As money rolls in across the world on the money line, spread, and total bets for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55, many a bettor have chosen to go an unconventional route: Non-football props.
Close to four billion dollars will be wagered on three props alone: the coin-toss, the color of the liquid poured on the winning coach, and the anthem length.
Unfortunately, the over/under on the anthem length has been pulled by most sportsbooks after a video of someone timing the anthem rehearsal was posted on Twitter and clocked at 2:15, much longer than the over/under set at books (1:45).
While the anthem bets are no longer an option, there are plenty of other non-football props to spice up your Super Bowl. Below are my four favorite non-football picks, all of which can be found on BetOnline.ag.
Coin Flip
Heads: -105
Tails: -105
Of all non-football Super Bowl props, the coin flip draws the most money. Millions of dollars will be on the line Sunday before the game even starts.
With 54 Super Bowls played, heads has come up only 46 percent of the time for a total of 24 heads. Tails has seen far more success for a bet that has literally a 50/50 shot. Most recently, five of the last seven coin flips have landed on tails.
This year, we’ve seen an influx of tails bets. Per David Purdum, we’d seen 52 percent of the money landing on tails a week before the Super Bowl.
Still, the numbers haven’t deterred heads bettors. One bettor at FanDuel wagered $5,000 that the tails streak would be broken in Super Bowl 55.
For my bet, I’m riding with heads to bring the flip count closer to the 50-50 mark it should be at. Tails gonna fail eventually, right?
PICK: Heads: -105
Will “LeBron” Be Said on the Broadcast?
No: -400
Yes: +250
In the week before the Super Bowl, I can’t count how many times I’ve turned on a sports talk show or scrolled through social media and come across the “GOAT” debate. It’s almost unavoidable when you have one player going for his seventh Super Bowl win at age 43, and another going for his second straight in only his third fulls season.
Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes will be the topic of conversation all game, and rightfully so. One is holding on to his crown for dear life, and the other is looking to snatch it.
I’d be shocked if cross-sport comparisons never come up during the broadcast, especially with LeBron performing at the level he’s at now.
James is playing at an MVP level and has friendships with both Brady and Mahomes. You can guarantee LeBron will be active on social media during the game, and he’ll inevitably tweet about an electric play from one of his buddies on the field.
With all these factors, I sincerely doubt LeBron James’ name is avoided all broadcast. I’m astounded that “Yes” is an underdog—and a pretty juicy one at that.
PICK: YES +250
How Many Times Will “Belichick” Be Said?
Over 1 time: -400
Under 1 time: +250
For two decades, it was nearly impossible to mention Tom Brady and not bring up Bill Belichick.
While Brady is considered by many to be the greatest football player of all time, Belichick gets the same attention as the greatest coach of all time.
When Brady first left for Tampa Bay, Belichick was discussed almost as much as his former quarterback in the weeks after.
Analysts everywhere discussed what Belichick would do without his greatest weapon, how the relationship dissolved between the duo, and the Patriots’ future.
Months later, we know the outcome. Belichick and the Pats missed the playoffs, while Brady marshaled the Buccaneers one game away from immortality.
Even with Belichick’s relatively uneventful season, the two are and will always be linked.
The broadcast will obviously bring up Brady’s past Super Bowl success, and it’s impossible to do that without saying Belichick’s name. It’s a near-lock that Brady’s former coach is name-dropped at least once.
One mention means the bet pushes, and I’ll take my odds that it happens at least once more after, especially if the Buccaneers triumph. There’s some heavy juice here at -400, but it’s worth it to eat it here.
PICK: Over 1 time: -400
Color of Liquid Poured on Coach
Orange +150
Clear +200
Red/Pink +350
Blue +550
Yellow/Green/Lime +650
The Gatorade shower has been the second favorite prop for bettors worldwide after the coin flip.
In this year’s matchup, orange has taken the favorite spot for the second straight year for two main reasons.
First off, orange Gatorade has a great Super Bowl track record. In four out of the last 10 years, the winning coach has been showered with orange liquid. If you take out years where there was no liquid poured (twice), that number is bumped up to 50 percent.
Last year, Andy Reid was the recipient of an orange on-field shower.
Additionally, both teams wear red and orange colors. The general way of thinking is that whichever team comes out on top, the best photoshoot will be with a liquid color that meshes well with the uniforms.
The Chiefs went orange last year. The Patriots went blue the year before. Five years ago, the Broncos went orange as well. The only teams to break the trend in the five-year span are the Eagles in 2018 (yellow) and the Patriots in 2017 (no liquid).
Of all the props listed here, this is the biggest crapshoot. With so many options and such a random chance, I’ll take the bet that gives me the biggest bang for my buck. Give me Yellow/Green/Lime to cover a few choices and a juicy +650 return.
PICK: Yellow/Green/Lime +650
Good luck to all Super Bowl prop bets and bettors and let’s hope for a great game on Sunday!
Follow Us
Subscribe