From beating out the other team for a chance to battle for the White House to the gamesmanship (and showmanship) of the debates and stump speeches, the political runoff process offers more than just boring government.

In fact, the political landscape right now is very much sports-like.

With playoff talk heating up in the NFL and the race for the GOP nomination getting serious it is time to make some predictions and comparisons to our current crop of contenders.

Mitt Romney – also hailing from the northeast Mitt is like the New England Patriots of politics in how he has handled his second presidential bid so far.  He seems well prepared and his team is operating as a well oiled machine.  His consistent debate performances and error free campaigning has kept him in the front of the race through most of the primary.

Newt Gingrich – after virtually disappearing early on in his bid for the White House, Mr. Gingrich is now battling Mitt Romney for the top of the ticket.  Much like the Atlanta Falcons battled controversy and upheaval in the past only to come back even stronger, the early missteps by Team Gingrich may have been a blessing in disguise allowing him to lower initial expectations and run a different kind of campaign that seems to be resonating with the American people.

Michele Bachmann – like the Carolina Panthers, Michele Bachmann is one of the most conservative of all the challengers and has many of the tools that make her a substantial competitor.  Also like the Panthers however, the pieces haven’t yet come together for Team Bachmann to produce a strategy that puts her in a position to compete for the White House and as a result she has resorted to playing spoiler for the rest of the group.

Rick Perry – much like Philadelphia Eagles, Rick Perry came into the race to a lot of hype.  With early debate stumbles and at times a questionable grasp of the English language, Team Perry has struggled to regain support from those initial (unrealistic) expectations.  Much like the Eagles, Perry’s greatest problems seem to be self inflicted in big moments.  While America may always have a soft spot for a Texas accent, this Texas politician needs to showcase his strengths in order to win back his fan base.

Ron Paul - Paul is the elder statesman of the group with decades of political service and a loyal base of supporters for his conservative and libertarian viewpoints.  Similar to the Steelers, Ron Paul goes about things a little different and he has had his share of success.  On the big stage though Ron Paul has yet to connect with those outside of his immediate fan base with his libertarian ideas and rambling debate performances.

Rick Santorum – like the Cleveland Browns Rick Santorum was a huge underdog coming into the race and has thus far failed to create the type of excitement that is need to rise in the polls.  His conservative credentials have been hard to differentiate from some others in the race which has left him looking a little outmatched in other areas.  While everyone loves a good underdog story, Team Santorum will have to show that he can appeal to more than just his base of loyal supporters.

Jon Huntsman – like the Washington Redskins, Jon Huntsman has Washington ties serving as the U.S. Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011.  Although Huntsman may be politically connected, his ties to the Obama administration appointment have made it difficult to build much support within the conservative Republican base.  Mediocre performances in combination with a few highlights have left Team Huntsman with more in common with the Redskins than he would have liked at this point in the race.

I am always intrigued with the parallels between competitive football and politics.  I love the political process and the strategy that goes along with personal branding, marketing and building a consensus of support.  I also love football and the competitive nature of play calling and the pursuit of a winning strategy against a weekly opponent.

Politics is a sport any football fan could and should love.