The opening month of the 2015 2016 association football season has brought a long list of talking points for soccer fans throughout Europe. Perhaps the "biggest" stories so far have been the complete and utter collapses of clubs like Chelsea FC and Juventus-clubs that were, as recently as last spring, complete powerhouses. The best rivalry of the new season, though, has undoubtedly been playing out in month one of 2015 - 2016 Bundesliga play, between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

The Rise of Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund experienced their own collapse last season, not unlike what Chelsea and Juventus are going through right now. After finishing second in the 2013 2014 Bundesliga, the Black and Yellows hit a wall in the autumn of 2014. They lost two of their first four matches and had tumbled to 10th place at the end of month one.

That was just the tip of the iceberg for BVB's disastrous season. The soccer club would drop all the way to 18th place (dead last, in the German division) by the end of the 2014 calendar year. And while they redeemed themselves somewhat in 2015, winning nine of their final 15 games to finish the season in seventh place, it was still tough to see the season as anything but a complete disappointment. Manager Jurgen Klopp thought as much, too, stepping down from the head coach position because he no longer thought he was the right man for the job.

Now, a month into the 2015 2016 Bundesliga season, it appears that Klopp might have been correct. Thomas Tuchel took over for Klopp over the summer, and he's already begun making his mark at Signal Iduna Park. Not only did the Black and Yellows battle their way into the Europa League group stage with a successful playoff performance, but they are also currently leading the German domestic league.

That's right: Borussia Dortmund are ahead of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga standings after the first four games of the season. To be fair, the lead is only slight: both football clubs have won all of their matches so far. Dortmund, at this point at least, just happen to have scored a couple more goals.

Ever since kicking off their 2015 2016 Bundesliga campaign with a triumphant 4-0 home match win against Borussia Monchengladbach (last season's third-place team), BVB have been unstoppable. They beat Ingolstadt with another 4-0 score in week two, topped Hertha Berlin 3-1 in week three, and pushed past Hannover 96 with a 4-2 week four victory.

For those keeping track, that's four games, 15 goals scored, three goals allowed, and an overall goal difference of +12. A few Borussia Dortmund players are already having terrific seasons, as well. These include Pierre-Emerick Aubemayong (who has scored five goals in league and nine overall) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (also nine goals overall, but just three of them in league play). If both stars keep up the pace, they could each be in the running for the Bundesliga's top scorer title this season.

Bayern Munich: Waiting in the Wings

So are Tuchel's Black and Yellows destined for a 2015 2016 Bundesliga title? Not so fast: BVB might be in the lead right now, but Bayern Munich are only narrowly behind. The Bavarians have picked up their share of big wins (including a huge 5-0 triumph over Hamburger SV in week one) and are undefeated with a +10 goal difference. In other words, if Borussia Dortmund make a mistake at any point in the next few weeks, Bayern Munich will be ready to leap into the lead.

In any case, the first head-to-head battle between Munich and Dortmund this season surely has to be seen as the most anticipated football game of the fall. The match, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 4th at Bayern's Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich Home Shirt 2015 - 2016will determine who the real frontrunner is for the 2015 2016 Bundesliga title.

As for the rest of the field, no other soccer clubs even come close to BVB or Bayern Munich. Wolfsburg- the 2015 2016 runners-up-are in third place, but are four points back. Other top finishers from last season are also struggling, such as Bayer Leverkusen (currently in 13th), FC Augsburg (14th), and Borussia Monchengladbach (18th). It may be early in the football season, but the 2015 2016 Bundesliga already looks like a two-team race.

Which football club are you rooting for this season? Pick up a Bayern Munich shirt 2015 2016 or a Borussia Dortmund jersey from Soccer Box to support your team!