From what I have seen in my first semester or so at Eastern, we typically stand as one, a collective Panther nation.

But this Sunday afternoon, I expect most of the campus’ football fans to stand divided, as the Chicago Bears take on the rival Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game for a berth in Superbowl XLV.

This rivalry is the longest running in all of football and perhaps the most bitter in all of professional sports.

This match up will be the third this year for these teams, as each won in their home stadium during the regular season.

Chicago leads the all time series with a record of 92 wins against 86 losses to the Packers and 6 ties all time between the clubs, in a rivalry that spans all the way back to Nov. 27, 1921.

From the Bears’ standpoint, the game will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago, so the Bears will have a mental advantage in the fact they won there early in the regular season.

The Packers, on the other hand, have won four consecutive games which were essentially “must-win” situations, the last two being playoff games and the regular season finale being against the Bears in a game where a loss would have left the Packers out of the postseason.

The roll against the history, as it would seem, is the case Sunday, as these NFC North division rivals will clash on the gridiron to see who faces the winner of the New York Jets/Pittsburgh Steelers game Sunday Evening.

The Packers have been decimated all year by injuries, with starting running back Ryan Grant going down to a season-ending ankle injury in the season’s first week, as well as quarterback Aaron Rodgers missing multiple games with a pair of concussions.

The Packers have also lost starting tight end Jermichael Finley and several linebackers to injuries this year, but they continue to find ways to win.

The Bears, in contrast, have remained relatively healthy with the exception of quarterback Jay Cutler missing one game due to a concussion.

The Bears primary struggle this year has been blocking, both for the run as well as protecting the passer, but they have shown marked improvements throughout the year, as former Minnesota Vikings head coach and current Bears offensive line coach Mike Tice has done a great job of piecing together a respectable front five for the “Monsters of the Midway”

The Bears have also had a learning year for the offensive skill positions, with new offensive coordinator Mike Martz installing his system.

The learning curve was steep but as the Bears showed against Seattle last weekend, when they are clicking offensively, they can beat just about any defense in the NFL seemingly at will.

The defense will have to focus on containing the Packer passing attack, which saw significant success in the divisional playoff round last weekend in Atlanta.

The Bears’ special teams unit is among the best in the league, so that could also play a key role in Sunday’s contest.

Field conditions and weather shouldn’t be a major factor, since the effect both teams, but the crowd noise at Soldier field should play a big part in the flow of the game, as you can expect the “Fourth Phase” to be out in full force.

Overall, I think the Bears take the game in a nail-biting shootout of the offenses, with the final score Bears 35- Packers 31.

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or bmkupiec@eiu.edu