It's been a strange league on the whole but it can't be denied that we have by far the two best teams in the final.
In Division 1 anyway, we've heard a lot of speculation about teams' motivations, about how their only interest was in survival and that they didn't want to exert themselves too much beyond that, with the championship looming so close. Naturally, this is an outcome of the condensed inter-county calendar, about which we've probably heard plenty already.
Derry are one team who you couldn't accuse of pacing themselves and easing off during the league. They've made no bones that they're gunning for every clump of silverware they can get their hands on.
Brendan Rogers outlined their credo during the week: "Why would you bother entering a competition in the first place if you didn't want to win it?"
Sunday will be a fascinating test of how far they've come. They face off against the most elite level outfit in the sport, who've hit a frightening burst of form this spring.
You often hear players say in advance of games against Dublin in Croke Park that 'we're looking forward to the challenge' or 'we can't wait.'
Most of the time, that's bull***t.
So many teams go into games against Dublin with a system that doesn't work - and they know it too. In the case of most sides, the belief isn't there. Achieving respectability on the scoreboard is probably the goal for many.
That's where Derry might be different. They've huge belief in their system and its worth has been proven time and again. And they're adding extra components to it all the time.
We were deprived of the hotly anticipated Brian Fenton-Conor Glass match-up in Celtic Park after Derry decided to break the habit of recent years and give Glass a rest.
Midfield could be an especially integral battle this weekend. Because Dublin's press is so intimidating, Odhrán Lynch may be forced into going long, where Derry, it should be said, are very well served, not only by Glass but by Rogers, who wasn't far off Footballer of the Year contention last year.
Derry attack and defend as a collective. When they do go forward, they do it in waves, with support runners off the shoulder and passing options left and right. It's why they're cutting through teams and scoring goals so freely. Conor McCluskey has broken the mould as a goalscoring corner-back.
Added to that, Mickey Harte was been keen to build more depth into the squad, which was probably their Achilles' heel in the semi-final last July. We've seen the likes of Diarmuid Baker, completely outside the fold last year, become a regular fixture in the team.
Some of their football has been thrilling, particularly either side of half-time in Castlebar.
But Dublin seem to have the game intelligence and the flexibility to crack any code. They're well practised in dismantling any game plan, defensive or offensive.
I don't see Derry altering their overall approach, they're too committed to it. But Dublin have shown they can handle it.
On top of that, they're playing with such confidence and abandon.
The shooting percentages are off the charts. They hit 2-11 in that devastating first half performance against Kerry and there was barely a wide or a missed chance in it.
Derry finished the league on top but Dublin's form at the back end of the campaign was more persuasive.
Their head-to-head match in Celtic Park came with caveats given Derry rested a few. But they weren't so depleted that the game didn't mean anything.
There was enough evidence there to suggest that Dublin have the smartness, the skillset and the variety to their game that they can overcome Derry's systems of play.
Asked to call it, I go for Dublin by about 4-6 points.
Based on the last seven weekends of football, we can probably expect goals. Derry hit 13 goals across the league - I think only Down managed more - while the Dubs almost matched that tally with five in the last round, albeit against a horrendous team performance from Tyrone.
Five years ago, Derry played in a Division 4 decider against Leitrim. And now, Leitrim are back in Croker, with my old mate from Ballaghaderreen at the helm.
I was really happy for Andy last weekend. He's been very open about how tough it was in the aftermath of the Connacht championship defeat to New York last year.
People were using the word "embarrassing" after that result. I always felt that was overstated. The reality is that Leitrim had come perilously close to losing over there a couple of times and it happened last year after a shootout. That's sport sometimes. They got caught. These things happen.
He took it badly at the time but they've recovered brilliantly. Year 1 had been decent but they had nothing to show for it. Year 2 was a real let-down. Coming into this year, he was probably under a bit of pressure to deliver. And now he's delivered promotion.
That's what he's been aiming for from day dot. I know how much he's investing in that group and in the football structures in Leitrim overall.
They got a stroke of luck with the late penalty against Wexford in Round 3 but they've capitalised on it. The character they showed to dig out a win away in Laois - who looked unbeatable at that level - and then to finish the job against Tipperary.
They have home advantage against a reasonably in-form Sligo in the Connacht championship in Carrick but their priority needs to be Tailteann Cup. I'm not saying they're going to win it but they need a big push to maintain that momentum.
They'll be clear underdogs on Saturday and it's hard to argue. Justin McNulty's side have been rolling nicely, that hiccup against Leitrim in Round 6 aside.
Later on, I'd fancy Down to take Westmeath in the Division 3 decider. Both teams will have been frustrated to have found themselves still in the third tier at all this year. But they're out of it now.
In my time playing Down, I always found them to be an oddly distracted type of team. We know about the tension between Kilcoo and the rest of the county. Conor Laverty coming in - after enjoying success with the ubder-20s - appears to have put a stop to that guff. They're on the move and there's clearly enough talent there for them to be an established Division 2 team.
Both will be keen on getting Sam Maguire football this year. Westmeath acquitted themselves especially well there last year and were unlucky not to stun Tyrone. Being ranked 15th in the standings, rather than 16th could be crucial come the summer.
As for the Division 2 decider between Armagh and Donegal, both sides will be content enough with their year so far. They couldn't be separated in the Athletic Grounds but Donegal have picked up a few injuries this week.
Paddy McBrearty is gone for this weekend and there are doubts surrounding others - was it necessary to play them in a fairly low-stakes match against Meath, you'd wonder?
That should give Armagh the edge this weekend. For me, one of the stories of the league is how happy Kieran McGeeney looks.
It's been a highly impressive campaign from them. At half-time last weekend, they looked on the cusp of seven straight clean sheets. They're clearly too good for that level.
But the reckoning for them will come later on. As we said last year, they really need silverware this season. Specifically, it has to be Ulster. A Division 2 title, not unwelcome, will not be near enough.
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