After 230 responses, the results are in! Saint Edward students were asked to make their predictions for Super Bowl LVI, and over the course of a week, roughly a quarter of the student body participated. The Questions inquired about who the participants were cheering for, who would win the game, who would win MVP, and numerous questions about specific yardage totals. The reward for the most correct responses is a 20 dollar Cane’s Gift Card courtesy of The Edsman, and with so many responses, many students came close to the final prize. However, senior class president Danny Ollerton came out on top, with his exact guess of Cooper Kupp’s 99 total yards solidifying his victory.

By far, the most supported team at St. Edward was the Cincinnati Bengals, with 181 supporters as compared to Los Angeles’ 49. Despite being a division rival of the Cleveland Browns, their presence in Ohio was enough to pull many Clevelanders to their side. In addition, the charisma of starting quarterback Joe “Shiesty” Burrow won over many fans, especially those of younger generations. This love of Joe Burrow was evidenced by St. Edward’s predictions of who would win Super Bowl MVP. Over 85 students predicted Joe Burrow to win MVP, far eclipsing the number two pick Matthew Stafford, who only garnered twenty picks. Odell Beckham’s brief but tumultuous stint in Cleveland also incited ant-Rams sentiment within students. Some students went so far as to refer to him as a “snake.” Obviously, his stint in Cleveland did not go as planned, and his request for a trade still rubs many Cleveland fans the wrong way. This bias toward the Bengals made its way into the game predictions as well, with the Bengals having been picked to win 50 more times than the Rams. Unfortunately for me and many other students, this prediction did not end up being true, with the Super Bowl ending in a close win for the Rams.

Some students refused to cheer for a division rival. Senior Billy Breninghouse said, “There are three teams who I refuse to cheer for. Those teams are the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals. My hatred of the Bengals is more powerful than my hatred of OBJ” Some fans simply can not cheer for a division rival of the Browns, no matter who the opponent is. Their disdain and jealousy for Cincinnati preclude any chance of support for the Bengals in a big game. To some, ff the Browns can not succeed, then why should the Bengals instead. This is especially true in a season where the Browns were expected to win the division and failed miserably, while the Bengals came out of nowhere to win the AFC. While overall, St. Edward supports the Bengals, allegiances toward the Browns override any state loyalty for some, thus forming quite the divisive atmosphere on Super Bowl Sunday.