Propping up the Super Bowl

Hey fans, do you feel like need something other than excessive quantities of beer and nachos to make this stupid steeler-infested game more interesting? How about some ridiculous prop bets?! These are courtesy of Jimmy Shapiro from bodog.com. Apparently, Richard Garnder, the sportsbook manager there, has constructed roughly 1000 of these. Remember, for those of you unfamiliar with how betting works, a negative number means a favorite and a positive means the underdog. So if you take something at -200, it means you have to put up 200 to win 100. If you take it at +150, you only need to post 100 to win 150. Got it?

Sorry about the formatting - Blogger stupidly disallows multiple spacebars.


Will Barack Obama bring back US tradition and call winning team before broadcast goes off the air?
Yes +150
No -225
I can't say I'm familiar with the tradition, but I can tell you that one year my friend Gopo called the number advertising the winning team's championship gear to ask if they would sell him the losing team's championship gear and they seemed willing to. I'd love to have a Steelers 2008 Super Bowl Champions shirt if they lost.


How Many Times will NBC show Brenda Warner on TV during the Game?
Over/Under 3 ½
Take the over - you can't tell her apart from Kurt!


How many times will Al Michaels and John Madden reference Ben Roethlisberger as “Big Ben” during the Game?
Over/Under 7 ½
Under, because they have started calling him simply "Ben," like they're boys.


How many food references will John Madden make during the game?
Over/Under 1 ½
Does a turducken count as three? Over.


What Betting Line will Al Michaels allude to or mention first during the Game?
Pointspread -200
Total +150
Great prop bet here. Even at -200, I'm taking the spread.


Will Matt Millen pick the correct team to win the SB on the NBC Pregame?
Yes -270
No +210
There's no better commentary on the respect Millen commands from fans and gamblers alike than the existence of this bet. However, it really has nothing to do with Millen - he's going to pick the Steelers, so they're basically putting a money line on the game's outcome.


Which Team's Cheerleaders will be shown more often on camera?
Pittsburgh -175
Arizona +135
Pittsburgh has cheerleaders? Put the cash on Arizona - they're bound to be hotter.


What will the TV Rating be, O/U (Nielsen)
Over/Under 42.5
I've said this in the past, but I can't understand how a Super Bowl can be less than 100.


What Super Bowl will average more viewers?
Super Bowl XL +110
Super Bowl XLIII -150
A bet on this should automatically put your name on a Potential Problem Gambler list, like how when you get cold medicine at the pharmacy you have to sign up for the May Be Addicted to Narcotics list.


Who will have the largest market share in TV Ratings?
Arizona +300
Pennsylvania -500
As if Arizona's elderly population has a chance to make it through the second half.


Which Super Bowl commercial will have a higher rating on USA Today's annual Ad Meter?
Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser 1/1
Doritos 3/1
Pepsi 3/1
Coca-Cola 4/1
McDonald’s 7/1
Go Daddy.com 8/1
Other 2/1
godaddy should be like 35/1 after their past performance. I still don't know what they sell. I'd put money on the ShamWow! if I could.


What brand of Anheuser-Busch will have more commercials on Super Bowl Sunday?
Bud Light +200
Budweiser -300
This question makes me pine for the days when the Bud Bowl was on and featured animation of bottles playing football.


How long will it take Jennifer Hudson to sing the National anthem?
Over/Under 1:54
Admit it: you have no idea how long this song is.


What Song will Bruce Springsteen sing to begin his Halftime Show at the Super Bowl?
Born in the USA 2/1
Glory Days 2/1
The Rising 4/1
Born to Run 5/1
The Wrestler 5/1
Radio Nowhere 8/1
I’m on Fire 12/1
If you're Bruce, why not put $1 million on "I'm on Fire" and play a few bars to collect $12 million?

What Song will Bruce Springsteen sing to End his Halftime Show at the Super Bowl?
Born in the USA 2/1
Born to Run 3/2
Glory Days 4/1
The Rising 4/1
The Wrestler 5/1
Radio Nowhere 8/1
I’m on Fire 12/1
I'm serious - close with it, too!


Which NBC Show will get the most Promos during the game?
The Office 5/4
Heroes 7/4
30 Rock 5/2
Chuck 11/2
Friday Night Lights 8/1
Jay Leno 15/1
Conan O’Brien 15/1
Stay away, bettors!


Will Jay Leno make an appearance during the Super Bowl Pre Game Show?
Yes -140
No Even
Weird bet, because someone must already know the answer to this.


Random Props

Will Kurt Warner break Joe Montana’s Super Bowl Record of 1142 career Passing Yards?
Yes +500
No -800
(Kurt Warner needs 364 Passing Yards to break the record)
Somehow, I don't see the old boy hanging 365 on the Steeler defense.


Who will the MVP of the Game thank first?
God 1/1
Teammates 2/1
Family 4/1
Coach 7/1
Doesn't thank anyone 3/1
Back when Warner was QB of the Rams, I bet you had to lay pretty good odds to get "God."


What Color will the Gatorade be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team?
Clear/Water 4/5
Red 5/2
Yellow 3/1
Blue 7/1
Orange 7/1
Lime Green 10/1
Lime Green at 10/1? That's the best kind!


What side of the ball with the Players that perform the Gatorade Shower be from?
Offensive Even
Defensive -130
No special teams?


How many current NFL Players will be arrested during Super Bowl Week?
Over 1 Even
Under 1 -140
This is going to be a push. There's always one.


What Color will Bill Bidwill’s bow tie be?
Red -500
Any Other Color +300
This frustrates me on several levels, let's just move on.


How many planes will be included in the Pregame Fly Over?
2 or less 6/1
3 4/1
4 3/1
5 5/4
6 or More 2/1
Can we get an over/under on taxpayer dollars wasted by said flyover?


Who will win the Madden Super Bowl?
Pittsburgh -300
Arizona +200
I feel like I should know what this means.


What will happen with the Stock Market the day after Super Bowl XLIV?
Pittsburgh Wins Market Up 3/2
Pittsburgh Losses Market Down 5/2
Arizona Wins Market Up 2/1
Arizona Losses Market Down 7/4
I assume if you take one of these and the SB outcome isn't correct, it's a push?


Historical Props

Historical matchup - Total Passing Yards Ben Roethlisberger Super Bowl XL vs. Ben Roethlisberger Super Bowl XLIII
Ben Roethlisberger Super Bowl XL +96.5 Yards
Ben Roethlisberger Super Bowl XLIII -96.5 Yards
(Ben Roethlisberger had 123 Passing Yards in Super Bowl XL)
Worst SB performance by a winning QB ever. I think he'll top 219 easily this time.


Historical matchup - Total Passing Yards Kurt Warner Super Bowl XXXIV vs. Kurt Warner Super Bowl XLIII
Kurt Warner Super Bowl XXXIV -148.5 Yards
Kurt Warner Super Bowl XLIII +148.5 Yards
(Kurt Warner had 415 Passing Yards in Super Bowl XXXIV)
Wow, 415, that's a ton.


Historical matchup - Total Passing Yards Kurt Warner Super Bowl XXXVI vs. Kurt Warner Super Bowl XLIII
Kurt Warner Super Bowl XXXVI -99.5 Yards
Kurt Warner Super Bowl XLIII +99.5 Yards
(Kurt Warner had 365 Passing Yards in Super Bowl XXXVI)
Interesting that this o/u line is set one yard lower than the previous otherwise identical bet.


Historical matchup - Total Rushing Yards Willie Parker Super Bowl XL vs. Willie Parker Super Bowl XLIII
Willie Parker Super Bowl XL -13.5 Yards
Willie Parker Super Bowl XLIII +13.5 Yards
(Willie Parker had 93 Rushing Yards in Super Bowl XL)
Really, you don't think Parker will get 80? This seems like easy money to me.


Francis props

How many dumb articles will be written before and after the Super Bowl calling it "overhyped" even though it makes perfect sense to hype arguably America's biggest cultural and sporting event?
Over/under 430 million


Which came first?
Chicken -150
Egg +130


Which team is still better than the Steelers?
Cavs -1000
Indians -1000


How many beers per Browns fan will it take to stomach this game?
Over/under 8.5


Historical matchup - Refs openly trying to help the Steelers win Super Bowl XL vs. Refs openly trying to help the Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII
Refs SB XL -2 refs
Refs SB XLIII +2 refs