The best Super Bowls ever

Sunday's Super Bowl is shaping up to be one heck of a game on paper. The storylines are pretty incredible. There's the New England Patriots' amazing 18-0 record, the talent level for both teams is fantastic and the talk between Tom Brady and Plaxico Burress only adds to the excitement.

But will Sunday's game go down in history as one of the best Super Bowls in history? Only time will tell, but first, you have to rank the best of the past. Here are my criteria: Scoring, storylines, excitement, historic value, game play and interest.

5. Super Bowl XXXVIII: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
This one makes the list for more than the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at halftime. The Panthers went 1-15 just one season prior to reaching the ultimate game while Brady led the Pats to wins in their final 12 games of the season during his first full year as a starter. Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri nailed the game-winning field goal with four seconds left to give New England the win, but there was a whole lot more scoring than that. The two teams combined for 37 points in the fourth quarter, providing a huge amount of excitement that culminated with Vinatieri's field goal. As far as game play, it's tough to beat this one.

4. Super Bowl XXXII: Broncos 31, Packers 24
The images from this game are timeless. The pictures of John Elway twirling in the air as he attempted a gutsy rush for a first down late in the game are unmistakable. Everyone also remembers this one as the day Terrell Davis sucked it up through a near-blinding migraine headache to become the game's MVP. And, come on, does it really get any better than Elway vs. Brett Favre? This game lived up to all expectations and provided quite the feel-good moment when Elway, who had lost three previous Super Bowls, pumped the Vince Lombardi trophy high in the air with a toothy smile.

3. Super Bowl III: Jets 16, Colts 7
For some reason, every athlete facing ridiculous odds thinks they can make a guarantee to win nowadays. Those athletes, however, are not Joe Namath. Namath, the quarterback for the 18-point underdogs, guaranteed victory against Johnny Unitas' Baltimore Colts and ending up being exactly right, although he failed to throw a touchdown pass in the game. For sheer upset value, this game was the best.

2. Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23, Titans 16
Historically, this game proved to be a big one as it pretty much guaranteed that Atlanta would never host a Super Bowl ever again. Apparently Super Bowl organizers and advertisers don't like it when it snows and sleets amid freezing temperatures the day of the game. Oh, well. At least the action inside was hot. The game was infamous for Mike Jones' tackle of Tennessee receiver Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line on the final play, keeping the Titans from putting up the game-tying score. Coming in, the Titans were considered a Cinderella team after beating the Buffalo Bills with the "Music City Miracle," aka Forward Pass, while the Rams were like today's Patriots. Just the fact that the Titans hung with the Rams was shocking, but the ending was even more extraordinary.

1. Super Bowl XXV: Giants 20, Bills 19
When you say "Wide right," people know exactly what you're talking about. Scott Norwood's failed field goal, which would have given Buffalo it's first and only Super Bowl win, is the stuff of legend. It's not often a character in a movie is based on a member of a Super Bowl team, but Norwood was obviously the inspiration behind the Ray Finkle character in "Ace Ventura." This game was also played during the height of the Persian Gulf conflict, and the fact that both teams' colors were red, white and blue was poetic. Whitney Houston's stirring version of the "Star Spangled Banner" (which, sorry folks, was taped and lip-synched) is one of the most identifiable renditions ever. The bulk of the game was certainly not a disappointment, even though Giants quarterback Phil Simms had been knocked out due to injury a week before the game. Otis Anderson, a virtual unknown, became the hero as he slashed through Buffalo's touted defense to become the game's MVP. The Giants' win paved the way for both Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin -- both members of the Giants' staff and opposing coaches in this weekend's game -- to eventually become head coaches. From the pageantry to the game to the historical significance to the plethora of memorable moments, this game is everything you could ever ask for in a Super Bowl.

So what's your top five?