The NFL Super Bowl logo conspiracy is so outlandish I almost hope it's true

Unfamiliar with the Super Bowl logo conspiracy theory? So was I until today – but after painstakingly combing through the evidence (reading some tweets), I'm sort of  convinced? I mean, I'm not – it's ridiculous. But it's fun to imagine.

Okay, so. In a nutshell, the theory is that in recent years the Super Bowl logo – which hardly ever changes in terms of actual design apart from the colours – has predicted which two teams will play in the championship. And some even think they've revealed who will win – and that the whole thing is rigged. Either that, or the designers are in possession of a future-predicting crystal (foot)ball.

The orange and yellow Super Bowl LVI logo reflected the colours of The Bengals and LA Rams, who ended up playing. And the Super Bowl LVII's green and red echoed The Eagles and Chiefs. So, with the Super Bowl LVIII logo coming in red and purple, fans are speculating that it revealed all along that the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens will play – and both are currently a single win away from this happening. Which means the theory could be about to become a reality for a third year running.

But some have gone even further, suggesting that the last two logos have revealed which team won the championship by placing their colour at the bottom of the logo. It's delightfully fanciful, and probably (?) coincidence – but that isn't stopping sports fans from crying foul. Normally it's decisions on the pitch that lead to suggestions of cheating, but this is the first time we've seen a graphic design-based rigged sports conspiracy.

This isn't the first time we've seen the Super Bowl logo logo court controversy. The design a couple of year's back was accused of looking blood soaked, while the monotony of the last few iterations has raised eyebrows. Yep, we even have a roundup of the biggest Super Bowl design controversies, and this one's going straight to the top.