The Colts' man mountain Dwight Freeney

Today is America's biggest date in the sporting calendar. It has become known as Super Sunday there and millions of dollars are spent to make it the biggest television event of the year. The greatest amount of food is bought and consumed in the country in a single day – yes, more than Thanksgiving – and it has become more of a big show than a game of American Football.


This year's Super Bowl will be contested by New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. It is to be held in the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida tonight. The Colts are seen as favourites as they recorded a marginally better season with their 14-2 to the Saints' 13-3. They have also had a lot more success in recent years with six AFC South Division Championships in the last seven years. Led by coach Tony Dungy until his retirement in January last year, the Colts improved on last season's league finish of 12-4 and had tough opposition in the play-offs against the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets. Assistant Coach Jim Caldwell replaced Dungy and became the fifth rookie to reach the Super Bowl, holding the record for best start with 14 straight wins. The Colts have been led by legendary quarterback Peyton Manning throughout the whole season. Manning received his fourth MVP this year and now holds the most ever for a single player. He also finished this season with 4,500 passing yards and a 99.9 passer rating.


The New Orleans Saints, on the other hand, have had a very rough few years since Hurricane Katrina. In 2005 the storm devastated the Louisiana Superdome and forced the Saints to play elsewhere during that season. They returned to playing in New Orleans the next year and were trying to get their football back on track. On the lead-up to the Super Bowl the Saints finished their regular season with a record of 13-3. This ensured they won the NFC's southern division and got to their first play-offs since 2006. They played last year's runners-up Arizona Cardinals in a one-sided affair which they won 45-14. In the semi-final they played the in-form Minnesota Vikings who were led by veteran quarterback and comeback king Brett Favre. With all his star power he couldn't beat the Saints who, along with their star quarterback Drew Brees, advanced to the first Super Bowl of their 43-year history. In his first game of the 2009 season Brees threw six touchdown passes which tied with the NFL's best ever and was a career high for him.


Such feats have ensured the Super Bowl has been the most watched television broadcast in America nearly every year since its start. It is so big in America it has become a kind of national holiday. It is shown in countries all over the world and can be seen here on TV3, BBC1 or Sky Sports 1. Many companies spend millions of dollars getting an ad on the Super Bowl with a 30-second spot costing up to $2.8 million and most of them make new ads just for the day. With all these companies paying millions for half-time, the people getting the most public attention will be The Who when they perform the half-time show.


The game itself will come down to whichever quarterback turns up on the day. Sporting News' number-one player in the NFL today and Fox Sports' player of the decade, Manning, will face the best defence in the NFL while the top-rated quarterback of the year, Drew Brees, will face man-mountain defensive end Dwight Freeney who has made 13.5 sacks this season. Brees seems like the man in form but Manning has the Super Bowl experience and is record-holder for most quarterback stats so not many people would bet against him. Manning would also love to beat his hometown and that could provide extra incentive to get another winner's ring.


The experts are saying the game will depend on the Saints' defence being able to stop Manning for making too many passes as he will always get points on the board if allowed to throw. While many people feel the game will be quite close, former Colts coach Dungy feels they will win easy and that Manning won't even have to break a sweat. He feels that the Saint showed in their game against Minnesota that their defence was weak and won't be able to handle the Colts' offence. He said with great confidence that "Minnesota is playing in New Orleans, they turn the ball over five times, have two or three stupid penalties and still lose in overtime. I don't see how it's going to be close. The Colts aren't going to turn it over seven times."


Although biased, many believe he has a point. All agree, however, it will be a huge clash of quarterbacks and that the winner will be known as one of the best ever.