With the football season reduced to a single game, the most important question becomes clear.
Who ya got?
As they always do, Pennsylvania sportsbooks have filled their boards with all kinds of Super Bowl bets – props and player specials and other options to bet almost every minute of the game as soon as the national anthem starts (over or under on that?).
But perhaps you just want to keep it simple. Perhaps with all the pomp and circumstance, with all the food to eat and commercials to watch, you just want the moneyline (which currently has the Chiefs at -162 and the Bucs at +140).
So all you really need to know is who will win. And who will lose.
Brady or Mahomes? Who do you want late in the game?
ESPN‘s “First Take” got the predictions started this week when the panel considered who they would prefer with the game on the line. Mahomes earned a slight edge.
Other ESPN personalities have chimed in as well (predictions are at the bottom of the article).
But the beauty of the Super Bowl is that it’s not just about the experts.
The game is so big that there’s room for everyone’s prediction – including animals.
On Monday, two lion cubs at the Dallas Zoo made their Super Bowl prediction by selecting from a pair of identical ice cakes, one which featured Kansas City’s colors and another that had Tampa Bay’s. The cubs went for the Chiefs.
So did former pro wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin (via Bleacher Report), who hedged a little by saying “You can never bet against Tom Brady.”
And Penguins star Sidney Crosby seemed to use the filibuster when he was asked for his own prediction.
Madden video game has solid resume of Super Bowl predictions
But another prognosticator that has been surprisingly accurate arrived this week too. According to the Sporting News, EA’s Madden video game franchise has provided an official prediction for the Super Bowl every year since 2004. And the game has compiled an impressive 11-6 record (for a winning percentage of about 64%) in the years since, even picking the exact score in Super Bowl 49. (The Patriots beat the Seahawks 28-24).
This year’s simulation proved to be pretty exciting, with the virtual game tied up 27-27 late in the fourth quarter. However, the eventual simulated Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes scored a rushing touchdown with six minutes remaining that put the Chiefs ahead. And then another field goal iced it.
Final score: Chiefs 37, Patriots 27.
So if you’re following the Madden game for your Super Bowl bets, the Chiefs covered the DraftKings Sportsbook spread (-3) and the game went over the total (55.5) comfortably as well.
Who ya got?
Now that you’ve heard from a bunch of other sources, it will soon be time to make your own picks. And every sports bettor has a method. You might weigh certain positions or coaches, experience or trends. The inexperienced might lean toward colors and mascots.
But it’s always fun to make a pick. And perhaps even a wager too.
So, who ya got?
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann
