Predicting a win for the 49ers

We took a month off from the question-and-answer column in December.
That break left us with plenty of questions to answer this month.
We’ll talk about instant replay in baseball, the NCAA Tournament and, the topic of the week, the Super Bowl.
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After seeing blown call after blown call in baseball, especially in important baseball games, should there be more use of the technology that is available?
This is perhaps the easiest question I’ve ever had to answer. Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt Major League Baseball should make use of instant replay for close plays on the base paths.
Baseball “purists” yammer on about the “human element” being important to the game. It’s not.
Do you know what is important? Getting the call right.
That’s all that matters.
(I mean, would you prefer that I not use spell check in order to keep the “human element” in my writing? What a ridiculous notion.)
A system similar to the one used in college football should be implemented. A fifth umpire in the booth should look at all plays. If anything is questionable, he/she can buzz down to temporarily halt the game in order to review and make a decision. As always, the call should only be overturned if evidence is conclusive.
(And while we’re at it, let’s go back and retroactively give Armando Galarraga his perfect game.)
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As March approaches, what teams from the Big Ten will make the NCAA Tournament, and, if any, who gets their bubble burst?

The Big Ten is absolutely loaded this year.
As of today, the conference owns four of the top 13 places in the AP poll and has five teams in the top 25. Indiana, which is now No. 3, was the top-ranked team in the preseason. Michigan has now risen to the top.
Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State are all absolutely locks for the tournament. No. 23 Minnesota and Wisconsin will both make the tournament as well.
If I had to pick a team right now that could have its bubble burst, I would go with Illinois.
The Fighting Illini have 15 wins, but are just 2-5 in the Big Ten. They won their first 12 games of the year, including a victory over ninth-ranked Butler, but have lost four of their last five.
Illinois has 11 games left, including five against ranked teams. They’re going to have to go at least 6-5 down the stretch to earn an NCAA berth.
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What did you think of the Alex Smith/Colin Kaepernick situation when Jim Harbaugh made the quarterback chance and what do you think now?
I was a Colin Kaepernick backer long before he took over, and eventually kept, the starting quarterback job when Alex Smith got hurt.
I liked Kaepernick coming out of Nevada, where he ran for more than 1,000 yards in three straight seasons and improved as a passer every year. I thought the 49ers should have started him from the beginning.
Admittedly, Smith was having easily the best season of his career as he was completing more than 70 percent of his passes before the injury. But Kaepernick brings something Smith just does not — explosiveness on offense.
It’s highly doubtful that Smith could have led the 49ers back from a 17-point deficit in the NFC championship game. He’s just not that kind of player.
Anything could happen in the Super Bowl, but Kaepernick would be my quarterback now and into the future.
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What team has played in the most Super Bowls?

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys share the record for most Super Bowl appearances with eight apiece.
Dallas has not been to the big game since winning the 1993 crown. Pittsburgh also holds the mark for most victories with six, having won its most recent title just four years ago.
The San Francisco 49ers, who have won five times in five appearances, can tie match the Steelers’ mark with a victory Sunday. And that brings me to my final question.
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Who will win the Super Bowl?
The San Francisco 49ers.

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