New Orleans is the feel-good story of Super Bowl XLIV.

Given what the city has been through in recent years — and how downtrodden its NFL franchise has been since joining the league 43 years ago — you're considered to have a black heart if you're not rooting for the Saints to cap their Cinderella season by securing the Lombardi Trophy.

Sorry.

Time for the wet blanket.

The Indianapolis Colts are going to win this game — and they might win it big.

There are plenty of signs pointing to such a happening.

• The on-field celebrations after the Colts won the AFC title and the Saints took the NFC crown were radically different. This matchup might be a case of one team going to Miami to take care of business vs. another team thrilled just to be going to Miami.

• The Saints' defense thrives on turnovers. That's how they stop people. That's the only way they stopped Minnesota.

Don't count on Peyton Manning and the Indy offense to be so cooperative. Manning and the Colts' coaching staff have had two weeks to break down this defense.

More than likely, they will break it down on the field Sunday.

• Upsets rarely happen in the Super Bowl. The game took off in popularity after two of the sport's biggest upsets ever occurred in Super Bowls III and IV.

Joe Namath and the Jets beating the 18-point favorite Colts in Super Bowl III has been well documented. The Kansas City Chiefs followed that with a stunning 23-7 win over heavily favored Minnesota the following year.

Since then, upsets have been hard to find on Super Sunday.

The New York Giants shocked the undefeated New England Patriots two years ago. The sixth-seeded Steelers beat top-seeded Seattle in Super Bowl XL.

The Patriots denied the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. In virtually every other Super Bowl, the favorite comes out on top.

And in all of those upsets, the final scores were relatively low: 16-7, 23-7, 17-14, 21-10 and 20-17.

No one is expecting a low scoring game this time.

Drew Brees and the high-flying Saints will score a few touchdowns in this game. They just won't score enough.

In what has been the year of the quarterback — more 4,000-yard and 25-touchdown passers than the league has ever seen in a year — it's fitting that two of the NFL's best will battle for league supremacy.

Brees will cause his share of damage, but Manning won't be stopped.

Look for Indianapolis to win by a 38-21 count with Manning, naturally, walking away with the Most Valuable Player award.

Archie Manning was the face of the Saints' franchise for a long time. He was good. His team was not.

Manning's son is great. And the team he plays for is very good.

Feel good for New Orleans. The Saints and their fans have enjoyed a wondrous ride.

But this weekend, they've met their match.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.