Super Bowl 2012: Odds Each Remaining Team Has to Win It All

And then there were four. Each of the remaining teams is just two wins away from the coveted Lombardi Trophy. It's so close they can almost touch it, but the journey is far from over because the intensity level will go up once again on Sunday.

Here are my odds for each team in terms of their chances of leaving Indianapolis with a Super Bowl victory under their belt.

New England Patriots: 2/1

Terrible defense? Who cares. Lack of consistency in the running game? No problem. The Patriots are the latest high-powered passing offense to prove those two previously important facets of a team aren't so necessary in today's NFL.

As long as Tom Brady is picking apart opposing defenses with relative ease, New England will be among the favorites to win the championship. He's in the zone right now and it will take an extraordinary effort from the vaunted Ravens defense to slow him down.

All told, the Patriots are the team to beat.

San Francisco 49ers: 4/1

The 49ers have the always-dangerous underdog card working in their favor right now. Casual fans aren't willing to believe San Francisco can run the table with Alex Smith, who had previously been labeled a bust, leading the way on offense.

In reality, the team is all about defense and the running game. Patrick Willis leads a unit that has excelled this season and Frank Gore has been solid as always. That means Smith's role is minimal. As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes the 49ers are in good shape.

They should be able to slow down the red-hot Giants, but beating the Patriots is a completely different animal.

Baltimore Ravens: 4/1

Baltimore has the same odds as San Francisco because they have a similar task, but it's just reversed. The Ravens would have to beat the Patriots first and, if they could pull that off, they would then become the Super Bowl favorites.

Ray Lewis deserves a boatload of credit for helping lead the team this far. He's been banged up all season but—when it mattered most last week—he stepped up and looked like his dominant self. Without him, the Ravens wouldn't be where they are right now.

They should be able to keep Brady around the 20-point threshold, but Joe Flacco will need to beat that to push them to the Super Bowl. That's far from a guarantee.

New York Giants: 7/1

There's no doubt the Giants are the hottest team heading into conference championship weekend, but momentum is an overrated phenomenon. That's why the G-Men are still the longest shot on the board.

Eli Manning has done well to outshine Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, but he's long been known to make mistakes in key moments. While those issues haven't popped up yet during the playoffs, don't be surprised if they rear their ugly head against a stout 49ers defense.

Even if the Giants sneak out of San Francisco with a win, they would still be an underdog against the AFC champion. In other words, don't start planning any parades in New York.