Highest-Rated Super Bowl Ever?

That's what ESPN columnist Gregg Easterbrook predicts -- provided it's the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers, both favorites in this weekend's conference championship games.

"Going into this weekend, there is a solid chance the Super Bowl will match Brett Favre against Tom Brady," says Easterbrook. "That would be arguably the best quarterback pairing in Super Bowl history, and could lead to a Nielsen record that will never be broken."

He adds:

Fan and viewer interest would go off the charts, as half the country cheered for New England to complete the 19-0 project and the other half cheered for Favre to stop the Pats, then immediately retire.... [I]f you're a football addict -- or if you are Fox, which has the call, or Victoria's Secret or any corporation that has spent $90,000 per second for ad time -- you have to be palpitating over the thought of a Packers-Patriots Super Bowl.

Somebody might want to inform Hyundai, which is reportedly dithering over whether to pull its Super Bowl ads to cut costs in the face of a softening economy. That $5.4 million could turn out to be a bargain!