The provincial championships get off to a typically low-key start everywhere except Ulster, where Armagh and Tyrone collide in Sunday's prime-time clash (4.15pm) .
The new championship format does shift things slightly more in favour of provincial champions - or provincial runners-up - than was the case under the previous group stage format. Provincial finalists will at least be guaranteed a home tie in Round 1 of the All-Ireland series.
Last year - and the two years before - you were inclined to wonder was there any benefit to going well in the provincial championships - at least for those team who were already guaranteed a Sam Maguire spot.
Armagh's hunger for a provincial title will be undimmed regardless of the format. Like Clare in hurling, their current generation have achieved the big prize but have yet to claim a coveted provincial prize. You've to go back to 2008 for their last Anglo-Celt triumph.
A championship meeting of Armagh and Tyrone would ordinarily be near impossible to call. Armagh snatched victory at the death last year having trailed for until very late in the game.
However, their respective league campaigns would suggest a gap has developed.
Tyrone remain an enigma. Cahair O'Kane in the Irish News observed this week they've done precious little since the 2021 All-Ireland final (a bitter day for us).
They did reach an All-Ireland semi-final last year but they were well beaten by Kerry and it would be hard to claim they pulled up many trees en route. They did catch Donegal on the hop in the first round of the group stage - a time when provincial champions were often vulnerable.
And they did eliminate Dublin in the quarters although the quality of that game was fairly poor.
They were tipped by almost everyone to make a speedy return to Division 1 but their under-performance in the league was quite shocking. Fifth in the second tier is a very poor showing. In the end, they had more cause to look over their shoulder at the relegation battle than they had to think about the promotion places.
It's all the more baffling when you consider the talent and experience at their disposal, alongside the welter of underage success in recent years.
They have Darragh Canavan and Eoin McElholm in attack, a potentially devastating combination of speed and trickery. Ethan Jordan gives them a big two-point threat, where they might have been lacking.
There's a strange lack of physical edge to their play, which is almost sacrilege to say given the historic identity of Tyrone teams.
But there's been a lack of identity to their play in recent times.
Could they be reborn in the championship? There's enough talent and experience there for them to threaten anyone. But it's hard to make a logical case that they'll take down an Armagh side on their own turf.
Kieran McGeeney's side may have been perilously close to relegation - there was by all accounts a big roar of relief on the pitch when news of the result in Salthill filtered through - but anyone who watched their games will know this wasn't really a reflection on the quality of so many of their performances.
They're still All-Ireland contenders. Ulster is a bit of a holy grail given they haven't won it since 2008. Geezer wasn't long retired himself by that stage. They've come ridiculously close in recent years - losing two finals on a penalty shootout and another by a point after extra-time.
All form points to a five-to-six point win this weekend, though whether they can take out Jim McGuinness and Donegal is another question.
Mayo are in Ruislip this weekend. I don't foresee any 2011-style panic attacks this weekend. James Horan saw his managerial career at county level nearly end as soon as it started that afternoon, when we needed extra-time to win.
With no Connacht title since Croker 2021, there's an added hunger and incentive for Mayo to regain the Nestor Cup and fast. Likewise, in Roscommon, where they're in the hunt after an excellent league campaign.
My own history in the Nestor Cup can be divided into a couple of phases.
In my first five years of starting for Mayo, we won five Connacht titles in succession. Things got so routine at that stage that we were barely celebrating them after a while.
I remember 2013 being especially low-key in that regard. You might remember that this was the year we played London in the final. They had beaten Sligo and Leitrim in the championship that summer and there was great hype and amusement over it all.
Boris Johnson sent them a good luck message on Twitter that morning - or at least one of the Mayor's underlings sent it on his behalf. We won pretty easily and there was just a cursory 'celebration' after that. One of those 'blink or you'll miss it' trophy lifts when the Cup stays in the air for a split-second before being placed back down again.
Two years later, we buried six goals past Sligo in the final in the Hyde and it was a similar-ish affair. We were spoiled on the Nestor Cup front at that stage. We had begun to take it for granted, probably.
How different things were after that. In the last seven years of my career, we won Connacht just twice, in the two Covid years as it happens. That made it all the sweeter when we did.
On the other hand, it would be a milestone for Galway, the first time they'll have done five on the trot since the late 1950s.
While home advantage is always a dubious concept in Connacht, they won't have to leave Pearse Stadium and we can be fairly sure they'll be in the final. At the moment, they have the edge.
In Leinster, the Dublin stranglehold was broken last summer and we've entered a brave new dawn. Of the trio of games this weekend, I'd fancy Offaly, Westmeath and Carlow (just about) to win - though Wicklow have been known to spring a championship shock after disappointing leagues.
Casting our eyes further down the track, it's Meath's time to deliver. On the evidence of the league, they've improved and they're the only representatives from the province in Division 1 next year.
And there's another factor too, referenced by Aaron Kernan recently - their familiarity with Croke Park. The renovation of Páirc Tailteann has meant they've become extra acquainted with HQ and, better again, have developed a winning habit there. They've won four from four there in the spring, including the Division 2 decider.
In Munster, Cork are making definite strides and are back in the big-time but Kerry remain as intimidating as ever. The draw, combined with the form-guide, means we're likely to get our first traditional Munster SFC since Covid.
We can expect John Cleary's team to give it a serious rattle when the time comes. But it's unlikely to be enough.
Watch Armagh v Tyrone in the Ulster Football Championship on Sunday from 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
