For years, the Super Bowl had a well-earned reputation for being all hype and little or no substance. Each year, the media would descend on the lucky city chosen to host the event, send a week’s worth of breathless hyperbole back to the home folks…then sit and watch one team completely dominate the other on a telecast better remembered for its commercials.

More recently, however, the game has lived up to its billing. Last year’s New York Giants-New England matchup didn’t look like much on paper, but a real game broke out before the Giants came away with a shocking upset of the previously unbeaten Patriots. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ come-from behind win over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII belongs in the discussion as well.

Which was the Super Bowl ever? Here’s our list. Let the arguments begin.

III –New York Jets 16, Baltimore 7: The game itself wasn’t all that great, but this was the Super Bowl that legitimized the Super Bowl. After two beatings at the hands of the Lombardi Packers, the American Football League was looking like it really didn’t belong with the big boys. Joe Namath and the Jets changed all that with an upset made all the more satisfying in the wake of Namath’s famous guarantee that New York would prevail.

XLII — New York Giants 17, New England 14: Given little or no chance against the unbeaten Pats, the Giants shook off losing a fourth quarter lead and promptly drove to the winning score. Eli Manning’s escape from pressure and David Tyree’s circus catch will be toasted in the Big Apple for years to come. A great finish to a very good game.

XLIII — Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23: Santonio Holmes caught a six-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining to give the Steelers a record-setting sixth Super Bowl win. Arizona, which trailed 20-7 at one point, had gone ahead 23-20 with just 2:37 to play before Pittsburgh rallied in the final minute.

MORE SPORTS LISTS FROM GET LISTY

Saints QB Drew Brees said before Super Bowl XLIV that he felt destiny was on his teams side and he was right. Outside of the Colts fans out there, one would be hard pressed not to find fans not happy for the Saints and the city of New Orleans. Brees was the perfect man to lead this team out of 40 plus years of misery and he was an even better man to help a community recover and move forward after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. To think only two teams were interested in Brees once the Chargers parted ways is astounding. I learned all I needed to about Brees back in September when the Saints were playing the Bills in Orchard Park.  Click here for the Super Bowl XLIV wrap up.