I have a confession to make. I’m not really a fan of the Super Bowl.

It’s partially because as I was growing up many of the games failed to meet expectations. As entertaining as some of the advertisements can be, in my eyes they’ve never made up for sitting through a 56-10 drubbing in what is supposed to be the NFL’s showcase game.

It’s also partially because my team has never managed to win the big one, so yes, I admit to some sour grapes.

But primarily it’s because it means the season is ending and we’ll be subjected to several months before the next meaningful matchup. This year’s big game in Dallas is even more bittersweet, as the out-of-touch honchos of the National Football League and its Players Union have shown little urgency in their efforts to solve the collective bargaining issues — meaning there’s a shot this could be the last game in a long, long time.

So, while I like the marathon of the season and the chase of the playoffs more than the Super Bowl itself, at least this years version should provide an interesting game.

Pittsburgh vs Green Bay (-2.5) at Dallas: Over/Under 45.5

Both of these NFL heavyweights have been around forever. The Steelers have six Vince Lombardi trophies. The Packers have three. The Packers have Aaron Rodgers, who can complete finish the masterful job he has done replacing legendary Brett Favre with a win Sunday. The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger, who can take another step in rehabilitating his image by winning a third Super Bowl ring.

The Packers have Clay Matthews. The Steelers have Troy Polamalu. These two guys lead two of the league’s top defenses and they also faced off in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award competition — Polamalu won the AP version, Matthews received the honor from the Sporting News.

These two teams also enter the game playing fantastic football, Pittsburgh as the AFC’s number two seed and Green Bay as the NFC’s number six seed.

Nearly two weeks ago, when I first saw the pointspread favoring Green Bay by a field goal, I was surprised. My initial thought was that the AFC overall is better than the NFC and that there was little chance the Steelers would lose. As the days have worn on, I’ve rethought that a bit. I still think the AFC is the stronger conference, but I think the momentum both teams come into the game with make this probably the best matchup casual fans could have hoped for.

The 37-36 game these two teams played in December 2009 lends a glimpse into what kind of a game this will be. While I don’t expect the score to get that high, both teams possess an impressive collection of big play receivers. Neither team has an explosive run game but Rashard Mendenhall and the James Starks/John Kuhn/Brandon Jackson combo provide both teams with enough weapons to mix in.

Two big factors in Green Bay’s favor: rookie center Maurkice Pouncey is injured and won’t play for Pittsburgh. And Aaron Rodgers, while playing his home games outdoors, is absolutely dominant on turf. Not that Doug Legursky isn’t a perfectly capable backup to Pouncey or that Roethlisberger isn’t as capable of hitting Mike Wallace as Rodgers is of hitting Greg Jennings, but I do expect to see the latter happen at least once or twice for big plays.

Truthfully this is an absolutely fantastic matchup and I have no idea who is going to win. I hope it lives up to its billing. I’m not putting any money on this game, but if I was in Vegas I’d take the over and the Packers, something like 27-20.

Now, come on DeMaurice Smith and Roger Goodell – do your jobs and get the labor deal done so I don’t have to listen to Packers fans talk about their Super Bowl title for two years before I get to watch another game.