Now that we know the NFL's final four I no longer have to weigh the relative merits of each team or make decisions about whom to root for. I just want to see one team win it all: the San Diego Chargers. This has been one of the worst NFL seasons I can remember, and a Super Bowl victory for San Diego is the only thing left that could redeem it. Some people may have problems with the maturity levels displayed by certain Charger players, but I don't care. I feel for the true blue Charger fans who've suffered through years of incompetence with them. They've had their brief flirtations with success, such as the "Air Coryell" era and the mid-90's, but you'd have to go back to 1963 to find the last time the Chargers reigned supreme in their league. Most of their fans probably weren't even born when that happened. Despite their reputation as bandwagoners, I know there are lots of Charger fans who want a Super Bowl title more than anything, and those fans deserve it.

Why am I so dead set on the Chargers? In addition to having liked them for a long time (not as a primary team, but on the side), I despise the other three teams remaining in the Playoffs.

First there's this year's odds-on favorite, the New England Patriots. What else is left to say about them? They've gone undefeated and left a trail of enmity behind them. If they win the Super Bowl the only people who'll look back on them with love will be Patriot fans. Perhaps in 20 years kids who study the history of football will read about their success on the field and be in awe of them, but those of us who lived through their reign of terror will remember what a loathsome bunch they were.

There's been some bad blood between the Patriots and Chargers in recent years. After the Patriots won last year's Playoff meeting to end San Diego's dream season the Chargers were left with a bitter taste in their mouths. LaDainian Tomlinson even had the guts to call out the Patriots on their lack of class in victory, as several Patriot players taunted them while the clock ran out. If Tomlinson's team can avenge that loss to end the Patriots' perfect season it'll be poetic justice. The Chargers have injuries to deal with, but it's my hope that they can overcome them with a desire to win.

Coincidentally, the two teams playing for the NFC Championship also happen to be the two NFC teams I hate the most.

As a Chicago Bears fan it's part of my job to hate the Green Bay Packers, but there's more to it than that. Those fans who wear dairy products on their heads are some of the most annoying in sports. Most of them, as well as many other football fans, have been brainwashed into thinking Brett Favre is some sort of god. He does #### all the time that shows he's not the perfect guy so many make him out to be, but he always seems to be above criticism. After all, he's the "ultimate gamer" and whatnot. It makes me sick. The Packers already get all the respect in the rivalry with the Bears, and I don't think I could stomach Packer fans bragging about another Super Bowl victory.

Finally, you have the New York Giants. I've always hated the Giants just because they were from New York, although New York hasn't seemed that bad to me since the emergence of Boston as America's most annoying city. Still, I've had a special dislike for the Giants ever since I met a guy in college who was a Giants fan as well as a complete jerk. Seriously, this guy disgusted me like few people I've ever met in my life. If the Giants won the Super Bowl I'd imagine people like him celebrating. Yes, I realize that every team has its share of jerks as fans, but when you've met them personally you're more likely to associate those jerks with the team. Besides, Eli Manning spurned the Chargers in favor of the Giants, and it'd be further poetic justice if the Chargers won the Super Bowl before he did.

I know that life isn't fair and that sports will often disappoint me. Still, the more I think about it the more I'm convinced that this Chargers team needs to win the Super Bowl. They need to win it for all us fans who are tired of the NFL's glory franchises. They need to win it for all the people who've called their franchise an inherent loser. They need to win it so that this season will have a story worth talking about. Anything less just isn't enough. In fact, I won't even watch the Super Bowl unless the Chargers are in it, because my only option otherwise will be an unhappy result. Chargers, it's up to you to save this season.