Power of 10

Did you know that there have been 10 different NFC champions in the past 10 years? That's right, not a single repeat NFC title game winner from 2001-02 to 2010-2011. In case your memory needs refreshing, here is the list:

01-02: St. Louis (defeated Philadelphia, then lost SB to New England)
02-03: Tampa Bay (defeated Philadelphia, then beat Oakland in SB)
03-04: Carolina (defeated Philadelphia, then lost SB to New England)
04-05: Philadelphia (defeated Atlanta, then lost SB to New England)
05-06: Seattle (defeated Carolina, then lost SB to Pittsburgh)
06-07: Chicago (defeated New Orleans, then lost SB to Indianapolis)
07-08: New York (defeated Green Bay, then beat New England in SB)
08-09: Arizona (defeated Philadelphia, then lost SB to Pittsburgh)
09-10: New Orleans (defeated Minnesota, then beat Indianapolis in SB)
10-11: Green Bay (defeated Chicago, then beat Pittsburgh in SB)

This 10-different-winners accomplishment has never happened before in the NFL, in either conference. To put it in perspective, compare the number of multiple conference champion totals from previous decades:

91-92 through 00-01: Packers twice, Cowboys 3 times
81-82 through 90-91: 49ers 4 times, Redskins 3 times, Giants twice
71-72 through 80-81: Cowboys 4 times (5 if you measure from 70-71 to 79-80), Vikings 3 times

The numbers are even higher on the AFC side.

01-02 through 10-11: Patriots 4 times, Steelers 3 times, Colts twice
91-92 through 00-01: Bills 3 times, Broncos twice
81-82 through 90-91: Broncos 3 times, Bengals twice, Dolphins twice
71-72 through 80-81: Steelers 4 times, Dolphins 3 times, Raiders twice

So 30 of the 40 AFC champions won multiple titles in their respective 10-year periods.

So do you think the trends will continue next season? (Forget about the ongoing labor dispute - I don't want to talk about it - and they're going to play, eventually.) Will a new NFC team represent the conference in the Super Bowl? Will a repeat winner represent the AFC?

Of the NFC teams that have not won in the past 10 years, I would think Atlanta has the best shot to break through this year? What about Dallas? Maybe Minnesota? The only other options are Detroit, Washington, and San Francisco. So something tells me that this year will be a repeat winner instead of another new one. Whoever it is, they will be playing for the Lombardi Trophy next February just a few miles down the road from me at Lucas Oil Stadium. Can't wait.