Nick Bisceglia knows exactly where he'll be Feb. 5 when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Detroit for their first Super Bowl berth since the 1995 season -- sitting at his "lucky" table at the Sports Café.

"I was here for 16 straight wins last season, but missed last year's AFC championship game and that's when they lost," he said. "Including this season, my winning streak is 21-0 with this table and I'll be right here for the Super Bowl."

Bisceglia (senior-mechanical engineering) said he was confident the Steelers would continue winning.

"No one in the NFC has seen a defense like ours," he added. "And when they win, I'm taking the table home with me."

With time ticking down in the fourth quarter and a Steelers victory almost sealed, Pittsburgh fans flooded Beaver Canyon creating a sea of black and gold.

"If you can't be in Pittsburgh, this is the next best atmosphere," Michael Woytowich (senior-recreation, park and tourism management) said. "We're strangers but it's a Steelers family tonight."

Cheered on by beeping cars and "here we go, Steelers" chants, around 200 rowdy fans gathered on Beaver Avenue following Pittsburgh's victory over the Denver Broncos.

Shauna Moser (junior-political science) could hardly find the words to describe the crowd's energy. "This is ridiculous," Moser said.

During the game, about 175 students gathered in the Sports Café, 244 W. College Ave., to cheer Pittsburgh on to victory. With only a few minutes remaining and the win almost theirs, fans joined in chants of "it's all over" and "Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl."

For many fans, this victory was especially sweet.

"Last year, [Steelers quarterback Ben] Roethlisberger was a rookie so when we lost it was almost expected," Brandon Madorma (senior-mechanical engineering) said. "But this year, we really needed the Super Bowl."

The road to this year's AFC Championship trophy was paved with record-setting consecutive wins over the top three seeds in their division taking them from wildcard long-shots to Super Bowl contenders.

"Most of the people here have never seen Pittsburgh win a Super Bowl," Bisceglia (senior-mechanical engineering) said. "It's all they can think about."

Chris Collins (senior-marketing), on his way to join the celebration at Beaver Canyon, said the Steelers proved themselves worthy of a spot in the Super Bowl during their playoff run.

"I'm really relieved, because no one believed in us this season," he said.

Local police increased their numbers to deal with the expected crowds, but officers said there were no injuries.

With the main event still two weeks away, Steelers fans are just beginning the Super Bowl celebrations.

"This is the best day of my life." Joe Matt (junior-chemistry) said.