Conference Championship Picks: "It's like two Super Bowls"

Most everybody was right as the favorites emerged from a (at least compared to what we got during the Wild Card round) fairly lackluster set of football games last weekend in the Divisional Playoffs. Despite my sense that we were bound for multiple surprises, we instead arrive at what many believe will appropriately involve the four best teams in the NFL. As one of the sports radio callers put it the other night, "It's like two Super Bowl" today.

I'm really looking forward to finally relaxing after working six days, roughly 50 hours this week, and taking in two very intriguing contests. The Brady-Manning marquee "legacy" matchup has already been beaten to death, and the QBs will be the centers of attention throughout that game. But I'm probably looking even more forward to the nightcap in raucous Seattle where the game is likely to be decided by the better of two great defenses. Make no mistake, I'm thinking this is going to be pretty thrilling.

And this, of course, means that both games will quickly devolve into completely lopsided blowouts. Who knows? Point is, you could tell me that you're confident, you're "sure" that you know what two teams is going to be in the Super Bowl this year, and I would not argue with any of the four possible scenarios remaining. There are attractive reasons to believe that any of the four teams left could be on the field hoisting the Lombardi trophy in a few weeks.

All of this should make clear that I have no idea which teams are winning today, but I'll give it a guess anyway.

Like I said, most everybody ELSE had a pretty good week last week other than me (Last weekend's rankings and Divisional records in parentheses):

1. (1) Seth Wickersham, ESPN: 7-1 (3-1)
1. (2) Chris Mortensen, ESPN: 7-1 (4-0)
1. (2) Mark Schlereth, ESPN: 7-1 (4-0)
1. (2) Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: 7-1 (4-0)
5.  (2) Eric Allen, ESPN: 6-2 (3-1)
5. (9) Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports: 6-2 (4-0)
5. (9) Prediction Machine, CBS Sports: 6-2 (4-0)
5. (9) SportsNation, ESPN: 6-2 (4-0)
9. (2) John Breech, CBS Sports: 5-3 (2-2)
9. (17) Cris Carter, ESPN: 5-3 (4-0)
9. (2) Mike Ditka, ESPN: 5-3 (2-2)
9. (17) Mike Golic, ESPN: 5-3 (4-0)
9. (2) Merril Hoge, ESPN: 5-3 (2-2)
9. (9) Ron Jaworski, ESPN: 5-3 (3-1)
9. (17) KC Joyner, ESPN: 5-3 (4-0)
9. (9) Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 5-3 (3-1)
9. (9) Adam Schefter, ESPN: 5-3 (3-1)
18. (9) Will Brinson, CBS Sports: 4-4 (2-2)
18. (22) Josh Katzowitz, CBS Sports: 4-4 (4-0)
18. (17) Jason La Canfora, CBS Sports: 4-4 (3-1)
18. (17) Dave Richard, CBS Sports: 4-4 (3-1)
22. (22) Keyshawn Johnson, ESPN: 3-5 (3-1)
22. (9) YOURS TRULY: 3-5 (1-3)

Being better than Keyshawn is always a basic goal, so it's terribly embarrassing to be sharing the cellar with the guy. At least I struck to my guns though, unlike one Chiefs fan-turned-Colts fan:

24. (24) Tom Jackson, ESPN: 5-3 "6-2"

Here's who the Mother Ship has going to the Super Bowl: 

And here's CBS Sports: 

Which only leaves my essentially worthless picks this year, made even more worthless by me saying there's no point to order of confidence when I fully admit that I'm not overly confident in either one of these picks:

Seattle Seahawks over San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco is the hottest team going right now, so the Seahawks defense is really going to have to live up to their reputation. Still, I like their chances of being able to play aggressively with a reduced chance of being flagged at home in front of that crowd. However, my one enormous concern with Seattle is the team's offense, where aside from Marshawn Lynch, there is not a whole lot of reason to believe there are any real weapons that are going to burn the Niners. The game could hinge on key turnovers, and I simply think Russell Wilson is going to end up making less mistakes than Colin Kaepernick. If the 49ers defy my "Super Bowl Slump" logic I used against them all year long, I'm going to be significantly changing my tune about Jim Harbaugh for the foreseeable future. The man has done an unbelievable job already, but a victory here makes me a believer (I'm taking the NFC either way). 

Denver Broncos over New England Patriots

Speaking of being a believer: Oh, New England. We used to be so tight. And make no mistake, this year should rank among Bill Belichick's greatest coaching jobs ever, but I simply think there are too many weapons on that Broncos offense to ignore. The Patriots exposed how pathetic the Colts run defense was last week, but the Broncos are a new kind of animal that isn't going allow any sort of repeat performance for Legarrette Blount. While Peyton has Welker, Decker, and two Thomases (Demaryius and Julius) as well as a formidably trio of running backs, Tom Brady has spent most of the year without Rob Gronkowski after permanently losing Aaron Hernandez and now might not have Kenbrell Thompkins or Aaron Dobson. Whether it's Shane Vereen, Danny Amendola, or Julian Edelman that becomes a target, the Pats do not seem to have the outside, downfield explosiveness that Denver will be able to threaten New England with. The Broncos making and losing the Super Bowl would be the one redeeming part of my predictions from the beginning of the year.