The Green Bay Packers, winners of the first Super Bowl, got out to an early lead in Super Bowl XLV, and, although the Pittsburgh Steelers closed the gap, the Packers never relinquished their lead and won the game 31-25. Aaron Rodgers stepped up in a big way, earning MVP honors, while Green Bay’s defensive leader, Clay Matthews, showed his stuff on the big stage as well. For Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall, and Troy Polamalu, it was a day of huge disappointment, as the Steelers completely blew a final drive that could have won them the game.

When Super Bowl XLV kicks off this Sunday, February 6 from Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, the NFC champion Green Bay Packers meet the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers to see who can add to their franchise’s collection of NFL championships. A lot of people tune in for the ads, some watching the only football game they’ll see all year. But whether you’re a diehard or a newbie, everyone likes to make predictions. So let’s break the big game down a little.

As an unexpected snow storm swept through North Texas, Madden Bowl XVII kicked off a wet and wild Super Bowl XLV week in style with an exciting four-team tournament that featured upsets, last-minute victories, and the first female champion in Madden Bowl history. Held at the Glass Cactus outside of Dallas, Texas and broadcasted live on ESPN3, the trio of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, and Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos partnered up to capture the Madden Bowl championship in the first-ever tournament to be played using Online Team Play. And all this before the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers take to the field at Cowboys Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.

This year’s class of finalists for induction into the NFL’s Pro Football Hall of Fame include 14 modern day players, of which, four or five will be inducted into the Hall. Five players are eligible for the first time this year – Jerome Bettis, Marshall Faulk, Curtis Martin, Deion Sanders, and Willie Roaf. So who will get the big honor in Dallas on the day before Super Bowl Sunday on February 6?

The contestants in Super Bowl XLV are set, as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers became conference champions this weekend. The New York Jets and Chicago Bears were eliminated, so neither will appear in 2011’s NFL championship game. It was an exciting weekend of football with Aaron Rodgers, Rashard Mendenhall, Brian Urlacher, and Ben Roethlisberger all hitting the field to do battle in the AFC and NFC conference finals.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers will all battle for a trip to Super Bowl XLV this weekend. Will the Bears’ and Jets’ defenses win the day, or will elite offenses from Pittsburgh and Green Bay punch their ticket? Here’s the Rosebud look at Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Brian Urlacher, Darrelle Revis, and how their football clubs will fare this NFL weekend.

For years, there were two top individual awards in soccer – the Ballon D’Or, which went to the best player competing in Europe, and the FIFA World Player of the Year Award. But recently, the two awards were merged to recognize the best footballer in the world. The 2010 award was given to FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, making him the first winner of the new award. But just as importantly, the honor goes a long way towards cementing the Argentinean’s legacy as one of the best players of his generation.

Four teams with a deep history of football success have become the final four teams still standing in the fight for Super Bowl XLV. The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New York Jets are all franchises with Super Bowl championships to their names. The question is who will add to their legacy by becoming NFL champs in 2011?

It started slowly, but the finish of this year’s BCS National Championship game was one for the ages. The Auburn Tigers defeated the Oregon Ducks 22-19 with a last second field goal by Wes Byrum to capture college football’s greatest honor. With the win, Cam Newton becomes part of a small group of players to win the Heisman Trophy and the big game in the same season.

This weekend kicks off the 2011 NFL playoffs and the road to the Super Bowl. The wildcard match ups offer some intrigue. Do the Seattle Seahawks have a hope against the New Orleans Saints? How will Aaron Rodgers stack up against Michael Vick when the Green Bay Packers meet the Philadelphia Eagles? Have the Baltimore Ravens got what it takes to make a deep run, or will the Kansas City Chiefs stop them in their tracks? And when the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts meet in a rematch of last year’s AFC championship, who will have the upper hand?

2010 was an incredible year in sports, especially if you are a basketball, hockey, or MMA fan. But other sports had plenty of drama as well, both good and bad. Phil Mickelson, Serena Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Sidney Crosby, Manny Pacquiao, Georges St. Pierre, LeBron James and Roy Halladay were all in the headlines for the right reasons. Meanwhile some characters, like Tiger Woods and Reggie Bush were in the headlines for the wrong reasons. All in all, it made for an exciting year in the NFL, PGA, NBA, NCAA, UFC and just about any other league you can name. So without further delay, here’s my list of the best moments of the sports of 2010:

When FIFA awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively, the sports world was set on its ear. FIFA claims that the choices are part of the organization’s desire to move the game forward into the world, expanding beyond the traditional borders of soccer power – South America, Western Europe, and occasionally the USA. But for heavy hitting bidders like England and the U.S., the decisions don’t sit well.

Convicted felon Michael Vick has not only found his way back to the NFL, but has resumed his position as one of the league’s top quarterbacks. But just a few years ago, Vick was one of the most detested celebrities in North America due to his role in a dog fighting ring. Now, all anyone seems to talk about is his amazing play on the field. Have we forgotten the quality of the man’s character? Or do we just not care?

It wasn’t so long ago that the Atlanta Falcons were an afterthought in the NFC South. Michael Vick gave them some hope, but the Falcons were never able to achieve anything close to NFL supremacy in the Vick era. Now, they’re popping back up on the radar. Atlanta is first in the NFC South after seven weeks, with a record of 5-2. In a year of disappointing favorites, the Falcons could be poised for a lengthy play-off run. And the star of the show in the state of Georgia is wide receiver Roddy White.

After an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, the Falcons went on a four-game winning streak before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6. But Week 7’s big win over the Cincinnati Bengals showcased the power of White and signaled that the Falcons really might be the team to beat in the NFC.

The Ohio State Buckeyes picture themselves in the hunt for a BCS national championship, but the Big Ten squad will have to be perfect in 2010 to get a crack at the NCAA’s biggest prize. With one of college football’s most prolific passing games and a quarterback in Terrelle Pryor who brings a multitude of weapons to the field, OSU may just have what it takes. But hungry Boise State and Oregon teams out west are champing at the bit for a spot, where they will most likely battle the Alabama Crimson Tide at season’s end.