Countdown to Super Bowl 34 is right now a continuing count &uot;out&uot; for those teams falling by the wayside. But by this weekend we’ll know whether its Tennessee or Jacksonville in one corner of the Jan. 30 Atlanta extravaganza, and Tampa Bay or St. Louis in the other. The Georgia Dome will be domed with people for that last-of-the-month sashay.

I guess most fans around this area were pulling for Indianapolis against the Tennessee Titans in last Sunday’s elimination battle, if for no other reason than Archie (Manning’s) boy Peyton – who is for a fact plenty good – was firing for the Colts. But he and his teammates were unable to cut the mustard.

I look for Jacksonville to erase Tennessee and St. Louis to do the same to Tampa Bay this weekend, how about you? That would probably make for a pretty good Super Bowl … Jacksonville vs. St. Louis. Just don’t pencil the Jaguars and Rams into the Super Bowl XXXIV box just yet.

Denver wouldn’t let Atlanta do much more than threaten in last year’s Miami Super Bowl 33, what with the soon-to-be retired John Elway doing a workmanlike job on the Falcons that became more workmanlike in the last half. The score was 34-19, Denver, you’ll recall, as the Broncos repeated in the Super Bowl.

Elway simply super-duped quarterback Jeff Chandler and his Atlanta team, turning up the heat like one who had paid attention to early going’s on. Atlanta did score 13 points in the final quarter of that Super Bowl, but Denver &uot;called&uot; and upped the count by four points when it didn’t matter that much.

I only wish we could have Super Bowls like we used to have back when it all started in 1967 and Green Bay (still a magical name in pro football) zapped Kansas City 35-10.

Green Bay repeated as champs by beating Oakland 33-14 the next January.

Then in 1969 came the memorable N.Y. Jets’ exciting 16-7 upset of Baltimore, one that Jets quarterback Joe Namath called for all the world to hear about.

So many Super Bowls go according to Hoyle that the few exciting ones are welcomed. Let’s hope this year on Jan. 30 in Atlanta the &uot;World&uot; can be excited one more time.

HURRIED&160;HASH … You know I caught the Mississippi State, USM and Ole Miss bowl victories, but you just want me to brag. About what? Well, I did get lucky and pick all three Mississippi bowl teams to win … You know it’s fortunate when Ole Miss kicks the winning field goal as time expires in the Rebs’ 27-25 triumph over favored Oklahoma. But a win is a win … But the Rebels had played clutch football all the way in their Shreveport Independence Bowl victory, not really lucking out or anything like that.

… Southern Mississippi’s close 23-17 Liberty Bowl triumph over Colorado State was yet another good ‘un. Coach Jeff Bower’s proud Golden Eagles hung tough, particularly at the last when they led by just six and CSU was fighting back. Memphis was proud to have the Eagles do their thing there.

… Mississippi State’s Bulldogs took a &uot;peachy&uot; 17-7 Peach Bowl victory a day earlier than USM and OM’s. Like Oklahoma, Clemson was slightly favored to nip the SEC&160;Bullies.

But Clemson soon got a big dose of good ole Mississippi State defense that defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn teaches and directs so well … The timing was good for head State coach Jackie Sherrill, who collected his first bowl victory in nine tries at State … You don’t have to be good to go 3-for-3 – again just lucky.