Country Music Stars Give Their Picks for Super Bowl XLV

Super Bowl XLV is almost upon us, making this the right time to ask some of country music's biggest stars for their thoughts on which team -- the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Green Bay Packers -- will win this Sunday's game. With two of the most successful and popular franchises in the NFL competing to add yet another bauble to their already overstuffed trophy cases, it was hard to find somebody who did not have an opinion -- and they shared those opinions exclusively with Taste of Country.

So far, the football "experts" of country music seem to collectively think the Packers are going to win the Super Bowl, but you'll read more than a few compelling arguments made for the Steelers below as well. Be sure to check back as we predict more musicians may weigh in over the next few days.

Faith Hill
"I think it’s going to be Green Bay. And I think [Tim McGraw] is Green Bay. It’s going to be a good game. It’s gonna be close, and it could go either way, but I think it’s going to be the Packers."

Jack Ingram
"I think the Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl because their defense will ultimately make stops when it counts AND because when they win, they will not be as prepared for the beginning of next season (commonly referred to as the "championship hangover"), which will come into play at the end of the season when my TEXANS are finally making a realistic run for the playoffs ... and would likely meet the Steelers in the playoffs, and the ghost of AFC Championships of yore will finally be exorcised from my Houston psyche and I can begin to get on with my life! Go Steelers! I take Ty Detmer's (Heisman Trophy Winner/played behind Favre at Green Bay) kid to school every morning when I take mine. Does that make me cool? God, I hope so.  If not, I can come up with something else or make something up!"

Danny Gokey
"Green Bay Packers all the way! Ain’t nothing like the Green and Gold!"

Chris Young
"OK, I only say this because me and one of my guys on the bus had a bet, so Green Bay. I just think it's going to be a really, really good game, honestly. I think both teams could win. You look at both of their defenses, how they've played, how good Aaron Rogers is playing, how good Ben Roethlisberger has played ... I mean, it'll be a really good game, but I think it's Green Bay by a touchdown."

Justin Moore
"I'm a Steelers fan, so this is painful to say. I think the Packers will win a close game.  They are peaking at the perfect time, and Aaron Rodgers is the x-factor."

Colt Ford
"In a very close game, I think the Steelers are gonna pull it out. They have been there before and Big Ben always finds a way to WIN. They are a well-coached team that does all the right things."

James Otto
"This is a classic super bowl match-up! I'm expecting some smash mouth football! Being a Vikings fan, I don't have a dog in the hunt, but with the Packers being our biggest rival and this year a more than worthy adversary, I wish them the best of luck."

Randy Montana
"I'm picking Green Bay. You asked a betting man, and I'm betting on Green Bay. I am. Normally, I'm a Titans fan. I loved football before, but I never had a team to latch onto before. Once the Titans came to town, I started really following NFL, whereas before it was college [football that I followed]. They've had some up years, and also some down, and this was one of the down ones, unfortunately."

Josh Abbott Band
"I love overanalyzing sports match-ups, but Super Bowls are simply ALWAYS won by playmakers. I give the experience edge to Roethlisberger/Polamalu over Rodgers/Matthews ... Steelers: 31; Packers: 24."

Darryl Worley
"I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan, always have been. I used to go up every couple of years and sing the National Anthem for a game and stuff like that. Yeah, it's been a cool thing between my dad and myself. We've always rooted for the Packers. So we're excited about this. I never have liked the Pittsburgh Steelers as a football team. I'm not a fan. When they were winning the Super Bowl every year, I had a lot of respect for a lot of those players, but it has always been a Packers thing with me. My wife's a Pittsburgh fan and there's gonna be some serious rivalry at the Super Bowl this year, so it's gonna be fun."

Brett Eldredge
"I have tons of respect for both teams in the Superbowl. I say the Steelers are going to be tough to beat, but my father is a die hard Packers fan and would love for him to be able to see them win one last time before the Bears take over for many years to come!"

Bridgette Tatum
"I can't be a traitor since I'm an ULTIMATE Cowboys fan, but, with still being a football fan, I gotta say I'm pullin' for the Steelers to win the Super Bowl! They've always been a tough team and played hard throughout the season! It's going to be a BIG game and the perfect reason to get my friends together for a SUPER Super Bowl party!"

Ryan Fleener, the Dirt Drifters
"I'll go with the Steelers because the Packers beat my Bears! Get out the terrible towels!"

Randy Rogers, Randy Rogers Band
"It pains me to say this as a die hard Cowboy's fan. I have to go with the Packers, 31, over the Steelers, 24."

Frankie Ballard
"
I think the Steelers are gonna come out on top of this one. Experience goes along way in the big dance. The Packers are strong, though. I expect it to be close, but in the end I say Pittsburgh: 27; Green Bay: 17."

Brandon Rhyder
"Superbowl prediction: Steelers win a nail biter in a defensive battle, 17-16."

Craig Campbell
"If Green Bay plays the Super Bowl like they played us [the Atlanta Falcons], nobody can beat 'em."

Denise Jones, Point of Grace
"I am a huge sucker for inspirational stories, and Aaron Rogers fits right into that group. He is one of those players who has taken the back seat for many years, but continued to persevere. It will make me so happy to see him and the rest of the Packers team win this year’s Super Bowl."

Patrick Simmons, the Doobie Brothers
*The Doobie Brothers are releasing a song to country radio
"Oh, the Packers, of course. I'm rooting for them and I think they'll win. I haven't talked to any of my bandmates about that, but I think there would be a lot more of us rooting for the Packers than the Steelers. We're big Packers fans anyway. My wife's from Chicago, and instead of being a Bears fan, she's always been a Packers fan. It's nice to see the Packers in there again."

Aaron Lewis
*Aaron Lewis of Staind is releasing a country EP
"I've gotta at least stay within my league, and stick with the Steelers. My team [the Patriots] choked really hard -- I think there was a chicken bone stuck in their throat. So I'll go with my league and say I think Pittsburgh will win."

Chase Rice
"I guess I'll pull for the Packers because they are the underdogs. All I really want to see is a close game, though, because none of my teams are in it anyway. I think the Steelers will win.
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