What show will follow the Super Bowl on CBS?

According to Sports Illustrated, The Who has been tapped to play CBS' Super Bowl halftime show in January. All three versions of the network's "CSI" use Who songs as themes, so the choice would make for a certain synergy. The NFL, which nowadays strictly controls the halftime show's content instead of the host network (cough-Janet Jackson-cough) has not confirmed the report.

The more intriguing guessing game for the industry is: Which CBS program will receive the coveted post-Super Bowl slot?

CBS has not yet decided, but the network has narrowed its choices to a group of finalists. Network executives generally look for a fairly young-skewing show (sorry "Good Wife"!) that also has the potential to draw a huge audience (sorry "Three Rivers"!).

Here are the current contenders:

-- "The Big Bang Theory" -- A youthful sitcom is always a tempting choice since the most successful post-Super Bowl telecast in recent history was NBC airing "Friends," which drew 52.9 million viewers. "Big Bang" is such a fresh hit for the network and skews younger (and more male) than some CBS shows. "Big Bang" doesn't need the ratings help, but I'm not sure the network cares about that anyway -- Super Bowl shows rarely make a significant long-term difference. A combo hour with "How I Met Your Mother" or special one-hour "Big Bang" seems like a smart bet.

-- "The Mentalist" or "NCIS: Los Angeles" -- Either crime drama could benefit from added sampling. "The Mentalist" in particular could make a fine match, what with the drama growing in recent weeks since moving to Thursdays and possibly switching with "CSI" at some point to take over the keystone 9 p.m. slot. But when it last telecast the Super Bowl, CBS paired the game with another crime procedural, "Criminal Minds," which drew a weak 26 million viewers.

-- "Survivor" -- Since "Survivor" has family-friendly athletic action, it tends to pair well with the Big Game. CBS has aired "Survivor" after the Super Bowl twice before and the first of those occasions (for the show's second season) was a huge ratings success, drawing 45 million viewers. Also, "Survivor" tends to hold its premiere audience better than most shows. Plus the next "Survivor" is the "Heroes vs. Villains" All-Star round which might help its chances ... still, I suspect CBS will opt to showcase a newer program.