What Time Does the Superbowl 2012 Start?

Super Bowl XLVI, pitting the New York Giants against the New England Patriots, kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST Sunday.

The much-anticipated rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl will be broadcast on NBC and live-streamed through NBCSports.com for the first time ever. The Super Bowl typically draws in more than 100 million viewers each year, and this year figures to be no different. NBC's Super Bowl coverage begins at noon and features sit-down interviews with many of the players and coaches involved in the Super Bowl. NBCSports.com's live streaming coverage will begin at 2 p.m. EST.

The Patriots come into the game as a 2.5-point favorite, but the Giants have gotten a lot of the hype and public support in the two weeks leading into the Super Bowl. The game could ultimately come down to a duel between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Giants quarterback Eli Manning -- with Manning having the recent upper hand.

The two teams previously met in the regular season and the Giants won 24-20. The Giants' win doesn't bode well with history, though, as the last three times teams met for a regular-season rematch in the Super Bowl, the loser of the first game won.

It's statistics like that one that are worth knowing if you decide to make any bets on the big game. A host of gambling Web sites are offering prop bets on everything from how long it will take Kelly Clarkson to sing the National Anthem to who the Super Bowl MVP will thank first in his acceptance speech. These Web sites are illegal in the United States, but offer some fun ideas on things to play bet on at your Super Bowl party.

In addition to all of the action on the field, casual viewers have a lot to be excited about as well. Legendary pop singer Madonna will be teaming up with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. for the Super Bowl halftime show. Some have criticized the selection of Madonna, but she'll certainly generate a lot of conversation with her performance - for good or ill.

One can't forget about all of the commercials either. Honda's Ferris Bueller-inspired advertisement looks like the early winner, but there should be more than a handful of funny commercials to delight viewers.

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