“Three home teams advance, and the [explicit] New York Jets.” Rex Ryan might be singing a different tune after the first week of the playoffs this year as the Jets hope to to lock up home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Most pundits guessed the Jets would be in the mix of top in the AFC, but no one could have predicted the roller-coaster that has been the Jets 2010 regular season.

Offense, defense and coaching have all come under scrutiny for a team that sits atop the ultra-competitive AFC East. The Jets have had inconsistent performances against both mid-level and elite teams in the NFL. In one week they’ll defeat the vaunted Patriots, in another week they’ll get routed by the Patriots.

Sure, the Jets have induced their fair share of heart attacks in 2010 but, nonetheless, one cannot deny that the Jets have people talking about a Superbowl title.

A year after they just fell short to Peyton Manning and the Colts in the AFC championship, the Jets have a cemented themselves as Super Bowl favorites for the first time since the “New York Sack Exchange of the late ‘80s.”

No strangers to heartache in years past, Jet fans finally have a team to feel confident about. “I’m an Eagles fan, but I’m not going to lie, I’ve probably talked more about the Jets this year than my own team. I don’t have much choice in matter since my best friend pretty much bleeds green,” said Greg Palmer III Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’11.

Palmer believes that there is something about these Jets that have people talking differently. “The Jets are a good, solid team. Offense, defense, even the special teams can single-handedly beat you on any given week. I think they deserve to go deep into the playoffs this year. To be honest, I think the two best teams in the NFL are wearing green,” Palmer said.

The Jets’ championship potential is evident to avid football fans and neophytes alike.

Luiz Loures, FCLC ’11, a Swiss-Brazilian who only started following football after beginning college, was particularly intrigued by the Jets’ loudest character, head coach Rex Ryan. “I watched all the episodes of Hard Knocks and I see how down to earth he [Rex] is with his players.  He’s an honest guy and I can’t help but root for them whenever I see them playing. I was lucky enough to witness a Super Bowl victory in New York  during my freshman year, it would be insane to see one again in my senior year.I think the Jets are the team to do it,” Loures said.

Like all teams with winning records, the Jets are not without their skeptics. Terence Thiel, FCLC ’11, a Bengals fan, isn’t sold on them yet. “Once I see a dominating performance, I’ll then concede that the Jets are good. I don’t think they’re as good as their record reflects. They’ve been lucky and won close games against teams they were supposed to beat handily, Bengals excluded, of course,” Thiel said.

Richard Han, FCLC ’11, a lifelong Jet fan, agrees. “They have so much talent on that roster but I still worry that they’ll be too complacent at the wrong time.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they broke my heart during the playoffs. Obviously I hope they pull it together down the stretch and perform to their maximum potential,” Han said.

Jets fans are hungry for victory this season. Perhaps for some fans, the most important victory may come in February.  Will the 41 year  Jets title drought end this season? Only time can tell. But one thing is for certain; don’t expect Jet fans to lose their famous resiliency if their title hopes fall short. No one knows what the future holds for the Jets, but this author is certain that fans prefer the taste victory sooner rather than later.