Lombardi Party
Lombardi Party
Six months after college football kicked off, we're down to one last football-like-substance until spring football. While we're partisan and will take a BCS CFP bowl any day of the week (particularly the new schedule which has three on New Year's Eve and one more as well as the two actual playoff semifinals on New Year's Day), our last decade of Super Bowls have been phenomenal – and this one should be no different.
Whether you're watching the game on FOX in Columbus or watching online via Fox Sports Go (which won't require a login during the game) from anywhere in the country, anytime we get to see the best offense in the sport take on the best defense, we're better for it. In the four previous times this has gone down in a Super Bowl, the defense has wound up on top three of them.
Interestingly enough, this marks only the second time the #1 seed in the AFC and the #1 seed in the NFC have meet in the Super Bowl. The last was in the 1994 matchup between Dallas and Buffalo, which the Cowboys won 30-13 (though the Bills led 13-6 at the half).
In terms of Ohio State rooting interests, as we mentioned, there aren't any OSU player alums. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was the secondary coach at Ohio State under Earle Bruce (whom he'd worked under previously at Iowa State) in Bruce's first year as the Buckeyes head coach. Carroll left after one season to take the defensive coordinator role under Monte Kiffin at NC State. Broncos defensive line coach Jay Rodgers was also a recruiting intern under John Cooper in 2000. Here's a complete list of those with Big Ten ties participating in this evening's big game:
2014 Super Bowl Participants from Big Ten Schools
Denver Broncos (6)
Name, Position, School (Joined NFL)
Kevin Vickerson*, DT, Michigan State (2005 NFL Draft - seventh round)
Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota (2010 NFL Draft - third round)
Stewart Bradley*, LB, Nebraska (2007 NFL Draft - third round)
Marquice Cole, CB, Northwestern (2007 undrafted free agent)
Shaun Phillips, DE, Purdue (2004 NFL Draft - fourth round)
Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin (2013 NFL Draft - second round)
Coaches
Adam Gase, Offensive Coordinator (Attended Michigan State from 1996-99)
Dave Magazu, Offensive line coach (Graduate assistant at Michigan in 1983)
Jay Rodgers, Defensive line coach (Played at Indiana from 1996-98 and was a recruiting intern with Ohio State in 2000)
Seattle Seahawks (7)
Name, Position, School (Joined NFL)
Kellen Davis, TE, Michigan State (2008 NFL Draft - fifth round)
Jordan Hill, DT, Penn State (2013 NFL Draft - third round)
Michael Robinson, FB, Penn State (2006 NFL Draft - fourth round)
Cliff Avril, DE, Purdue (2008 NFL Draft - third round)
Chris Maragos, FS, Wisconsin (2010 undrafted free agent)
O'Brien Schofield, LB, Wisconsin (2010 NFL Draft - fourth round)
Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin (2012 NFL Draft - third round)
Coaches
Pete Carroll, Head coach (Secondary coach at Ohio State in 1979)
Darrell Bevell, Offensive Coordinator (Played quarterback at Wisconsin from 1992-95)
Pat Ruel, Assistant Offensive line coach (Offensive line and assistant coach at Michigan State from 1998-99)
Sherman Smith, Running backs coach (Assistant coach at Illinois from 1992-94)
Robert Saleh, Defensive quality control coach (Assistant coach at Michigan State from 2002-03)
Mondray Gee, Assistant strength & conditioning coach (Went to Michigan State for undergrad and graduate degrees from 1996-01)
* Injured Reserve
Infographic
Odds to Win Super Bowl MVP at Bovada
Peyton Manning (DEN) 8/5
Russell Wilson (SEA) 13/4
Marshawn Lynch (SEA) 6/1
Demaryius Thomas (DEN) 16/1
Wes Welker (DEN) 16/1
Richard Sherman (SEA) 16/1
Percy Harvin (SEA) 16/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 18/1
Eric Decker (DEN) 20/1
Julius Thomas (DEN) 25/1
Golden Tate (SEA) 33/1
Earl Thomas (SEA) 33/1
Doug Baldwin (SEA) 40/1
Montee Ball (DEN) 50/1
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DEN) 50/1
Kam Chancellor (SEA) 66/1
Danny Trevathan (DEN) 66/1
Champ Bailey (DEN) 66/1
Zach Miller (SEA) TE 75/1
Matt Prater (DEN) 100/1
Steven Hauschka (SEA) 100/1
Duke Ihenacho (DEN) 100/1
Michael Bennett (SEA) 100/1
Field (Any Other Player) 20/1
Coin toss props below, courtesy of Bovada:
Heads -105
Tails -105
SUPER BOWL XLVIII - Team to win the coin toss
Seattle Seahawks -105
Denver Broncos -105
SUPER BOWL XLVIII - Will the team that wins the coin toss win the game?
Yes -115
No -115
SUPER BOWL XLVIII - Will the team that chooses Heads or Tails in the coin toss be correct?
Yes -115
No -115
Click here for a complete list of Super Bowl 48 prop bets
How to watch Super Bowl XLVIII
Teams: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos
Date: Sunday, February 2, 2014
Kickoff time: 6:25 EST / 5:25 CST
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Super Bowl score by quarter: Live SB Nation scoreboard
Live stream: FOX Sports Go (Sign-in is not required during the Super Bowl TV broadcast)
TV channel: FOX (A full list of international broadcasters is available here)
Radio: NFL on Westwood One (Choose your station here), with Kevin Harlan as the play-by-play announcer
Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman; Pam Oliver and Erin Andrews are sideline reporters
Officials: Terry McAulay and his crew
Current odds: Broncos by 2-1/2 | O/U: 48
Halftime show performance: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers
National anthem: Renee Fleming
Current ticket prices: TicketMaster.com
