Super Bowl XV Preview

Super Bowl XV Preview

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. -George Santayana

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. -Buddha

No, COVID has not required us to re-run Super Bowl XIV. There is nothing wrong with your television set. We're just partying like it's 1994. Only once in the history of the NFL Super Bowl have the same two teams met in consecutive seasons when the Cowboys bested the Bills for the second straight season in Super Bowl XXVIII.

And so it goes in the Santa Barbara Raider Fans Fantasy Football League...

Last year, Mr. Omweg's newO SWAMP met Commissioner Rozelle's Los Angeles River of Los Olivos in Super Bowl XIV. The River overwhelmed the SWAMP to the tune of 113-67 on the legs of Christian McCaffrey and Todd Gurley II and through the hands of DaVante Parker and Jared Cook.

This year, the River kept McCaffrey and drafted Travis Kelce and Kyler Murray and ran away with the league's best record at 11-2 behind a league-high 1133 points, cruising to their second straight Silver Division title. The SWAMP, on the other hand, squeaked into the Winners Bracket with a 6-7 record and shoved their way to the Super Bowl behind a team patched together through the waiver wire, acquiring the likes of Cole Beasley and Jalen Hurts to supplement draft picks Miles Sanders and Darren Waller.

And all of those 1133 points that Los Angeles scored and the 11 wins they racked up in the regular season? They don't mean squat this weekend. Champions of American sports leagues don't have to be dominant all season, they just need to get hot down the stretch and carry that momentum through the playoffs. Much like the St. Louis Cardinals of 2006 or the Oakland Raiders of 1980, newO is trying to win a championship after a Wild Card season.

The SWAMP's first appearance in the final was Super Bowl III when they were the Whinos and lost to the Santa Barbara Fokkers. Their next appearance wasn't until last season. The River are in their fourth Super Bowl, having won last year and in Super Bowl I, and losing in Super Bowl XI.

Last week, newO took down Black Division winners, Nacho's Cheese. In the other semi-final, the co-commissioners battled with the River defeating the Milk.

And this week? The "Experts" list the River as a four-point favorite. They predict big days for Murray, Kelce, and Stefon Diggs. However, the SWAMP counter with Hurts, Sanders, and David Montgomery. The X-Factor could very well be Austin Ekeler, the SWAMP's second-round draft pick, who was waived on Halloween after being injured, only to be acquired by the River three weeks later. If the Chargers' running back can find pay dirt twice against the Broncos this weekend, look for the River to win their third crown. On the other hand, if Waller has a big day against the Fins, newO SWAMP will have a path to their first ever SBRFFFL title.

My pick? My head says the SWAMP but my heart is with the River. I just can't pick against my own team. The Los Angeles River of Los Olivos win back-to-back Super Bowls, 105 - 102.

-Josh Rozelle