I can not. Careful.

This is the second Super Bowl in the last decade that I just can’t get nervous. No matter what you try, Pittsburgh v. Seattle chills me. The other game that failed to stoke any fires was Oakland / Tampa, also known as the Gruden Bowl. Everyone involved in that contest seemed like some kind of idiot. In this one, everyone seems vaguely nice. Jerome Bettis is a nice guy, but I am not surprised that he has parents, nor am I surprised that they are overweight, nor do I want to read more types of media talking about how tired they are of the Bettis story. Basically all of this has soured me on The Bus, at least for this weekend. Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Hasselbeck are middle quarterbacks who are called “greats,” but that’s because people need to exaggerate things … it’s the Super Bowl. Willie Parker is a glorified third-down running back. Shaun Alexander seems soft to me. Hines Ward is tough as nails and a great teammate, but he seems to be slowing down a lot. Bill Cowher has a mustache. Mike Holmgren has a mustache.

I guess that’s what betting is for. Put some fins on any of the squads and some assorted prop stakes, and the contest gets a little more interesting. (Thank goodness for offshore gambling.) For the record, I’m sticking with Seattle and the points, though not much. It’s kind of … a monotonous showdown. Does anyone really think the Steelers are the best team in the AFC? (People in Boston and Indianapolis, I see them waving their arms). And does anyone think that NFC is some kind of test of whether a team is good? What are the main stories here? “Can’t Roethlisberger stink one more time?” “Can Hasselbeck break the ball before Pittsburgh can throw his blitz?” “Can Bill Cowher’s jaw reach midfield with Cowher on the sidelines?” Yawn. There’s just not much here, unless you’re from ‘Burgh or Latte Land.

I think the Seahawks’ D will confuse Big Ben a bit, I think Shaun Alexander proves he’s better than you think, and I think Seattle keeps him close enough to cover him. But I don’t think of any of these things with any kind of real enthusiasm. For me, this is the matchup between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros in a World Series. Bleh.

Predictions for Super Bowl XL?

Greg Jorssen, BoDog.com: I predict we will have a record Super Bowl in terms of driving. That is sure! As for the game itself, it will be a defensive battle, so I predict a low-scoring affair. That said, the Super Bowl never ceases to amaze me. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rushing through players’ veins, but Super Bowls tend to score higher than I normally expect. In fact, the last five Super Bowls have been higher than the posted totals. However, I feel like this is the year the trend comes to an end. As for which team will win, I’m going to look at the history of the teams playing in the Super Bowl. This is Pittsburgh’s sixth return trip, and they are 4-1 straight up and against the spread. As for Seattle, this is, of course, their first trip to the big one, and teams playing in their first Super Bowl are 9-14-1 against the spread. Based on this, my head says that Pittsburgh will win, yet my heart goes out to Seattle, a team that I have followed since I was a child. All I know is that this should be a great game with two classic defensive teams.

How is the Big Game handled? How does it compare to previous years?

GJ, BoDog.com: It’s still too early to tell. However, it is well ahead of last year’s control at the moment. Most of our control (around 80%) comes 24 hours before the game, and the majority occurs two hours before kick-off. I expect a handling of over $ 10 million on this game alone, including props and future bets.

Interested in the Ricky-Davis-for-Wally-Szczerbiak swap?
Does it do anything for either team in terms of who would you bet on?

GJ, BoDog.com: I know Minnesota women are pretty upset about losing Wally, or so I’ve heard! Szczerbiak is having a great season; however, he is not exactly strong on defense. Ricky Davis is a more complete player, as long as his attitude is kept in check. The jury is still out on who benefited from the deal. However, I think you have to give that advantage to Boston. They are much better (and younger) now with Wally in the lineup, a true 3-point shooter. It seems clear they’ve done their best for a playoff spot in the East, and you can expect a lot less turnovers now that Ricky Davis and Mark Blount are out of the lineup. The Celts can stretch the court better now that they finally have a shooter who can hit from the center. The Celts are just four games behind the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, with about 37 games to play. When you factor in youth, decreased turnovers, and the ability to extend the court and hit the deep court, I have no doubt that they will be a team to reckon with before this season ends.

Kind of an offbeat question: How good is Northern Iowa at college careers? They are ranked 25th this week and are 19-3 with wins against Iowa and LSU. Will they do the Sweet 16?

GJ, BoDog.com: Who? I am just messing with you. There is a lot of excitement for the Panthers right now as they made the Top 25 for the first time in team history. That said, I think there will be a lot of pressure on these kids to continue down the stretch, as evidenced by their loss to Creighton this week. I’m sure they will enter the tournament, but I can’t see them doing a lot of damage because it’s a bit overwhelming for them.