Super Bowl L

It's Super Bowl L weekend (yeah, I know, it's officially 50, but I do like this once-yearly use of the Roman numerals I learned in grade school), so I guess I should pick a team to cheer for. I know that doesn't sound too enthusiastic, but I do actually enjoy watching these big sporting events. The surrounding hype I could do without, which is why I haven't paid much attention to anything Super-Bowl-related for the last two weeks.

When I was watching the playoffs, the Carolina Panthers were my third-favorite team in the NFC, and the Denver Broncos were my second-favorite in the AFC. Makes sense to hope the Broncos win on Sunday, then. I like cheering on the underdog anyway, and with the way the Panthers have played through the season and the playoffs, Denver certainly feels like the underdog in this one.

There's also the last-hurrah aspect of Peyton Manning's appearance, in what is almost certainly his last Super Bowl. I like watching Cam Newton play, too, but I figure he's likely to have several more shots at the big game. This is probably Peyton's last chance on the field, and it would be a nice closing statement to a Hall of Fame career if he went out on top.

Having said all that, I still think it's more likely that the Panthers win, and they very well could win big. Their offense has rolled through some really good defenses (i.e. Seattle), and I don't think Denver's offense will be putting a lot of points up. If the Denver defense makes just a few mistakes, the Broncos could quickly be in an insurmountable hole. I'll be hoping to see the old guys pull out an upset, though!