The Super Bowl is about football. Of Course. But it also means so much more to so many different people. The glitz. The glamor. The commercials. The halftime show. The food. The parties. And yes, an incredible amount of gambling.
Now there are your normal bets, the winner and score, but also some unique prop bets we wanted to highlight. Last year someone at my Super Bowl party put a bet the over on the duration of the national anthem. It was amazing to see him live and die with every extended word, and each deep breath, and I thought, "Wow, not only did he make money but that could possibly have be the most exciting two minutes I've ever witnessed."
We don't condone betting in general, or taking part in these unique and often tough to predict prop bets, but just wanted to showcase the ten best opportunities, via Bovada and Sportsbook, out there and give our two cents on them.
Super Bowl Prop Bets: Broncos-Seahawks Slideshow
Over-Under: Manning Calls 'Omaha'
Line is set at 28.5. Manning has used "Omaha" as his audible word for much of his career, but it began to receive national media attention in the divisional game against San Diego. This has became a national story and probably the most national attention the quaint Midwest town has ever received. ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell has estimated that each time Manning uses the word in the Super Bowl is worth at least $400,000 of publicity. For the AFC championship, a conglomerate of Omaha businesses pledged $800 each time it was called against the Patriots. With 31, a total of $24,800 was raised.
Over-Under: Length Of Anthem
Line set at 2 minutes, 25 seconds for Renee Fleming. Over is +120, under is -160. Last year Alicia Keys set an unofficial record for longest ever recorded at 2 minutes, 40 seconds. Fleming is an opera singer so chances are she gives us a very slow rendition, but asking to nearly top Keys last year is asking a lot. Regardless, it is one of the most exciting bets, to live and die with every second that goes by.
Gatorade Color For Winning Coach
John Harbaugh actually avoided it altogether last year, if you think John Fox or Pete Carroll are as nimble, that line is even. The highest odds are clear/water at +250, but that's just far too boring to actually happen. It really all depends on who you think will win; if you like Denver orange is +450 and blue is +750. If you like Seattle, green is +1000. Then again blue could technically be used for either. With the weather such a big story this year with it being outside in New Jersey, there are also some, shall we say very unique choices. Both hot chocolate and chicken broth are actually bets and pay handsomely at +5,000. Good luck on that one, but who knows?
Who Will MVP Thank First?
God, even. Teammates +200. Does not thank anyone +275. Fans +500. Family +500. Coaches/owner +800. It clearly depends on who wins it. If it's Wilson, or anyone else who is religious for that matter, you can put your money on God (is that even allowed?). If the Broncos win, it will almost certainly be Manning, who could literally thank anyone from his doctor to his father to his teammates. If it's Marshawn Lynch, could it be the Skittles he devoured during halftime? First decide who you think will win, and then make your pick based on that.
Richard Sherman
Will he receive taunting, unnecessary roughness, or pass interference penalties? Taunting: Yes +400, no -750. Unnecessary roughness: Yes +525, no -900. Pass interference: Yes +140, no -180. Sherman has been the talk of the NFL and in even larger circles since his outburst during his NFC championship post-game interview with Erin Andrews. While Sherman has always been brash and loud, that largely criticized moment was his coming-out party to America. People from all over have called him a thug, a loudmouth and even worse. Many others, including LeBron have come to his defense. Sherman, a high school valedictorian, and a Stanford graduate, is as polarizing as they come. But he is as good as any corner in the league, and as physical as they come (at 6-3 he is almost among the biggest.) He's too smart to get a taunting or unnecessary roughness penalty, but a pass interference seems likely.
Moreno Cries During Anthem
Will Knowshon Moreno cry during national anthem? Yes +170, no -250. By now you've probably seen the video of Moreno crying during the national anthem Week 13 against Kansas City. And when I say crying, I mean tears absolutely streaming down his face. Who knew a human being was capable of producing so much liquid out of their eyes? Moreno has had a really tough life, being raised by his grandmother, struggling through the early part of his NFL career and the Broncos drafting both Ronnie Hillman (third round in 2012) and Montee Ball (second round in 2013), but he is coming off a career season. He will be a free agent after this game so he knows this may be his last with Denver. Tough bet, I assume he'll cry, but will the cameras be there to catch it?
Archie Manning On TV
How many times will Fox cut to a shot of Archie Manning during the game? Line is at 1.5. Peyton's famous father, Archie, will no doubt be in attendance during the game. Chances are the commentators will mention it and talk about the Manning family legacy, but how many times they'll be shown is up to the production crew. It probably depends on if Manning's neck surgeries will be a point of emphasis. If so, they will almost undoubtedly bring up different memories or quotes about how both Archie and Eli Manning thought Peyton was done. I'm going over on this one, just too much to this to think Archie will be shown only once.
Russell Wilson's Baseball Skills
Will Russell Wilson's flirtation with baseball be mentioned? Yes +150, no -200. These two quarterbacks are very different. but both are absolute media darlings. In the NFC championship game, Fox did a nice job outlining Wilson's career and how he became the head man in Seattle. Beginning his career at N.C. State, being drafted by the Rockies and playing a minor league season with their single A affiliate, transferring to Wisconsin and breaking all kinds of records, to then Seattle. He was also recently drafted by Texas and will appear in a Rangers jersey in their 2014 Topps baseball cards. Wilson is incredibly gifted, and there will inevitably be some sort package highlighting his accomplishments. My advice would be to avoid this one, I think a picture of his attendance at the Manning passing academy during his sophomore year is more likely to be shown.
More Mentions:
Bronco offense/Seahawk defense
Both were No. 1 in the league and both are listed at -120. This is a really good one. Much has been made about the strength on strength matchup. Seattle's defense is different from how most historic defenses have been built; from the outside in as opposed to from the trenches back. It is certainly among the best defenses in recent years, but are they as good as the 2000 Ravens team or the 2002 Buccaneers team that won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer, and Brad Johnson, respectively as their quarterbacks? No disrespect to either, but those defenses absolutely carried their teams to victory. A Super Bowl win would go a long way to validating Seattle's claim to be the best in this generation. The Broncos not only are the best offense ever, but the best ever by more than 100 points! America loves scoring, so my bet is on the Broncos.
Halftime Show
Will Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers play a song together? Yes -300, no +210. Will the Chili Peppers play shirtless? Yes +170, no -250. What song will Bruno Mars pay first? Many choices. What will Mars wear on his head? Many choices. Ah, the world of halftime entertainment. Let's keep in mind that this is bigger to a large portion of viewers than the game itself. Bruno Mars and the Chili Peppers are big names so there are a slew of prop bets dedicated to them. History suggests they will play at least one song together but it's not a sure bet. Normally the Chili Peppers being shirtless would be a solid bet, but c'mon forecasts call for halftime to be in the high 20's do you really think they want to play a whole show without shirts? Then again, maybe this is the perfect time to validate their insanity. Prop bets on what song Bruno Mars will play (who knows), to what he will wear on his head for the performance. If you know pop culture, this could be your calling.
