Championship Sunday- Your Guide to the Conference Title Games

Later on today, the top four teams in the NFL this season will meet for the right to play in Super Bowl 50. The top two seeds in the NFC, Carolina and Arizona, will meet in Charlotte in the biggest games of Carson Palmer and Cam Newton's lives. In the AFC, we get one more Brady vs. Manning Bowl in Denver, when New England seeks to repeat as AFC Champs against the 2014 champs, Denver.

What are the stories you should watch for? Here's my take:

1. Tom Brady is the best- so can he prove it again?- Let's stop the comparisons, even to Manning, because Touchdown Tommy is the man for his generation. He's won four Super Bowls, six AFC titles, and been in ten of these AFC title games. Today he adds to that legacy. Can he beat Manning in one more big game?
2. Can Larry Fitzgerald get back to the Super Bowl?- When Larry Fitzgerald goes into Canton, I'm hoping he does so as a Super Bowl champion. This is probably his best chance to do it before his career is done. Can he repeat his divisional round magic?
3. How will conditions be in Charlotte?- Charlotte missed the worst of superstorm Jonas. It still got some wintery weather, and it's not used to that. What will conditions be like?
4. Will Manning get it done?- Peyton Manning has stupid good stats in his career, except for the stat of championships. Despite quarterbacking many great teams, he has one Super Bowl title and three AFC titles. This could be it for him, and at home against New England, no less. 
5. Can Cam become elite?- Cam Newton is the MVP this season. The question is whether or not he can prove it. He won a title at Auburn, but the Super Bowl is another beast. He can take a leap forward with a win today.
6. Which great NFC Defense gets it done?- Whether you want to talk about Arizona or Carolina, these teams play "man" football. These defenses bring it each week. Who brings it today?
7. How awesome is Denver's defense?- Denver had the best defense in football this season. Today, they face Tom Brady for a title. If they win, we'll remember them for being that good. If not? They were okay.
8. Can anyone guard Gronk?- Denver's defense is that good, but Gronk isn't a human-being. Can they even slow him down?
9. Carson Palmer goes for vindication- Carson Palmer developed a reputation for not being able to win the big ones. Then he won a big one last week. If he wins today, he silences a lot of critics of his NFL career.
10. Bill Belichick- best ever?- No other coach that is coaching today has a resume like Belichick. If he wins today, it's just another win for him, sort of. With a win today, he'll be coaching in his tenth Super Bowl in two weeks, or one-fifth of them all. That's kind of ridiculous.

My picks today? Neither Carolina or Arizona convinced me last week. I thought Carolina was the best team in the league through twelve games, and I've felt the same about Arizona since. The game's in Carolina though, which makes it interesting. I'm taking Carolina 24-20, a bit of reversal for myself, but home field is big here.

I'm a huge Brady fan, but not a Manning fan at all. Setting that aside, it doesn't seem like Denver should have won the head-to-head game, or won home field, but somehow they did. That somehow was their defense. So, do I do the unthinkable and bet against Brady and Belichick, or bet against the best defense in the game, at home? I've got Denver 20-17.

I'm actually fine with either NFC team, from a point of personal preference. In the AFC, I'm pulling for New England to crush them.