Strange (yet fun) Super Bowl betting lines

bassrique · #1 02-06-2011, 08:51 AM

I don't gamble, but I'd like to get some action on some of these.

Quote:

There are some prop bets during the Super Bowl that are intriguing -- real puzzles that offer potential value and should get at least a look from serious NFL handicappers. And then there are these ones. These are some of the growing number of odd Super Bowl bets that sports books offer -- as much to get noticed as anything else. (All odds are from Bodog)

Will Christina Aguilera wear a cowboy hat when she sings the national anthem? - The ‘yes’ side pays off at +300, so I am clearly drawn to it. I couldn’t find a picture of Aguilera wearing a cowboy hat on Google, but I did find several of her wearing hats. It would make sense, and at this price it seems like it’s worth the gamble.

Length of Christina Aguilera’s anthem – ‘over/under’ 1:52 - The ‘over’ is favored here at -140. I don’t love that price, but it seems like the ‘over’ is the way to go. I don’t spend a lot of time listening to Aguilera sing, but I know she has a diva-ish tendency. That means that she’ll be holding her notes and stretching things out. Looking back at other anthem singers with similar tendencies the ‘over’ is well supported -- Faith Hill took 2:00, Mariah Carey was 1:56, Jordin Sparks was 1:54, and Jennifer Hudson was a painful 2:11. I don’t see a reason to believe that Aguilera will be solidly shorter than that group, so I can’t justify an ‘under’.

Will Fergie be dressed as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader at any time in the halftime show? - I sure hope so. She’ll change her costume a bunch, neither of the teams in the game have cheerleaders of their own, and she knows that large portions of the audience certainly wouldn’t hate it. At +500 it seems like a good bet to make.

How many times will Fox say ‘Brett Favre’ during the broadcast? – ‘over/under’ 2.5 - The ‘over’ is favored here, so the ‘under’ pays at even money. I’d take the ‘under’ at that price. A couple of years ago it would have been different, but after the debacle of this year I just don’t think people care like they used to. They’ll mention him, but not a lot. It’s not like anyone thinks the Packers did the wrong thing by getting rid of him to play Rodgers.

Which significant other will be shown first on TV? - It comes down to the two quarterbacks in this one. Aaron Rodgers’ girlfriend is Jessica Szohr, who plays the whiny Vanessa on “Gossip Girl”. She’s the favorite at -140. Ben Roethlisberger’s fiancée is Ashely Harlan, a physician’s assistant who still lives with her parents. Szohr would be a stone cold lock if her show was on Fox. Even though it’s not, she’s still the clear choice here. Big Ben won’t even talk about his relationship, and Harlan hasn’t exactly been a public figure since people even found out she existed.

How many times will the word ‘knockout’ be said on Fox? – ‘over/under’ 1.5 - I’m a little surprised that the ‘over’ is the slight underdog here at -110. I’ll take a shot at that price. It’s the issue weighing on the mind of every player, owner, and fan of the sport, and it looms as the next big thing after this game, so it would seem quite natural for it to come up more than once.

What side of the ball will the players that perform the Gatorade shower be from? - The obvious choice here is defense, because the offense is likely going to be on the field running out the clock. It only pays -200, though, so it’s not very attractive. Offense only pays +150, though, so I can’t justify that one, either. I’d probably pass on this one.

Will any player do a Lambeau Leap after a TD? – ‘Yes’ pays +150, so it certainly seems like a decent bet. I could see several Green Bay players thinking that was a good idea, and there are even a couple of Pittsburgh guys I could see doing it if the game got out of hand in their favor.

Will a punt hit the scoreboard? - The ‘yes’ pays +800, so at first glance it seems attractive. When you look at it, though, it’s just not. This became a big story in the 2009 preseason when a Titans’ punter hit the screen. A lot of ink was spilled about what a disaster that was. Since then, though -- 16 regular season games plus the preseason -- it hasn’t happened again. It seems unlikely that it will happen now -- certainly not likely enough to make this bet.

Click for a pic of Fergie's belly:

http://www.docsports.com/current/odd...bowl-bets.html