Pig Skin Pick’ Ems: Super Bowl LVI

Arguably the best (and your favorite) section of the Exponent is back. The sports staff will offer our professional predictions based on our vast expertise in American football. This year's Super Bowl features the AFC Champions from Cincinnati and the NFC Champions from L.A. The two teams will take the gridiron aiming to claim the Vince Lombardi trophy for their city, fanbase and team. Now, let's get into it. Here are the predictions we will be taking to the bank (or Vegas), and you should too.

Share your prediction with us in the comments or email it to ExponentSports@montana.edu for a chance to have your prediction featured on the sports section’s Twitter page (@MSUExpo_Sports). And of course, don’t be afraid to roast us (now you can @ us).

Cincinnati Bengals (9-1) v.s. Los Angeles Rams (8-2) (-4.5)

Sunday, Feb. 13 @ 4:30 p.m. on NBC

SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Thomas 

Full disclosure, I don’t think I can bring myself to watch this game. Now that Tom Brady has decided he doesn’t want to win every Super Bowl until the sun eventually explodes, the whole event seems a bit deflated (see what I did there?). DaBaby said it best earlier this week on Instagram, declaring for all to read that he is “no longer watching the game of football out of respect for Brady.” That being said, the Rams have the unique opportunity to be the last team to beat a Tom Brady led squad on their way to a title, so losing to a recent college grad and his ragtag bunch of underdog cats would be nothing short of disrespectful. Seeing that I have to make an actual prediction, I can’t imagine the Bengals’ offensive line will be up to the task of stopping the LA pass rush. Aaron Donald and co. won’t let the Cincinnati offense get rolling until far too late, allowing Stafford, Kupp and OBJ to run up the score. I speculate that the Rams will take a ‘W’ on home turf, but the only thing I know for sure is that I’ll be watching Brady’s ESPN original series, “Man in the Arena,” while I reminisce on the good ole days. Score: Who cares?

Meredith 

After years of repeated disappointment, I am disappointed once again that the Packers cannot get their head in the game and make it to the Super Bowl. I grew up in a household where the only teams that mattered were the Packers and the Browns. So let me make this extremely clear… there is only one team that belongs in Ohio and it is not the Bengals. In fact, if I ever cheered for the Bengals I would be disowned. How do I know this? I called my dad after the Bengals won and he told me it feels like he woke up in a world that was a real-life nightmare. That being said, I do like Joe Burrow. Sorry, dad.  As a Packers fan, it was never acceptable to cheer for Matt Stafford, however, I always thought he was a great player. Now that Stafford is in the Super Bowl and not on a team I despise, I find it appropriate to cheer for him. Let me remind you, Stafford played with a broken back once. Plus, the Rams have an offense that has found many ways to move down the field with ease. The Bengals played well, but I believe if the Chiefs hadn’t struggled the Bengals wouldn’t have had a chance. I do not believe that the Bengals will be able to slow down Stafford and the Rams until it’s too late. The Rams will take the win for the second time ever, Stafford will get his first Super Bowl ring, and Joe Burrow will go back to Ohio wishing he was a Brown instead. Rams Win 28-21

Jaxson

Let me start by saying that I am a Seahawks fan through and through. Although Seattle didn’t have the best season this year, I will proudly be wearing my Russell Wilson jersey on Super Bowl Sunday (and counting down the days to the start of the 2022 season). With that said, I cannot consciously cheer, root for or predict the Rams to win this year’s Super Bowl. Not only will I not sleep at night, but I also don’t think I will be welcome at my parent’s house next Christmas. With that disclaimer out of the way, I do full-heartedly believe that the Bengals will take the Lombardi trophy back with them to Cincinnati. In his sophomore season, Joey B has proven he can handle the pressure of any situation thrown his way. The guy has literal ice in his veins and doesn’t seem to feel any pressure. With Burrow under center, the Bengals have gone on the road and downed the two top seeds in the AFC, the (1) Tennessee Titans and (2) Kansas City Chiefs.

Burrow has a sort of Midwestern grit that many Ohioans can relate to. The biggest weakness of the Bengals’ offense is their offensive line. Allowing an NFL record nine sacks in the game against the Titans should be cause for concern as they line up against a stout Rams’ defensive front. Going into L.A., the Rams will be hosting the Super Bowl, but that shouldn’t be an issue for various reasons. SoFi Stadium, in all likelihood, may look more like the Jungle with how disinterested in the team the City of Los Angeles seems to be in the Rams. Plus, the connection between Burrow and standout rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is too strong to be broken under the bright lights of prime time. Chase and Burrow also know a thing about winning championships together. I’ll take the Bengals in this one and be one of their most passionate fans for the next 96 hours. Bengals pull off the upset, beat the spread and leave Hollywood the stars of the NFL, 28-14.

Liam 

Frankly, I hate the Rams and their ugly helmets. Their jerseys are terrible, and their logo looks like it should be on the outside of a second-rate 24-hour gym. I guess this is because it's already the logo of a second-rate football team. The only good thing they did all season was beating Brady, which would make a Rams loss even sweeter because it would bring him more shame. I wish this paper was published in LA so I could liberate the few Rams fans there are from their terrible taste in teams. On the other hand, I do have taste, so I will be rooting for Cincinnati like a gentleman. Full disclosure Cincinnati is not my first choice, but I will have to settle. During the game, the only time my full attention will be taken off the cheese dip will be to loudly shout obscenities at the Rams, who will be running around aimlessly in their cheese-dip-colored jerseys. My professional prediction is the Rams will lose in disgrace, 28-0.