FLORIDA KEYS

The teams: The Baltimore Ravens (15-4) have a record-setting defense to compensate for an offense that didn’t score a touchdown in October. The New York Giants (14-4) are riding a seven-game streak since Coach Jim Fassel guaranteed they’d make the playoffs.

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Site: Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, onetime house of horrors for Baltimore quarterback Trent Dilfer, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Kickoff: 3:15 p.m. PST . . . by which time even those who were excited about the matchup in the first place might be tired of the pregame buildup.

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TV: Channel 2. Greg Gumbel and onetime Giant quarterback Phil Simms will call the game for CBS, which is televising the game for the first time since Super Bowl XXVI on Jan. 26, 1992.

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Weather forecast: Partly cloudy with a high of 72 and a low of 53. With the likelihood that field goals will be important in what could be a defensive battle, the most important issue probably will be the wind conditions.

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National anthem: Backstreet Boys, in keeping with the youthful theme. For the rest of us, Ray Charles will sing “America the Beautiful.” It’s the first time two songs will be performed before the game.

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Coin toss: In a nod to the winners of the two previous Super Bowls held in Tampa, Marcus Allen and Tom Flores will represent the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders, and Ottis Anderson and Bill Parcells will represent the 1990 Giants. Former Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood, the real MVP of the Giant victory, won’t be on the field.

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Halftime show: MTV is producing a show that will cost close to $3 million. Pop band N’Sync and rock band Aerosmith--another nod to the over-30 set--are the headliners. Sting performs during the pregame show.

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Ticket prices: $325 and $400 face value. In a twist on the usual scalper stories, two out-of-state con artists were arrested this week after they dug through motel trash bins for credit-card receipts and used the information to illegally buy and sell at least 10 Super Bowl tickets.

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Commercials: A 30-second spot costs an average of $2.3 million. Electronic Data Systems Corp., which brought us the cat herders, is back with a squirrel spot. But say, where’d all those dot-com ads go?

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Audience: The game will be shown in 201 countries, from Andorra to Zimbabwe, with an estimated television audience of 800 million. We’re thinking that estimate was made before the participants were determined.

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Paychecks: The winners get $58,000 each, the losers $34,500. The strippers in Tampa’s notorious clubs probably will get a cut somewhere down the line.

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The parade: Baltimore drew 40,000 for the Ravens’ send-off, so a victory celebration could be mammoth. The Giants would have to choose an alternative to the most convenient location, the New Jersey Turnpike.

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Still no respect: The Ravens always seem to be indignant about something, whether it’s the media treatment of Ray Lewis or various slights to Dilfer. In contrast, Fassel has his saying, “When all is said and done, I want more done than said.”

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Injuries: Giant running back Tiki Barber has been playing with a cast on his broken arm, but will wear no more than a lightweight titanium shield. Despite various nagging injuries on both teams, all players are probable for the game.

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Officials: Referee Gerry Austin, in his 19th season of officiating NFL games, heads a seven-man crew with a combined 78 years of NFL experience, including 67 postseason games and three Super Bowls. Chances of the crew facing a call more critical than the tackle of Tennessee’s Kevin Dyson a yard short of the goal line on the final play of the game are slim.

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Last meeting between the teams: On Sept. 14, 1997, Baltimore’s Matt Stover kicked a 37-yard field goal with 34 seconds left for a 24-23 victory at Giants Stadium. That was their only regular-season meeting.

The teams played an exhibition this season, Baltimore winning, 24-17.

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Pregame story line: Pick your variation on a redemption theme: Quarterback Kerry Collins’ recovery from an alcohol problem that nearly ruined his career, Dilfer’s return to the city that spurned him, or Raven linebacker Lewis winning a Super Bowl championship a year after a fight outside a club after last season’s game put him on trial for murder, though the charge was eventually dropped.

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Story line, Part II: The Colts moved to Indianapolis. The Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore. Now Baltimore and owner Art Modell are on the brink of winning a title.

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Take note: Giant offensive lineman Glenn Parker is in his fifth Super Bowl and still hoping for his first victory. He said he hasn’t been asked for as much advice as you might think: “I think more guys ask the guys who have won the game what they should do.”

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Postgame story line: The endorsement bonanza for the most valuable player might not follow if it’s Lewis, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice after prosecutors dropped murder charges in a double-slaying in Atlanta after last season’s game. Collins’ opportunities would probably also be limited because of his history of alcohol abuse, though the eloquent way he described his recovery could position him well for some companies.

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Raven stats: The Ravens have won 10 consecutive games. Their defense set an NFL record by yielding only 165 points in a 16-game season, and they have given up a total of only 16 in three playoff games. They also led the NFL in turnover margin and haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in the last 36 games.

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Furthermore: Dilfer, who threw three interceptions against the Giants as the Buccaneers’ quarterback last season, has thrown only one in the playoffs.

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Giant stats: The Giants have won seven consecutive games. In contrast to the Ravens’ dramatic lack of balance, the Giants have the NFL’s fifth-ranking defense and 13th-ranking offense. Collins’ performance in the 41-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game helped him tie the record for touchdown passes in a championship game, with five.

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Furthermore: The team that gets an early lead in this game will have a considerable advantage. The Giants are 11-0 this season when leading after the first half. The Ravens are 13-1.

Also worth noting: Baltimore’s rushing defense gets all the attention as the NFL’s best, but the Giants’ ranks second.

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MVP candidates: A new selection process could be controversial. For the first time, fans will be able to vote online at https://Superbowl.com, accounting for 20% of the vote, with 15 media members contributing the other 80%. With Lewis a potential candidate, it’s uncertain whether fans or media will consider his off-field behavior an issue.

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Guarantees: Joe Namath of the New York Jets made one before Super Bowl III, and was right. Ray Buchanan of the Falcons made one two seasons ago and was wrong. The Rams’ Az-Zahir Hakim made one last year and was right. Lewis made one this year, probably only because he was relieved to hear a football question, Coach Brian Billick said.

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Oddsmakers: The Ravens are three-point favorites. To steal a line, it’s the first time the spread and the over-under have been the same.

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Know your history: The Giants have won the Super Bowl twice, after the 1986 and 1990 seasons. Neither the Ravens nor the original Cleveland Browns have played in a Super Bowl.

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Players who could turn into goats: 1. Dilfer, in what would be a poignant scene if he makes crucial turnovers in what he hopes will be a triumphant return to Tampa. 2. Giant kicker Brad Daluiso, who has been with the team since 1993. 3. Raven kicker Matt Stover, who was on injured reserve for the 1990 Giant team when Norwood’s miss gave the Giants a victory in Super Bowl XXV.

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Quote to reflect on: Billick: “There won’t be any fake, ‘I’ll get it,’ ‘No, I’ll get it.’ It will be, ‘No, you’re buying.’ ”

Billick and Fassel, who are close friends, have agreed the winner must buy their next dinner together.

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Look ahead: New Orleans, host of more Super Bowls than any other city, will be the site of the game for the ninth time next year.