With the NFL regular season coming to a close and the post-season quickly approaching, many students are beginning to root for their favorite teams in the playoffs and make Super Bowl predictions.
Many students are rooting for the home team, the San Francisco 49ers, which has made a playoff run for the second year in a row under Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. This time, the NFC West Champions have entered the post-season with a new quarterback Colin Kaepernick and an 11-4-1 record, making them the second seed in the NFC and giving them a first round bye.
“I want [the 49ers] to win because I like to [represent] Bay Area sports and they have been my favorite team since I was a little kid. I even had a small Niners helmet to go on my head,” Ajay Chitkara (10) said, adding that this year’s playoffs may be a struggle for San Francisco. “Jim Harbaugh [is making the mistake of putting] in Colin Kaepernick, who couldn’t produce against even the [Seattle] Seahawks.”
Other students continue to support out of the area teams, favorites that have joined the 49ers in the post-season. However, despite rooting for other teams, students are also excited to see how far their home team can make it into the playoffs.
“I want the Green Bay Packers to win because I’ve been supporting them for two years now and am still on their side, but I think the 49ers have been playing really well, especially with [Aldon] Smith out,” Sahithya Prakash (11) said.
Despite the majority of students rooting for San Francisco, many doubt that the 49ers have the talent to win the Super Bowl this year.
“The Patriots will win,” Michael Chen (12) said. “I think the Niners will play them, but the Patriots will win. Tom Brady is just more experienced than Kaepernick.”
Although plenty of football fans are looking forward to the playoffs, some cannot wait for the excitement to die down.
“Each person has his or her own interests in sports, and I actually think it’s a good thing to be passionate about your interests,” Kimberly Ma (11) said. “But I think it’s annoying when people bug me to watch [football].”
Whether a Packers fan, Patriots fan, or 49ers fan, all football followers will be making predictions, rooting for teams, and eagerly waiting for February 3, when the Super Bowl champion will finally be crowned.