For the first time, the NFL is letting users be a part of the MVP selection process with a voting feature at Superbowl.com, the event's official site.

Online voters will represent 21 percent (four votes) of the tally and the rest is left to a select group of 15 media members. Users will have from halftime until the final few minutes of the game to cast their votes.

"It's a chance for the fans to participate and have an impact on Super Bowl XXXV," said Joe Ferreira, vice president of programming of CBS SportsLine.com, host site for Superbowl.com.

SportsLine.com has produced sites with fan interactivity before, such as all-star voting for Major League Baseball on MLB.com, but this is the first time any site has allowed the fan to become this interactive with a live event.

That was a definite selling point for SportsLine.com, which is expected to be one of the front-running bidders to produce NFL.com when the contract is up for renewal in April.

"Going into this project (with the NFL) we had a few challenges," Ferreira said. "One, we wanted to produce something the NFL would be proud of; two, we wanted to come up with some interactive elements to give fans a reason to come online whether they were watching amid a group of 10 or 20 or just home alone."

The NFL allowed Superbowl.com four voting slots for MVP balloting. Despite having four slots, the fans get to nominate only one player.

"An athlete doesn't have to win 100 percent of the vote," Ferreira said. "If X quarterback gets 55 percent of the vote and the opposing quarterback gets 43 percent and someone else gets 2 percent, X quarterback gets all four votes."

Perhaps unlike Florida voting procedures, users can vote early and often (users can vote more than once, though Ferreira said exactly how many times is being worked out with the NFL.)

Last year, Superbowl.com, which was hosted by ESPN Internet Ventures, drew 3.5 million visitors during January. The NFL expects a 30- to 40-percent increase this year. The NFL has predicted the voting tally alone might top one million.

Ferreira realizes the irony of a vote in Florida. "There will probably be some jokes made about it," he said.

SUPERBOWL.COM FEATURES: For those who don't trust the process -- Bush conspiracy, chads, whatever -- Superbowl.com offers more than MVP voting.

The site is laden with multimedia content, including analysis from former New York Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms, a video diary from Giants running back Tiki Barber, live Webcasts from news conferences, a live Internet radio show every day through Friday and Webcams at various parties during Super Bowl week. The site also has daily chats and fantasy games.

Those stuck at work without television but with Internet access might feel like they're trapped behind enemy lines during World War II. The audio Webcast of the game is available in French, Danish, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish but not English (CBS Radio holds the rights and isn't allowing free use on the Internet).

Fans who have been forced into mall shopping and aren't allowed by their spouses to browse the stores with TVs can access up-to-the-minute scores, statistics, ball placement and in-game scoring summary information on handheld devices.

Emarketer.com, a New York-based company that measures Internet statistics, rated Superbowl.com the No. 1 Super Bowl site with NFL.com, ESPN.com, CNNSI. com and FoxSports.com rounding out the top five. The rest of the top 10 are Sportspages.com, SportsBusiness-

News.com, Sportsjones.com, Yahoo Sports and USA Today.com.

Emarketer.com used criteria such as interactive features, organization, multimedia elements, expert analysis and presentation.

EVEN MORE STUFF: Yahoo Sports and Broadband Sports plan live audio Webcasts.

. . . Joe Montana is scheduled to chat live from 3 to 4 p.m. today on Coca- Cola's Super Bowl site (www.cokepartybowl.com). It's a good place to pick up Super Bowl party recipes (the Candied Pigskins, bacon coated with brown sugar).

Mmmm . . . Candied Pigskins.

E-mail Tommy Cummings at tcummings@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle