New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady waves during the team's picture at Saturday's walkthrough at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Pats will face the Giants tonight in Super Bowl XLII.

Glendale, Ariz. ? It’s time.

Time to find out if this big adventure ends with the Giants pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history – or being handed a defeat that deflates this storybook run.

Today’s Super Bowl XLII could be a career-defining moment for veterans such as Michael Strahan and Amani Toomer. It could be confirmation of elite status for Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress and Antonio Pierce. It could be the crowning achievement for Tom Coughlin, who has smiled all the way to University of Phoenix Stadium this season.

Ultimately, the Giants have been playing with house money throughout this postseason, winning on the road in Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay. They never have been an underdog quite the way they will be tonight against the unbeaten Patriots, but the Giants have played that role to the hilt.

“Whether or not I have to utilize this verbally to the team or not,” Coughlin said, “it’s there. We’ve been the underdogs pretty much every time we’ve played.”

The Giants have believed in themselves when no one else did, going back to an 0-2 start. That was when the field of candidates was being assembled to replace Coughlin.

“We just kept fighting,” Burress said.