The Packers and Steelers are two of the most storied franchises in all of football. On Sunday the teams will meet for the biggest prize in the NFL, and the right to say their team is the best. The Packers haven’t won the Super Bowl since 1996. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers are familiar with the big stage and were crowned world champions twice during the last decade.
Aaron Rodgers and the cheese heads come into the game as the sixth seed, but they didn’t mind that at all. They won three games on the road to claim their spot in Dallas, including a 48-21 trouncing of the number one seeded Atlanta Falcons.
Big Ben and the Steelers had an easier road to Super Bowl XLV, and it’s not like they haven’t done it before. The Steelers had two wins at home, one against their division rivals the Ravens and the other against Rex Ryan’s Jets.
Packers and Steelers fans began showing their teams colors on the Lipscomb campus this week in preparation for Sunday’s big matchup.
For sophomore Ryan Nowers it’s a family affair.
“My grandfather is from the North and has always been a big Packers fan,” Nowers said. “My dad became a Packers fan when he was younger because of my grandfather and I guess when I was born I just took it to a new level.”
Lindsay Trucksis, sophomore vocal performance major from Cincinnati, Ohio, is certain who her favorite Packers player is.
“Aaron Rodgers, because he’s better than Brett Favre,” Trucksis said.
Annie Thompson, a junior and Pennsylvania native, has been a Steelers fan from birth.
“I grew up an hour outside of Pittsburgh, so ever since I was born my entire family has been huge Steelers fans,” Thompson said.
Steelers and Packers fans on campus had one thing in common– they all had their own pre-game ritual or superstition.
“I try not to talk about [the game],” Nowers said. “Most people always try to talk trash about how their team is going to win, but I always feel like I’m going to jinx them if I talk about it.”
Tyler Lallathin believes his dog Lily brings the Steelers good luck.
“My dad and I would always watch Steelers games in the basement, and if she was upstairs, we would be losing,” Lallathin said. “My dad would run up and get the dog and we would start winning. So we have coined the term ‘lucky dog.’”
Thompson has a few superstitions that she feels are vital if the Steelers are going to win.
“My family always wears the same clothes,” Thompson said. “For playoff games and the Super Bowl we make cupcakes and we write the players names on them. If one is doing bad we eat the cupcake with their name on it and we think that they’re going to do better and it has worked!”
We all have predictions for the game, and fans on campus weren’t shy about theirs either.
Lindsay Trucksis- 31-20 Packers
Ryan Nowers- 28-25 Packers
Tyler Lallathin- 20-14 Steelers
Annie Thompson- 31-24 Steelers