Leading up to the 2012 Super Bowl XLVI (46) between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, we'll be taking a look at Super Bowl proposition betting, or more specifically, the fun or crazy Super Bowl 46 (XLVI) prop bets that you hear so much about. That includes props on the Super Bowl coin toss, Super Bowl halftime show, Super Bowl National Anthem, Super Bowl Gatorade Shower dump and much more. Follow along on the Super Bowl sidebar to the right and follow us on twitter @stocklemonblog!
It's that time of year again, arguably the best two weeks of repetitive banter sports has to offer--the Super Bowl! As we do every year, we'll be providing a steady stream of the funny and whacky Super Bowl prop wagers that are so popular during the Super Bowl--and we'll do it intent on making you some cash. It's PROPably our favorite time of year, where even our horrible puns go excused.
So, now that we have our matchup and a few of the other particulars, here are some of the standard and generic Super Bowl prop bets that will be offered for the matchup between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.
Some of the fun ones that we'll get to in the coming days include:
- How long will the National Anthem last? This will be an over/under, usually somewhere between 1:30-2:00. This year, the Star Spangled Banner will be performed by Kelly Clarkson. There might also be an over/under on her game-time weight.
- How many times the announcers will say ____? This could be the name of a player not involved in the game but heavily mentioned in the pre-game hype, and similar to the Peyton Manning prop that we played in the NFC Championship Game, you can bet that Eli's older brother (and probably the entire Manning family), will be subject to a prop like this. With the game airing on NBC, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will determine this outcome.
- How many times will cameras show ____? This could again be a famous person or player not involved in the game but in attendance. The Mannings are again a likely candidate here, as are both team owners, particularly the Kraft family.
- Will this be the most watched Super Bowl ever? With two large fan bases in the big TV markets, we will once again be within striking distance of this, as we were when New England and New York met in 2008.
- What color will the liquid poured on the winning coach be? One of our favorites, this will be a multiple choice question. Also known as the Gatorade Shower or Bath or Dunk or Dump, we get pretty in-depth with this one and look forward to breaking it all down again this year. Pick a Gatorade color (or the clear/liquid water option) and wait for it to pour down on either Bill Belichick or Tom Coughlin.
- Who will the game MVP thank first? It could be teammates, a higher power, God, parents, fans, etc. Always think quarterback first here, as the majority of MVPs tend to lean that way. Just ask former Super Bowl MVPs Tom Brady and Eli Manning.
- What songs will the halftime entertainer sing? Madonna will "perform" this year in another version of an artist performing at the Super Bowl well past his/her prime, a reaction, no doubt, to the infamous Wardrobe Malfunction.
- Will the coin toss be heads or tails? In one of the more amazing stats in the Super Bowl prop betting world, the NFC has won 14 straight coin tosses. Even without that knowledge, everyone who has ever touched a quarter qualifies to bet on this prop--and usually just about everyone does.
- Which Super Bowl commercial will have the highest rating according to the USA Today's annual ad meter? Doritos, GoDaddy, Pepsi, Budweiser--basically whichever commercial tries to hard to be funny or uses animals will win this prop because America is stupid. Beer makers, soft drink producers, and some of the other major Super Bowl advertisers will be options.
- Which game will be higher scoring, the Super Bowl or _____? Variations of this will exist, asking whether the Super Bowl score will be higher than a college basketball game on Super Sunday, or if a quarterback will have more completions than a basketball player has points, etc.This year, the easiest bet is to compare this Super Bowl with the previous game featuring these two clubs, 2008 Super Bowl XLII (42).
First, there are your regular lines. The Patriots opened as -3 favorites with an over/under set at 55 1/2. If you don't want to bet on the whole game, break it up into parts and bet the spreads on a quarter-by-quarter basis, updated as the game goes on. The basic bets look like this:
- Spread
- Moneyline
- First half line
- First quarter line
- Second quarter line
- Third quarter line
- Fourth quarter line (not including overtime)
- Over/Under
- Total points scored by the home team (Patriots)
- Total points scored by the visiting team (Giants)
- First team to score
- Last team to score
- First player to score
- What will the first scoring play be? (FG, Run, Pass, Safety, Defense)
- Will the last team to score win the game?
- Will there be a score in the last two minutes of the first half?
- Will either team score three unanswered times?
- Will there be a score in the first six and a half minutes of the game?
- Which team will have the longest touchdown?
- Will there be a successful two-point conversion?
- Will there be a safety?
- Which half will have the highest point score?
- Which quarter will have the highest point score?
- Will the home team ever have the lead?
- Which team will commit the first turnover?
- Which team will use the coaches' challenge first?
- Which team will be the first to call a timeout?
- Will there be overtime?
- Which team will get the first penalty?
- Who will have more yards between a Giants RB/WR (such as Victor Cruz) and Patriots RB/WR (such as Deion Branch)?
- Who will have more tackles/sacks between a Giants defender (such as Justin Tuck) or Patriots defender (such as Vince Wilfork)?
- How many yards will a team's star player (such as Tom Brady or Eli Manning) have? Answers will be in increments. For example: Between 200-240; Between 240-280, etc.)
- Will Player X Score in this game? For players like Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who score nearly every game.
