WEST LAFAYETTE – If the Indianapolis Colts beat the Saints in the Super Bowl, many fans in New Orleans will celebrate hometown hero Peyton Manning’s second championship.

And if the Saints win, parts of northwest Indiana might resemble Bourbon Street.

Most of Indiana is expected to wear Colts blue on Super Bowl Sunday, but loyalties are split near the Purdue campus. Saints quarterback Drew Brees remains an icon in the area since he led the Boilermakers’ revival a decade ago.

Brees remains so loyal to his alma mater that he texted Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott the day before last season’s game against Ohio State and told him to “shock the world.” The Boilermakers beat the seventh-ranked Buckeyes 26-18, adding to Brees’ legend.

“Around here, Drew Brees kind of walks on water,” said Kevin Green, a Purdue graduate who works at the university. “He was the quarterback who led us back to the Rose Bowl (2001), so he can do no wrong in the area. We know that he cares about here, and we care about him. That’s why most of the people around here are kind of conflicted.”

Brees doesn’t only talk. He gave Purdue a $2 million gift in 2007 for the Drew and Brittany Brees Student-Athlete Academic Center, next to Ross-Ade Stadium and Mackey Arena.

“He’s just been a great ambassador for Purdue University,” Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter said. “We can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for our athletic department. Very rarely do you have a guy that gives that much.”

There’s a similar conflict among some Saints fans in New Orleans because of Manning’s ties to the city. The son of former Saints quarterback Archie Manning played at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, as did his brothers, Cooper and Eli. All three wore No. 18, the only retired number at the school.

“The Manning family is the heartbeat of our program,” Newman coach Nelson Stewart said. “They continue to be involved in our school, and as phenomenal as they are as football players, they’re even better people.”