Go big or go home: Colts favored to win it all

For the average NFL fan, the thought of the Super Bowl simultaneously creates conflicting emotions. Excitement for the year’s most important game is marred by a splash of despair, as after the game, the football season will be officially over. But for the average American, who will inevitably end up in front of a friend’s TV on February 7th, the Super Bowl evokes some different images.

“Guacamole,” “Commercials,” “Heavy Drinking,” “Pizza,” and of course, “Pretending to care about the game’s outcome.” Along with the occasional fond memory of hometown team’s victory, these were the things that came to the mind of most CC students when I asked them what things they associated with the Super Bowl. Although the food, beer, and friends can be quite entertaining, it can be quite difficult for the non-NFL fan to enjoy the game itself. Even if your passionate and probably frightening relatives/friends have successfully brainwashed you into rooting for their favorite team, chances are it is in the cast of 30 teams which are not playing in the year’s ultimate game.

However, many everyday people, who wish to watch the game with the thrill and excitement that sports fans enjoy, have found a way to create a passionate rooting interest in the game. This is done by placing a small monetary wager on the outcome of the game (of course sports gambling is currently illegal in Colorado, but for those CC students who are 21 or older, and residing in Nevada, Delaware, or in International Waters, you’re in luck!). 

The most common way that people bet on the Super Bowl is by using a square pool. This is a system where a 10X10 grid, with the digits 0 through 9 are placed on each side of the grid. Each side will represent one team. The goal is to pick the square that has the last digit of the game’s final scores. So if the Colts were to win 27-24, the square that had the 7 column on the Colts side in the row for 4 on the Saints side would be the winning square. This method is easy because a large prize pool is generated for the winner. If each person buys a square or more for say, $5, there would be a $500 prize for the winner. The problem with this method is that it forces the participant to root for strange scores which don’t translate well to what happens in the game. 

Here are my suggestions for much more logical Super Bowl bets.

Saints +5.5

If you made this wager, as long as the Saints win, or don’t lose by more than 5, you will win double what you bet. Conversely, you could wager on the Colts -5.5 (meaning they have to win by more than five), but I would suggest taking the Saints, because this game will probably be close, and will go down to the wire. That means even if Colts sneak in a last second field goal to win it, you’ll still come out on top. Public opinion is backing the Colts, but the line has also moved two full points since opening at Colts -3.5.

Under 56.5

This wager relates to the total amount of points scored between both teams. You can select over or under that amount of points. I would suggest selecting the Under. This is the highest Over/Under total in Super Bowl history. When the public views this game, they will think about Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, the countless weapons on both sides of the ball, and will probably think this game will be a high-scoring shootout. One key concept to remember when wagering, is that the public opinion is usually dead-wrong. For example, in the First Round of the playoffs, Las Vegas bookmakers listed the point-spread for the Cardinals-Packers favoring the Cardinals by 1 point. So much of the public bet money on the Packers, that Vegas was forced to change the Packers to the favorite. They became the favorites by 3 points. This 4-point change in the spread was huge, but the Cardinals ended up winning, meaning the public lost. It just goes to show you that when it comes to wagering, it pays to bet against the public.