter?” in the Journal of Sports Economics.

They determined that preseason, does not, in fact, matter, unless you count the increased advertising revenue for those networks that broadcast games. The researchers used data from the 2002-2010 NFL seasons to come to their conclusions.

“These results serve to confirm the view of many fans and even the commissioner of the NFL, who have expressed discontent with the quality of the preseason NFL performance,” Shields said.

“Although preseason games may provide opportunities for players new to the NFL to gain game-time experience and offer the coaching staff more information on performance capabilities of new players, winning preseason games does not directly translate into better overall team performance in the regular season.”

Good news for Broncos fans, who are undoubtedly hoping their $96 million man, quarterback Peyton Manning, can lead the team to better than a 50-