Here are the top 10 reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers will win the Super Bowl:

10.

The experience factor. Of the 17 teams that made their Super Bowl debut — like the Seattle Seahawks are doing in Super Bowl XL — 13 have lost the game. The Steelers are making their sixth Super Bowl appearance.9.

Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben will be the fourth second-year quarterback to start a Super Bowl game. Only one, Dan Marino, has lost. Kurt Warner (1999) and Tom Brady (2001) are the two who won.8.

Backing the Bus. The Steelers are a close-knit group and no one is more highly thought of in the Pittsburgh locker room than Jerome Bettis. Throw in that he will be, in all likelihood, playing his final game — and in his hometown of Detroit no less — and the motivation to win will be there in spades.7.

The 3-4. The last time the Seahawks played against a team that used the 3-4 defense predominantly was against the Dallas Cowboys. Seattle struggled mightily on offense and eked out a 13-10 win.6.

Mike Holmgren.There have been five coaches, including Holmgren, to take two different teams to the Super Bowl. The others: Don Shula (Colts, Dolphins), Bill Parcells (Giants, Patriots), Dick Vermeil (Eagles, Rams) and Dan Reeves (Broncos, Falcons). None have won with both teams. Holmgren won the Super Bowl with Green Bay in 1996.5.

Vegas says so. The favorite in the last 16 Super Bowls is 12-4. The Steelers are a four-point favorite to win Super Bowl XL.4.

Defense. The last five Super Bowl winners have had a defense that ranks higher than its offense. The Steelers defense finished ranked fourth in the NFL and their offense 15th. Seattle's defense was ranked 16th and its offense 2nd.3.

White uniforms. Bill Cowher raised some eyebrows when he said the Steelers would wear their white jerseys instead of the traditional home black jerseys. But the Steelers are 1-0 in Super Bowls wearing white and 3-0 in the playoffs this season wearing the road jerseys.2.

The monkey on Bill Cowher's back. Cowher is thought of as one of the best coaches in the NFL, but with one caveat: He has yet to win a championship. His struggles in the AFC title games are well documented, but he is in his second Super Bowl. A win would vault his name into a new stratosphere with the likes of Don Shula, Bill Parcells and, yes, Chuck Noll.1.

One for the thumb. The Steelers have been chasing a fifth ring for 26 years. They are due.