Quarterback Rich Gannon continued his rich vein of form to fire the Oakland Raiders to the AFC Championship on Sunday.

The regular-season MVP threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns to help Oakland beat the Tennessee Titans 41-24 in California.

And the Raiders will next face Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego, after the Buccaneers saw off the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game.

Rice: Back in the Super Bowl

Oakland put on a characteristically high-powered offensive show, with Gannon feeding star receivers Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Jerry Porter at will.

The veteran passer set the tempo early on by picking apart the Tennessee defence on an imperious 69-yard touchdown drive.

And, although the Titans rallied behind their quarterback Steve McNair, the hosts held on to set up an intriguing showdown against former coach Jon Gruden on 26 January.

Gruden, who is now head coach of Tampa Bay, only left Oakland at the end of last season and is likely to come up with a game plan to unsettle his old charges.

Super Bowl XXXVII will also be notable for welcoming record-breaking wide receiver Rice back to the big time.

The former San Francisco 49er won MVP honours with his old franchise and will be looking to end his fabled NFL career on a high.