It is the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl, 50 years since Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers put a routine 35-10 beating on the Kansas City Chiefs. Back then it wasn’t even called the Super Bowl. And there was no mania over parties and half-time shows and commercials. And fans actually cared about which team won the game.
That was long ago in a sports galaxy far, far away. In 2016 few gamblers are much concerned about whether the Carolina Panthers or the Denver Broncos actually win the Super Bowl. There will be more money wagered on the so-called prop bets on in-game action than the actual outcome of Super Bowl 50. By the way, that is Super Bowl 50 and not Super Bowl L. But roman numerals fans do not despair, it will be Super Bowl LI next year.
For the record, Bovada has currently listed Carolina as a heavy six-point favorite at -115, reflecting a surge of betting action on the Panthers who opened as a four-point selection. Value bettors are grabbing the Broncos at that price as the line is not expected to go any higher. Total bettors can take a swing at 46 points at -115.
【Super Bowl 50 Outright Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 3, 4:00 p.m. (GMT)
The Super Bowl also gives punters a chance to set their own lines. Bookmaker Bovada offers a dozen alternate lines to wager on from the Denver Broncos at -10 1/2, returning a plump +625, to the Carolina Panthers winning by at least 25 points, which will pay +16000. For those time-strapped individuals who have to leave the Super Bowl party early, there are lines on just the first quarter (many options) and the first half (Carolina -3 1/2).
On the field, Super Bowl 50 will be a no-name affair for all but the most ardent football fans. Beyond Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, not many people at your Super Bowl party will be able to name a single player in the game. The two quarterbacks could not offer a greater contrast.
Manning is at the absolute end of a Hall-of-Fame career that was given up for dead just two months ago. He is immobile and barely has any arm strength left to get the ball down the field. But few quarterbacks have ever been as lauded for their on-the-field smarts and generalship of an offense as Manning.
Newton is at the ascendancy of his career and is the season’s likely Most Valuable Player. His dynamism and fearlessness as a runner is a key component of the Panther offense and his arm strength masks a disregard for mechanics that gets the ball to receivers from any imaginable throwing position. Newton’s running and passing are such potent weapons that he often moves the Panther offense down the field on his willpower alone.
Bettors are left to ponder which skill set at quarterback will prevail in the Super Bowl. Neither quarterback is blessed with a corps of talented difference makers around him at the skill positions. The deciding factor for many handicappers is likely to be the quarterback play. But poking deeper, it is always useful to remember that important football games are most often won on the defensive side of the ball.
Both defenses are outstanding and there is little to choose between the two units. Denver was the best defense in the NFL statistically but Carolina lost only one game and throttled high-powered offenses throughout the season including the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. For those who divine bets in statistics, Super Bowl 50 is only the second rendition to feature the league’s best offense (Carolina, 31.3 points per game) and the top team in total defense (Denver, 283.1 yards per game).
So how about those prop bets? Bovada offers more than 500 of them, starting with the coin toss. No bias there, it is -105 for both heads and tails. But coin toss gamblers can do so much more. You can wager on which team wins the coin toss, whether the team that makes the call on the coin toss is correct, and whether the team that wins the coin toss also wins the game. All -105. There are more bets available on the Super Bowl coin toss than a typical NFL game.
【Super Bowl 50 Coin Toss Prop Bet Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 3, 4:00 p.m. (GMT)
For bettors whose attention span does not extend to an entire quarter of play to wait for the denouement of a wager, Bovada offers action on whether there will be a score in the first 90 seconds of the game (+750 for yes, -1500 for no) and then every minute after that until the 7:30 mark of the first quarter (-165 for yes, +135 for no).
And if you can’t wait for a score to cash a ticket, you can bet on the first team to register a first down (Carolina -130, Denver even) or the first team to cross the midfield stripe (Carolina -140, Denver +110). That has to be the offense getting across the 50-yard line, no kick returners or defensive players racing the other way with a turnover, thank you.
Points, penalties, punts, turnovers, coaching challenges, quarterback kneel-downs – all can be bet on in the Super Bowl. One of the favorite prop bets is always whether a safety will occur. This year sportsbook Bovada gives the odds for “Yes” at +600 and “No” at -1000.
For those doing real handicapping, there have been nine safeties recorded in Super Bowl history or about once ever 5.5 games, which is essentially the same chance as any number coming up on the roll of a single die. Those odds should be +500 so you can see that betting on a safety in Super Bowl 50 is not a smart play – just like most of the many hundreds of prop bets. But where’s the fun in that?
