Adding in pockets of success by the NFL's Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars, and there's plenty of traction for the state's love affair with football.

NPR: Sunshine State Teams Gleaming In NCAA Spotlight

This year's Patriots, who defeated five playoff teams during a 16-0 season, scored far higher than the last undefeated NFL team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The Pats are one of only three NFL teams that play in privately financed stadiums--the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins are the others.

FORBES: A Super Bowl Of Financial Champs

To be sure, I was hard-wired to love the NFL. My father, an early Burger King franchisee, knew one of the Miami Dolphins owners, and I was rarely photographed as a child without my No. 12 Bob Griese jersey.

WSJ: Why Soccer Is Better Than Football