Super Bowl XL

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the favorites, the old-school team with a national following and four Super Bowl titles in five appearances. The Seattle Seahawks? In the 30 seasons some success but mostly struggles, and mostly unknown outside of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander, the league' s Most Valuable Player. The breakdown:

Pittsburgh's run is impressive, but remember this is essentially the same team which went 15-1 in 2004 and reached the AFC championship game. The difference is that Ben Roethlisberger has another season of experience. The Steelers are improving steadily on offense and have a fast, tough aggressive defense.

Seattle has been the team in the NFC since about Week 6. Alexander has been the league's top producing running back for several seasons and Hasselbeck is maturing into one of the top quarterbacks. The Seahawks' offensive line is among the Top 5 in the NFL. Seattle has finally found a defense that works, buoyed by rookie linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill.

The Seahawks' offensive line will control the line of scrimmage. Hasselbeck will hit some big passes early and set up Alexander. Pittsburgh's running game will struggle and it will be on Roethlisberger to produce. It won't be enough. Seahawks 24, Steelers 14.