Super Bowl XLIII Preview

The Pittsburgh Steelers remain around a seven-point favorite to defeat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII Sunday, but there are plenty of factors one might want to take into account before placing that bet.

Form
Pittsburgh was among the best teams all year, cruising to an NFL equal-second best 12-4 regular season record and the AFC North title and backing that up with easy wins over San Diego and Baltimore in the playoffs.

Arizona, on the other hand, scraped into a wildcard spot with a 9-7 record, but defied the bookmakers three times in wins over Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia. The Cards must defy the odds one more time to lift that trophy.

Betting history
One thing punters like to look to is betting history. Last year's huge Super Bowl upset, in which the 12-point underdog New York Giants stunned the unbeaten New England Patriots 17-14, would give hope to those out there who fancy the underdog. However, history shows that in only 11 of the 42 Super Bowls has the underdog won, at an average of once approximately every four years.

Big game history
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going for a record sixth Super Bowl win (they are currently tied for top place with Dallas and San Francisco) from a total of seven Super Bowls. They began all their previous six as steady favorites, including their loss to Dallas in 1996, the only time they have lost in the big game so far.

The Cardinals have never been to the big dance, with their last NFL championship coming in pre-Super Bowl days in 1947, when the club was still based in Chicago.

Weather
Possibly the only thing going for Arizona is the weather. The warm climate of Tampa, Florida should suit the West coasters more than their Pennsylvanian opponents.