Super Bowl LV will take place this weekend in Tampa, Florida and for the 50th time in the big game’s history, a Nittany Lion will participate.

Just like last year, Penn Stater is guaranteed to take home a Super Bowl ring this time around no matter what team ends up on top.

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Former Penn State standouts Chris Godwin and Donovan Smith will take the field with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while 2010 Nittany Lion All-American Stefen Wisniewski will suit up for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Here’s a closer look at Nittany Lions in the NFL leading up to the Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)

For the first time in Super Bowl history, there will be a home-field advantage. The Buccaneers are the first team to play in a Super Bowl on their own turf.

As Tampa Bay’s starting left tackle, Smith has been an essential part of quarterback Tom Brady’s success all season. In his sixth NFL campaign with the Buccaneers, Smith played 89% of the team’s offensive snaps during the regular season. Smith has played 100% of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps in three separate campaigns in his career, showing that he is a dependable asset in the trenches.

Although Godwin managed to play in only 12 of the Buccaneers’ 16 games during the regular season due to injury, he found his stride at the perfect time. He has played each game since week 12 and caught five touchdowns in that span, including the playoffs.

Godwin’s prowess could go down in Buccaneers’ playoff lore, as he became the franchise’s leader in receiving yards during a single postseason last week, with the Super Bowl still to be played.

The most by a Buc, ever… (& still got one game to go )#MadeInHappyValley #WeAre pic.twitter.com/EDaS0ijwbS

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 2, 2021

With a shootout against Patrick Mahomes imminent, expect Godwin to have plenty of opportunities Sunday to make a big impact like he did in the NFC Championship against the Packers.

Air Godwin @CGtwelve_

: @NFLonFOX #MadeInHappyValley#WeAre

pic.twitter.com/1oS3MaU3Jh

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 24, 2021

Buccaneers veteran center, and Penn Stater, AQ Shipley suffered a career-ending injury in November, placing him on the injured reserve list and rendering him unable to play in the Super Bowl. He’ll still head home with a ring if Tampa Bay comes out on top.

Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)

The defending Super Bowl champs are trying to make it two years in a row with a win over the Bucs.

Other than a somewhat puzzling loss to the Oakland Raiders and a loss to the Chargers in a game where the starters didn’t play, the Kansas City Chiefs bulldozed their way to the Super Bowl for the second straight season.

Wisniewski started the season as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but after a chest injury, he was released. The Chiefs signed him at the end of November, just in time to make a real run at a Super Bowl, as the Steelers barely limped into the playoffs after a remarkable 11-0 start to the season.

Wisniewski won Super Bowl LIV last season with the Chiefs, as he now has the chance to win it two years in a row.

Following an injury to left tackle Eric Fisher, Wisniewski is expected to start at guard for the Chiefs after spending the season as a backup.

It has really come full circle for the Nittany Lion, who started last year’s Super Bowl at guard as well. Additionally, Wisniewski has beaten Tom Brady in the Super Bowl once before as a member of the 2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles’ championship-winning team. What a wild ride, folks.

Rooting Guide

Going into the Super Bowl on Sunday, if you are struggling to find a team to affiliate with and need a few tips, we’ve got you covered.

Donovan Smith studied criminology at Penn State, so if you’re a criminology major or happen to be in that field of work, you should consider rooting for the Buccaneers. Likewise, if you are in the secondary education field, or you are a member of the Schreyer’s Honors College at Penn State, you might want to back Schreyer alum and secondary education major Stefen Wisniewski and the Chiefs in this one.

If you are a native of the Delaware Valley, like Godwin, you might be a Buccaneers fan for the night. The Pennsylvania rivalry runs deep, so if you are from Pittsburgh, like Stefen Wisniewski, you should consider rooting for the Chiefs.

Maybe you just want to root for commercials. That’s fine too!

Super Bowl Schedule

Sunday, February 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs — 6:30 p.m. on CBS