2-0 Championship round, 6-4 Playoffs.
I am picking New England for the following reasons:
1) The winning streak. New England is mentally tougher than any other team I’ve seen.
2) The QBs. Advantage Brady.
3) Carolina’s game plan is solid, but has little margin for error.
4) Experience. The Patriots were champions two years ago. The Panthers were 1-15.
5) The wild card. Wild-card teams that make it to the Super Bowl seldom win.
And finally, the link between the Super Bowl and the performance of the stock market is unlikely to be a complete coincidence. Since I agree with the Elliott Wave theorists who argue that the stock market is primarily a measure of social mood, it is entirely possible for a superstition developed over 40 years to impact the mood of the relatively small number of individuals – all of whom are watching the Super Bowl – to affect the stock market. I wished I’d paid attention to the potential significance of Tampa’s win last year; because I do not see the markets rising to new heights, I expect to see an AFC win, ergo the Patriots.
Sure, it may sound absurd, but the fact that you can’t see the possibility links does not mean they’re not there.