The National Football League is still five months away from a meaningful kickoff, but that hasn’t stopped the oddsmakers at Las Vegas Sports Consultants from installing a couple lines for some key games. The NFL just released its season schedule, are there are a couple of intriguing matchups that jump right off the page.

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There will be numerous changes to any lines posted right now due to the fact that the NFL Draft is still a couple weeks away, coupled with any unforeseen injuries, trades, etc. around the league. After the NFL Draft later this month, teams will embark on summer camps before really getting ready for the 2008 season.

The marquee matchup for Week 1 appears to be the Dallas-Cleveland contest, with the Cowboys tentatively scheduled as a three-point road ‘chalk.’ Dallas is currently listed as the 9/2 favorite to win Super Bowl XLIII, while the Browns are a 30/1 selection.

The Cowboys also face a tough task in Week 3 against Green Bay, listed as a 2 ½-point road underdog. It will be interesting to see how the Packers do this season without Brett Favre calling the shots. Expect this line to see some tweaking should Green Bay’s offense struggle the first couple of weeks.

The Week 6 meeting between New England and San Diego is a rematch of the AFC Championship Game. However this contest will take place on the left coast, but the Patriots are still tentatively listed as a 3 ½-point favorite.

Pittsburgh faces a schedule deemed toughest by most experts, taking on teams with the highest-winning percentage from last year. Not only does the AFC North seem to be extremely competitive between the Steelers, Browns and Ravens, but Pittsburgh must also take on Indianapolis and San Diego in consecutive weekends in November. The Steelers will need to get out of the starting blocks quickly, with five of their first six opponents failing to make the 2007 postseason.

Pittsburgh travels to Jacksonville for a Week 5 meeting between two teams expected to be major players in the AFC. The Jaguars beat the Steelers twice last season, including a road victory in the postseason. LVSC is listing Jacksonville as a four-point home ‘chalk’ over Pittsburgh in this spot.

The Indianapolis-New England rivalry has been the one of the league’s most important the past couple of seasons, and these two teams are meeting for the sixth year in a row. For this Week 9 contest, the Patriots are currently entertaining a 3 ½-point road favorite status over the Colts.

The defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will have their fair share of tough matchups this season. New York will open the regular season with a Thursday night home contest against NFC East rival Washington.

One of the biggest games for the Giants every year is when they take on Dallas. New York dropped a pair of regular season games against the Cowboys last year before bouncing them out of the postseason. The Giants travel back to Big D in Week 9, but the Cowboys are presently listed as a 4 ½-point favorite.

Like I said earlier, these early lines will change dramatically over the next few months due to various unforeseen circumstances. There are surprise teams every season, and it will be interesting to see if squads like Cleveland can continue its momentum after last year’s successful campaign. It was just a couple months ago that nobody was giving the Giants a chance, and we all saw how they shocked the nation in Super Bowl XLII.

Brad Young can be reached at byoung@vegasinsider.com.