With winter break coming to an end and a new semester on the dawn, it only means one thing… playoff football. We are past the division playoff round and these upcoming weeks will determine which two teams will meet for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Prior to the Division round, the Seattle Seahawks were the favorites to win the Super Bowl at 5/2 odds. 

After a dominating performance against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, the Seahawks have a date with NFC west rival San Francisco. The 49ers will have to travel to CenturyLink Field in Seattle where the Seahawks are currently 8-1 this season. Also, in the regular season, the Seahawks earned the top total defense with allowing 273. 6 YPG and held the top passing defense with 172.0 YPG, respectively. 

If the 49ers want to see back-to-back Super Bowl games they are going to need to rely heavily on running back, Frank Gore, to carry the load on a ground and pound dominated playbook. Although, to give credit where credit is due, this is the third straight NFC championship game for the 49ers under head coach, Jim Harbaugh.  However, Harbaugh and company are going to need to formulate a new plan considering their week two defeat in Seattle, 29-3. 

Next, on the AFC side we have a matchup the media has been drooling about with Tom Brady’s New England Patriots going to Denver to face the Broncos, led by quarterback Peyton Manning. Notably, Brady currently holds the edge on Manning in head-to-head playoff matchups with a 2-1 record. 

This might be the best Championship round that we’ve seen in years with two future HOF quarterbacks competing to get to the big dance, once again. On the flip side, we have two up and coming quarterbacks in Collin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson. Interestingly, the NFC championship game hosts another rivalry, one between head coaches, Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. This rivalry formed long ago in the PAC-10 when Harbaugh coached Stanford University and Carroll led the University of Southern California.

When it’s all said and done, I’m sticking with my pick of Tom Brady winning his fourth Super Bowl.  Against all odds and with his receiver threats completely depleted, he still finds himself two wins away from becoming the G.O.A.T. 

In between moving back to Champaign and getting ready for class, kick back, enjoy a cold one and watch some football.