THE LATEST LINE: WHO TO ROOT FOR TODAY A TOUGH CHOICE

Unless you're a true fan of either team, choosing who to root for in today's Super Bowl is not an easy choice.

When the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons square off in Miami in Super Bowl XXXIII, there will be plenty of interesting story lines to consider.

As for the Broncos, wouldn't it be great to see brilliant quarterback John Elway -- who will more than likely play his final game today -- end his career on top? He'd be going out in much the same manner as Michael Jordan, which would truly put a proper cap on a Hall of Fame career.

As for the Falcons, well, where do you begin? Atlanta has got to be one of the all-time great turnaround tales in sports history.

It was only two years ago that the Falcons were one of the laughing stocks of the entire NFL, plodding through a miserable season that saw them lose twice to our own woeful St. Louis Rams.

But then Dan Reeves took over as coach -- and the Falcons started to turn things around. They got hot in the second half of the 1997 season and finished a respectable 7-9.

Then this year, it's been lights out in Atlanta. The Falcons, surprising virtually everybody, went 14-2 in the regular season, beat the perennially powerful San Francisco 49ers in their first playoff game and then stunned the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC Championship.

And now the Falcons are in the Super Bowl for the first time ever. It's got to give even the most cynical Rams fans reason for hope.

But the team's turnaround isn't the only great story as far as Atlanta is concerned.

There's Reeves, who had a nasty falling out in Denver after leading the Broncos to several Super Bowls. And then there are his health problems; he underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery a little more than a month ago but is now back patrolling the sidelines.

And there's quarterback Chris Chandler, a career journeyman who never could stay healthy or with one team -- but now is considered one of the game's best after a sensational season.

No doubt about it, picking a team to root for won't be easy. My choice? Fortunately, I just like seeing a good game and really don't care who wins. And I really think this Super Bowl could be a dandy because I truly believe it could go either way.

As for the winner, I'll pick the Broncos in a close one, primarily based on their experience of having won it last year -- but I can also see the Falcons pulling off the upset.

If it sounds like I'm hedging, I certainly am. And I'm sure I have been of little help to anybody wondering what to do about the point spread. The Broncos are favored by seven.

You're on your own in that department.

* This will be a big week for college football programs across the country because Wednesday marks the first day when recruits can officially sign letters of intent.

While most schools have already garnered a host of verbal commitments, nothing becomes official until the young athletes sign on the dotted line.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian