Well before Kelly Clarkson stepped onto the field at the Super Bowl, bets were already being made as to whether or not the singer would make any mistakes.
Those betting against Clarkson were surely disappointed, but the rest of those watching the game were treated to an error-free performance which TV commentators immediately praised as "rousing."
The first "American Idol" winner sang the anthem two weeks after rock icon Steven Tyler was widely panned for his performance at the AFC championship game (Tyler later defended his performance).
At last year's Super Bowl, Christina Aguilera omitted some words in her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
Other stars who have performed the anthem at the Big Game include Carrie Underwood, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and Neil Diamond.
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert preceded Clarkson with a rendition of "America the Beautiful." Madonna, Nicki Minaj and more celebrities are slated to perform at this year's halftime show.
For more updates on the Big Game, head on over to HuffPost Sports' live blog.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, Blake Shelton's name was misspelled. It was also stated that Steven Tyler performed his rendition of the national anthem one week prior to the Super Bowl; it was two weeks. We apologize for the errors.