Enjoying the Super Bowl is about much more than the game. The food, certainly, but goofy prop bets are a big part of the experience as well. With the big game set for Sunday night, I came up with a random list of prop bets for me and Rich Tandler to pick. Enjoy.
1) Coin toss - Heads or Tails?
- Finlay - Always bet this, and always take tails. Tails, you see, never fails.
- Tandler - Always use your head. Heads
2) Length of the National Anthem - Over/Under 2 minutes, 9 seconds
- Finlay - My wife likes country music, and in turn, I listen to a decent amount of it. That said, I have no idea who Luke Bryan is and how long to expect him to sing the Star Spangled Banner. I do like a good sweat. I'm going under.
- Tandler - I'm a little familiar with Bryan. Anyone who has a CD called Tailgates and Tanlines is going to be in a hurry to get to his suite and start the party. Under.
3) How many times will "Trump" be said on TV during broadcast? Over/Under 1.5
- Finlay - Serious question, will Trump be at the game? Is there any way to know that? Regardless, it seems impossible to avoid the name Trump in any capacity for more than 20 minutes. Gimme the over.
- Tandler - Trump won't be there, he's talking to Bill O'Reilly of FOX at halftime. So the promos for that alone will push this way over the mark. Sounds like whoever set this line didn't check this out.
4) Will LeGarrette Blount score a touchdown in the first half? Yes +160, No -180
- Finlay - I love this. Yes. A lot of times yes.
- Tandler - If JP likes something so much, something's wrong. I'll go with no.
5) Total gross passing yards by Matt Ryan? Over/Under 325.5
- Finlay - My official prediction comes out Sunday, but I think this game will be lower scoring than many expect. In fact, I think the run game leads the way for both teams. That's a long way of saying I'll take the under.
- Tandler - I think the Falcons will either win the game through the air or Ryan will rack up some garbage time yards late in a rout. Either way, that's the over.
6) Will a roughing-the-passer penalty be called in the game? Yes +120, No -150
- Finlay - I was in Vegas for the Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl a few years back, and while I made a decent chunk on the game (LOVED Seattle) I lost some cash on this dumb prop. I thought for sure the refs would protect Peyton Manning and there would be one, maybe two, roughing calls on the aggresive Seahawks D. There wasn't. Logic might point to both Tom Brady and Matt Ryan being pocket passers, and the odds of a roughing call going up. Forget logic. Out of spite, I say no.
- Tandler - Well, Cam Newton isn't playing so the odds are much better. But the stripes tend to keep their flags in their pockets in The Big Game, as evidenced by JP's Vegas experience. I'll also say no.
7) Odds to have the most receiving yards: Julio Jones: 2/1, Chris Hogan: 5/1, Julian Edelman: 5/1, Mohamed Sanu: 8/1, Martellus Bennett: 10/1, Taylor Gabriel: 10/1, FIELD: 14/1
- Finlay - My guess is the Pats will look to bracket Julio with safety help over the top. And the Hogan success story seems due to slow down. I'll take Edelman, and if you want a player from each team, I would take Gabriel too. When the safeties are worried about Julio, Gabriel can get deep.
- Tandler - I don't think they will shut down Jones regardless of what they do. In a vacuum I might go with Jones but you can't make much money betting on him at 2/1. Give me Sanu, who will benefit from extra attention given to Jones.
8) Odds a kicker misses an extra point: 7/3
- Finlay - This is the year. It's gonna happen. Get on the cash train.
- Tandler - In a dome on a carpet? No.
9) Will the word "Lacrosse" be said on TV during live broadcast? Yes 1/3, No 2/1
- Finlay - Lock of the century. Hogan's first catch Joe Buck will be talking about Penn State lacrosse.
- Tandler - I'm going to try to make some money here. If Hogan has zero or one reception, like he did six times this year, his background might not get mentioned. Can't make money with the yes, I'll go no.
10) How many times will "deflate" or "deflategate" be said on TV during live broadcast? Over/Under 1.5
- Finlay - The NFL doesn't want this to be a story line. Sure it is a story line, and it will get mentioned, but not twice. Under.
- Tandler - I'll go with one actual use of "Deflategate" and another mention or two of the whole mess without using the word, like talking about Brady's suspension. So that's the under by the rules.
11) Which song will Lady Gaga play first during the halftime show?
"Born this Way" 9/4
"Bad Romance" 5/2
"Edge of Glory" 6/1
"Poker Face" 10/1
"Just Dance" 10/1
"Any other song" 11/10
- Finlay - I have no idea the answer here. I feel like Just Dance is a good way to get the crowd into the performance. To tell the truth, I only put this prop on here to see if Tandler was familiar with any of the Lady Gaga catalog. Be honest Rich.
- Tandler - Odds that Tandler will be able to name that tune when she is on stage--1,000 to 1. But I can do a little research. When she was on Saturday Night Live a few months ago she performed "Million Reasons." It's on the slow side so I can see the opening with everything totally dark with a spotlight on Lady Gaga and her singing that for about a minute before breaking into something like "Just Dance" as the lights come on and the show really gets started. So even though I don't like the low odds that means I'll take "Any Other Song".
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