Seattle Seahawks fans, from left, Jeff Handy, Brandon Nankle and Travis Strecke celebrate Sunday outside Qwest Field in Seattle after the Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers 34-14 in the NFC Championship Game to secure a berth in Super Bowl XL. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Although his last name is too long to fit on the marquee, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be the featured star for the favored team in Super Bowl XL.

The Steelers opened as 3 1/2-point favorites over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL's title game on Feb. 5 at Detroit. The line quickly moved to 4.

"Nobody is playing better than the Steelers right now, and they look like a team of destiny. They deserve to be favored," MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.

"It's going to be a really good matchup. It's something different. It will be interesting to see how they bet it, but I do believe the public will bet Pittsburgh."

The Steelers, who defeated the Denver Broncos 34-17 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, have won seven successive games.

Roethlisberger passed for 275 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos. At 23, he will be the second-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins was slightly younger in Super Bowl XIX.

The Seahawks pounded the Carolina Panthers 34-14 in the NFC Championship Game as Shaun Alexander rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Hasselbeck passed for two scores.

Seattle was the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs but is now an underdog to a Pittsburgh team that was the AFC's No. 6 seed.

Walker said the point spread might move to 4 1/2 in favor of the Steelers, who won consecutive road playoff games over Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver.

"The Steelers' road to the Super Bowl was obviously a lot more impressive," Walker said.

"I'm not sure where the number will land, but if it goes anywhere, I think it will go up."

The total opened at 48 and dropped to 47 1/2. Pittsburgh is a minus-180 favorite on the money line to win straight-up.

Kelso Sturgeon, a longtime Las Vegas handicapper, said the Steelers are his pick to win a competitive game.

"I like Pittsburgh simply because of its defense," said Sturgeon, who credits Steelers coach Bill Cowher and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau for developing schemes of "choreographed chaos."

"LeBeau just wrecks whatever it is you want to do on offense. The Seahawks are in for a long day offensively, and the Steelers will be the most physical team they have played this season. I rate Hasselbeck and Roethlisberger pretty evenly, and Pittsburgh's one-two punch at running back is the equivalent of Alexander."

The odds on Pittsburgh to win the Super Bowl were 12-1 before the season, but they jumped as high as 45-1 after the Steelers lost three games in a row in December.

Seattle, coached by Mike Holmgren, opened as a 30-1 shot to win the championship.

New England was a 7-point favorite over Philadelphia in last year's Super Bowl, which the Patriots won 24-21. The game generated a record handle of $90.8 million at Nevada sports books.

Walker said this year's matchup also should attract a lot of wagering the next two weeks, with hundreds of proposition bets available.

But will the wagering threaten the $100 million mark?

"It's so hard to predict," Walker said, "but I'm optimistic."

Walker's prediction for the game: "I'm leaning toward Pittsburgh."