Super Bowl Viewing Guide

Football! Football! Football! If that's what your typical Super Bowl Sunday looks like, you will want to make sure you have all the essential Super Bowl information!

Super Bowl XLVI will be a rematch between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots who last met at the 2008 Super Bowl. With the Giants winning that game, this year's Super Bowl is a must-win for both teams. Will the Patriots get a chance to redeem themselves and win the Super Bowl this time around? Or will the Giants prove once again they can beat Tom Brady and the Patriots? It's sure to be a game to remember.

If you are planning a Super Bowl party and need some facts to get the party planning process rolling, here's a cheat sheet of info in case you need to know the basics. This Super Bowl viewing guide is perfect for anyone who doesn't follow football closely but will be organizing a fun watch party.

The Teams: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots

New York Giants

The beloved team of the greater New York City area, Eli Manning and the Giants are now going to their 5th ever franchise Super Bowl appearance to bring back the Lombardi trophy to NYC.

New England Patriots

The Patriots, also known as the Pats, are regarded as one of the NFL's most successful franchises. Featuring an all-star line up of players including quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Wess Welker.

The Location: Lucas Oil Stadium

The 46th annual Super Bowl will take place on February 5, 2012 at the Lucas Oil Stadium home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. This is the first time Indianapolis has hosted the football extravaganza. 

The Indy Star reports, in preparation for their hosting duties, the stadium has undergone a $720 million reconstruction, which includes an additional 7,000 seats, a retractable roof and a unique large window at one end of the field.

The Schedule

Pregame Show: This year, Indiana's taking the Super Bowl home in more ways than one. Besides hosting the event, Indiana University's own Marching Hundred will be leading the pre-game show this year. Check out this vintage video of the Marching Hundred from 1955!

National Anthem: First ever American Idol winner and Alumni Kelly Clarkson will sing the national Anthem at this year's Super Bowl. But first, country singer couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will be performing "America, the Beautiful."

Kick Off: Super Bowl XLVI kicks off at around 6:25 PM ET on NBC. Don't be late!

Super Bowl 2012 Air Time

Super Bowl XLVI's Kick-Off show airs at 6 PM ET on NBC, followed by the official Coin Toss at 6:25 PM and the Kick Off at 6:28 PM. In case you're not watching the game on the East Coast here's a list of the starting times across the country.

Central Standard Time (CT): airs at 5 PM
Mountain Standard Time (MT): airs at 4 PM
Pacific Standard Time (PT) airs at 3 PM
Alaskan Standard Time (AKT) airs at 2 PM
Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HT) airs at 1 PM

Super Bowl XLVI Half-time Show

This year, viewers are in for a real treat! Madonna will take the stage this year with Cirque du Soleil to perform at the half-time show! Although this is the pop icon's first time performing at the half-time show, she was scheduled to perform in 2000, but had to cancel cute to conflicts in her recording schedule. We can't wait to see if we will hear some vintage Madonna hits or some awesome new material! Hopefully, a little bit of both.

Super Bowl Fun Facts and Trivia

Last year was host to the longest and most expensive Super Bowl commercial yet. Chrysler's Eminem + Detroit commercial cost Chrysler a rumored 10 Million Dollars. I wonder if any commercial will be able to top that this year!

Can't wait for the big game? Head on over to the NFL's website to play a two minute trivia game! This game is fun, but a little difficult. Hopefully you fare better that we did! Or, check out our Super Bowl Trivia article for even more trivia fun!