SAN DIEGO, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- America's most-watched sporting event will be played for the 37th time Sunday and the credentials of this year's participants indicate the game has a good chance of living up to its hype.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, franchises that have traveled far different paths during their history but which have been linked over the past year by a drama worthy of a soap opera, will meet in Super Bowl XXXVII to determine the champion of the National Football League.
Kickoff at Qualcomm Stadium is scheduled for 6:18 p.m., in what forecasters say will be spectacular weather -- 72 degrees under partly cloudy skies. Oakland is a three-point favorite, only the second time in 15 years oddsmakers have considered the Super Bowl to be such a close call.
"It is very clear in all of our minds what opportunity we have," said Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden. "And we want that very badly."
For four seasons, Gruden served as head coach of the Raiders, leading them to two division titles and one appearance in the AFC championship game. But when his relationship with owner Al Davis began to sour, he investigated other possibilities. The best of those possibilities turned out to be Tampa Bay, which acquired Gruden from the Raiders in exchange for two first-round and two second-round draft picks along with $8 million.
One year after that transaction, both Gruden's old team and new team have found their way to the Super Bowl.
The Raiders and Buccaneers have met only five times since Tampa Bay joined the NFL in 1976 and it is a little-remembered fact that they played in the same division that year. Tampa Bay was a member of the AFC West for one season before being moved to the NFC Central to make room for the expansion Seattle Seahawks.
In addition to being at opposite ends of the country, Oakland and Tampa Bay have often found themselves at opposite ends of the league spectrum. The Raiders are one of the most glamorous franchises in American sport, having reached the Super Bowl for a fifth time and having won three of their four previous appearances.
It took Tampa Bay 27 games just to record its first victory and it had never won a road playoff contest until last Sunday, when the Buccaneers surprised the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC title.
Not only are the Buccaneers making their Super Bowl debut, the game will provide another substantial first. Never before in the Super Bowl has the NFL's No. 1 offensive team met the league's No. 1 defensive unit.
With league MVP Rich Gannon completing two-thirds of his passes, Oakland averaged 389 yards per game this season. Almost 72 percent of those yards came through the air.
Gannon had 10 games in which he threw for at least 300 yards and against Denver on a Monday night, he completed 21 consecutive passes to break the single-game NFL record. The short passing game has become so effective for the Raiders that, on occasion, they all but abandon the run.
In the first three quarters of their AFC championship game victory over Tennessee last Sunday, the Raiders called only one running play.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, allowed an average of 252.8 yards per game this season. In nine of the Buccaneers' 12 regular-season victories, they surrendered 10 points or less.
And in their playoff wins over San Francisco and Philadelphia, the Tampa Bay defense gave up one touchdown and three field goals.
"They are exciting," Tampa Bay star defensive tackle Warren Sapp said of Oakland's offense. "They move the ball all over the place. But we are pretty good, too."
Oakland's offensive skills rest on far more than just Gannon's shoulders. He has the greatest receiver in NFL history to throw to. Among his many records, Jerry Rice holds the Super Bowl career marks with 28 catches and seven touchdowns in three games -- all victories -- with the San Francisco 49ers.
There is also Tim Brown, Oakland's all-time leading receiver who has finally earned a trip to the Super Bowl after 15 years of trying. Third-year receiver Jerry Porter has also emerged as a major threat and running back Charlie Garner touched the ball exactly half as many times this season (91) on passing plays as he did on running plays.
Gannon, however, makes it all go. He completed completed 418 of 618 passes for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns. He threw only 10 interceptions during the regular season.
A large percentage of those 4,689 yards, however, came after Gannon's receivers caught the ball. And one of the things the Buccaneers' defense does best is arrive at the receiver when the ball does, thus limiting the damage.
"Their ability to make plays, whether it's intercepting balls, batting balls, sacking the quarterback or knocking it out of his hands, is something that isn't seen on a consistent level," Oakland Coach Bill Callahan said.
"Obviously, when the ball does get thrown downfield, the speed factor is the best I've seen in terms of converging on the ball. Their ability to pursue, their ability to converge, is unique.
"And because they have such a well-structured system that allows them to play off the quarterback's eyes, they break to the ball as quick as anybody that I've seen against the pass."
Tampa Bay will counter with quarterback Brad Johnson, generally overlooked when the league's top signal callers are listed but who was outstanding against the usually stingy Philadelphia defense last week in the NFC title game.
The Buccaneers' offense is being shaped by Gruden the same way he developed the offense in Oakland and the receiving skills of Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Joe Jurevicius and Michael Pittman make Tampa Bay an underrated force.
Despite the weapons possessed by both teams, this Super Bowl will likely be decided the way almost all of the previous ones have been -- by turnovers.
Only twice in the 36 Super Bowls played to date has a team turned the ball over more times than the opposition and still won.
Whatever happens, Super Bowl XXXVII will likely be seen by more than 130 million Americans and take its place among the 10 most-watched television programs ever in the United States. Last year's game, New England's thrilling 20-17 victory over St. Louis, ranks No. 5 on the all-time list behind Super Bowls played in 1999, 1994, 1998 and 1993
Oakland will also be trying to extend a recent run by the AFC. After NFC teams won 13 consecutive Super Bowls, the AFC has captured four of the last five.
