I figured I had retired The Fives for good, but after watching the Super Bowl and all the parts in between, I felt compelled to navigate among the ad crop this year.

There were plenty of the old stalwarts. GoDaddy.com was there with Danica Patrick, and there was plenty of good old-fashioned frat boy fun with the Bud Light spots -- especially the one with the house made entirely of beer cans.

Here's a quick rundown of my top five for Super Bowl XLIV.

Old Late Night wars revisited

Short. Simple. Surprising.

With all the Late Night hoopla recently (Conan O'Brien leaving the Tonight Show, Jay Leno's failed prime time experiment forcing the former and David Letterman's indiscretions), it isn't surprising that Letterman and Oprah were able to mine that sore spot for laughs on Super Bowl Sunday.

But seriously, when they panned to the left, didn't you think it would be Conan?

 

Betty White gets downed and dirty

My favorite comedy commercial from this year's crop, how can you not chuckle seeing Betty White take a de-cleater in a pickup football game. And any video that features Abe Vigoda -- no matter how little screen time he gets -- will always get special mention from me.

 

A touching online sentiment

Remarkably, this was my favorite commercial of the entire Super Bowl. It's remarkable because 1) It has been around for months online and 2) It's by Google, who isn't known for its advertisements.

Will it make permanent waves the way Apple's 1984 themed spot introducing the world to its brand of computers? No, but it was a good debut.

 

Tim Tebow's mom takes one for the team

Most of the controversy surrounding the Super Bowl this year focused on the ads -- some that ran and some that were rejected. The most controversial was Focus on the Family's commercial featuring Pam Tebow, mother of Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow.

Of course, simply having Focus on the Family in the Super Bowl mix was going to bring controversy, and the "pro life" message was going to raise the hackles of many.

The ad, though, is less than a sledgehammer in the ongoing war between anti-abortion and abortion-rights activists. With a light touch and a good dose of humor, it delivers without being at all preachy.

 

Doritos dog gets his revenge

Every year, there's plenty of Super Bowl ads with spats of violence, and this year's crop is no different.

Yeah, it shouldn't be that funny, but sometimes, you just have to laugh -- or at least chortle a bit.

This year's best from my point of view was this Doritos spot featuring an incredibly dexterous dog with an eye on revenge.