The Harbaul Prediction

John and Jim Harbaugh are the first siblings to
ever face off against each other in a Super Bowl.

In case you haven't heard, the two Harbuagh brothers, John and Jim (good luck keeping them straight) are coaching against one another in Super Bowl XLVII.  Then again, if you didn't know that, you aren't the type of person that would be reading a blog like this one, now would you?

For 20 weeks of football, the OXen have picked against one another.  However, with just one game and a mutual agreement on the winner (which is good for Austen, as he won't fall farther behind in a playoff in which he's 2-8 in Pick 'Em), it's unfair to force one guy to go with the other team.

Here are a few factors that we will try to predict to see who might have more insight on this game:

-Winning Team
-Score and Spread
-Game MVP


Stally: Wow!  My former employer has transformed in the two years since I worked for them.  They went from a hapless team that hadn't made the playoffs in almost a decade to a Super Bowl favorite.  Everything that the York family preached about "winning with class" has come to fruition.  It might have been rocky going for far longer than the 49ers Faithful would have liked, but with a young quarterback like Colin Kaepernick, an energetic coach like Jim (not to be confused with John) Harbaugh and a new stadium being erected, all is well for one of the NFL's most historically successful championships.

Game Prediction

The 49ers are a perfect 5-0 historically in Super Bowls.  That doesn't mean diddly in this one, as I don't think there's an active player in the NFL that was around for Super Bowl XXIX.  (Upon review, Lions kicker Jason Hanson, age 42, did play that season ... he was a rookie.)  However, I still think that the 49ers win this game.

They are a complete team that can stop the run and the pass, while they are very hard to stop offensively.  Frank Gore is one of the best workhorse running backs in the NFL, and Michael Crabtree, as much as it pains me to watch, has emerged as the player the 49ers thought he could become when they used a first-round pick on him.  Vernon Davis is a beast.  And, just in case the Ravens thought they could bottle all of that star power, oh, by the way, the quarterback's ready, willing, and able to take off and scramble for the first down.

All this said, I still think the Ravens are a very good team with the capability of sticking with San Francisco.  Baltimore has been discounted throughout the playoffs (in fact, Austen hasn't picked them to win once), and they've proven each game that they have what it takes to win.  They plain and simple were the better team in New England two weeks ago.  I was shocked at how badly they beat a Patriots team that we all thought was the better team.

As of Sunday morning, the 49ers were giving 3.5-points to the Ravens according the Las Vegas spreads.  I don't think they cover that.  I say 49ers win by three, 23-20, in a game that features great defense early before it opens up.

Frank Gore never gets the credit he deserves, but Stally
believes he will get his due by the end Super Bowl Sunday.

The Super Bowl MVP will go to Frank Gore.  I think that Kaepernick plays well, but I think that the 49ers go ground-and-pound to wear out an aging Ravens defense.  The young QB honestly hasn't played a great defense in the past few months, aside from Seattle, against whom he struggled and posted a 72.0 QB-rating.  Give the ball to the veteran and let him do his thing.  Gore finishes with 108 yards rushing and a touchdown, while catching for 21 more yards.


Austen: The moment has come, the Harbaugh Bowl. I dreaded it all season long. I, obviously, never thought that the Ravens would make it this far after seeming so mediocre all season long. Stally can give me all the crap he wants about picking against the Ravens in ever round so far, but he has only taken them once, so he had a pretty similar feeling about this team as well.

For most of the season, the 49ers were my favorites to make it to the Super Bowl. However, as much as I love Colin Kaepernick, I did not know how he would react to the pressure of a playoff situation. Couple that with an injured Justin Smith, who to me is still the 49ers best player, and you have my thought process on picking against the 49ers in both of their games as well.

I clearly misjudged the Ravens and I bailed out on the 49ers at the wrong time. Let's see if I can predict this game any better.


Game Prediction

As Stally said, we agree on the outcome of this one. The Ravens have been outstanding over the last three game period, but I still think they were very lucky to make it past the Broncos (Rahim Moore's offseason will be longer than anyone after his blown coverage cost his team the game).

When it comes down to the outcome of this game, I think it will be the team that has more success in the red zone that will win this one. The Ravens have become an explosive offense, but the 49ers defense is one of the best teams in the league at stopping the big play. Joe Flacco will have to hit his checkdowns and be patient in order to get much of anything against this defense.

The 49ers' speed on offense will be a tough matchup for an older Ravens' defense. They can hurt you in so many different ways out of their different formations. Just like Flacco, the Ravens' defense will have to be less agressive than usual and patiently stick to their assignments. One blown assignment can quickly lead to a 49ers' touchdown. In a game that should come down to the wire, that could, and probably will be, the difference in this game.

I think the Ravens will be forced to settle for too many field goals and let up a touchdown late to see this one slip away. I predict a 27-19 score by the end of this one.

Austen believes that Colin Kaepernick will do his best
impersonation of a super hero and take home the MVP.

The Super Bowl MVP will go to Colin Kaepernick. Frank Gore will have a solid game, but as with most of his career, his play will be taken for granted and the award will go to Superman. Kaepernick will have flashier plays than Gore and the fact that the award seemingly by default goes to the quarterback doesn't hurt either (Peyton Manning won the award in Super Bowl XLI despite the fact they won that game on the strength of their running backs). Gore's physical play will give Kaepernick the ability to exploit a tired Ravens' defense, but that's not what win's you the MVP Award.