On Feb. 5, in Houston the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots will face off in the 51st Super Bowl.

“I’m very excited for the Super Bowl. In my opinion, these are the two best teams in football and to me it is the clear best matchup,” said  Junior Lucas Gottshall. “I will be rooting for the Falcons like most of the country outside of the New England area.”

At the beginning of the season, very few predicted a Falcons vs Patriots Super Bowl.

While the Patriots are used to playing in the big game, they were not considered the team to beat coming into the season.

Many thought that with star quarterback Tom Brady suspended for the first four games, this wouldn’t be the Patriots’ year.

However, future hall of fame coach Bill Belicheck and a defense led by a lot of unknown players kept the team afloat until Brady came back and they ended up with a 14-2 record and the best record in the AFC.

Not one NFL expert predicted the Falcons to be in the Super Bowl, and very few expected them to win their division.

Led by possible MVP Matt Ryan, NFL sack leader Vic Beasley, standout receiver Julio Jones, and a dangerous running back combo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, they finished with a 11-5 record and the second best record in the NFC in head coach Dan Quinn’s second year in Atlanta.

Junior Izzy James said “Even though I just moved to the United States a couple of years ago, I have taken a liking to American football. I’ll probably be rooting for the Falcons because I want to see someone else win. It was a tough choice though, since Tom Brady is a real cutie.”

This belief is shared by many students. Junior Ted Conklin said, “I am rooting for the Falcons. I’m sick of seeing the Patriots win. Not only do they always make it far in the playoffs, but they have cheated in the past too, and that gets on my nerves.”

When asked what he will be doing for the Super Bowl, Conklin said, “I will be ordering Chick-Fil-A and watching the game with friends.”

Gottshall agreed with Conklin. “I’ll just be hanging with friends and taking in the game. The Super Bowl for me is one of the best days of the year. The only day that rivals Super Bowl Sunday would be Christmas morning.”

After the championship games concluded, the initial line was Patriots favored by 3 points.

The NFL hopes the Super Bowl will turn around their previous decline in ratings.