NFL Conference Championships

This is a Steeler fan nightmare. Not only did my SB prediction go kaflooey - it turns out my sports prediction is as bad as my Oscar ones - but 3 of the 4 survivors are bad news for Steeler fans. The best I can hope for is a Falcons/Ravens superbowl, and that isn't likely to happen. Every single team I've rooted against in the playoffs have won. EVERY ONE! You could set your watch, or better yet bet your watch, on my rooting interest. Gevalt!

I've said this before but it bears repeating: the Steelers are the best NFL team in the Superbowl era because they're tied for the most SB appearances (8, tied with Dallas) but have the most wins (6). See this wiki page for my data pool.

Two teams now threaten those records, one severely. As it stands, here are the records of the remaining teams, the # of SB, & their win-loss record:

Atlanta Falcons: 1 SB, 0-1 (0.000)
Baltimore Ravens: 1 SB, 1-0 (1.000)
New England Patriots: 7 SB, 3-4 (.429)
San Francisco 49ers: 5 SB, 5-0 (1.000)

Pittsburgh Steelers: 8 SB, 6-2 (0.750)

So if it's a Patriots-49er Superbowl, the most likely scenario, then it's the worst for Steeler fans, because (a) the Patriots will join the elite 8-SB club, which is OK given we share that distinction with the hated cowboys, but (b) if the 49ers win then they will not only have 6 Superbowls but will have a perfect record! AUGH!

What makes this worse is that the Patriots, if they do go to SB 47, will almost definitely lose. This is because of the Spygate Karma Rule. Ya see, I've done my own research and it's clear that Bill Belichick's cheating won the Patriots their 2001, 2003, and 2004 Superbowls. The evidence is overwhelming, albeit circumstantial given Goodall's incompetence, and I can show my data at a later time.

The Karma rule states that they need to lose a SB for every one they cheated in. They have 2 down - and both to the Giants - so they need one more. Which means if they play San Fran they will lose and thus the worst scenario for Steelers has occurred - the Patriots will tie our SB number, the 49ers will tie our wins but have a perfect record.

So even though it hurts to root for the Ravens in the AFC playoff, in the long view, it's better if they win than the hated cheating Patriots. And maybe, just maybe, the Falcons can pull it off. I'm hoping for Atlanta to pull a Bettis for Tony Gonzalez's sake.

Gonzalez is one of the best Tight Ends ever and he's never won a Superbowl. He's likely to retire at any moment. So just like the Steelers rallied to win Superbowl 40 to get Bettis his ring (which is an unparalleled story), maybe Atlanta can do that for Tony.

Note, this sounds like what the Ravens are doing about Ray Lewis except for three things: (1) Lewis won a SB already, (2) Gonzalez is a better person, and (3) the Harbaughs (both) are schmucks and deserve to lose.