The New England Patriots will be facing the Seattle Seahawks in The Super Bowl on February 1 in Arizona. But not without controversy following them.

Following an inquiry on whether the Patriots used deflated footballs for their AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports that eleven footballs have been determined to be under-inflated according to ESPN, citing the preliminary findings of a league investigation.

The NFL rule book states that home teams are responsible for furnishing playable balls at all times, each team bringing 12 balls, while the home team providing another 12 backup footballs.

The investigation found that 11 of the 12 used by the Patriots were a full two pounds under the standard ball pressure of between 12.5 pounds and 13.5 pounds per square inch.

"We'll fully cooperate with whatever the league wants us to, whatever questions they ask," Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters during a conference call prior to the investigation.

On a night when heavy rain led to everything being wet, Wetzel points out in his column that an under-inflated ball that is easier to grip makes passing, catch and dealing with snaps and handoffs easier.

It is important to note that during an NFL game, each team uses the footballs they brought to the game.

In last Sunday's playoff game against the Colts, the Pats won the game handily 45-7. They also beat the Colts 42-20 back in November, and 43-22 in last year's playoffs, as Wetzel points out.

In those three games, the Pats have dispatched of the Colts with an average margin of 27 points per game, but the shadow of the 2007 incident where the Patriots were penalized for videotaping the New York Jets' sideline signals looms yet again during this most recent controversy.

New England was fined $250,000 and lost their 2008 first-round pick following the incident, while Belichick was forced to shell out $500,000 for his role.

According to the NFL game manual, "If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000."

There is nothing stated in the NFL rule book about overturning the results of the game.