Shepkowski: My Super Bowl Prop Picks
By Nick Shepkowski--
Many people will "take to the window" this weekend in hopes of making a few bucks on Super Bowl XLV. Sure, there is the traditional spread where Green Bay is currently favored by 2.5 in most books, and the over/under total which is set in most places around 45 points, but the Super Bowl offers countless props for wagereres to risk money on.
Who will win the game MVP? Who will score the first touchdowns? How many touchdowns will either of the starting quarterbacks throw? All of these along with a whole lot of other events on Super Bowl Sunday offer a chance to make or lose you money. Here's my best guesses at the outcomes of a couple of the many bets the books are offering this Sunday.
Christina Aguilera National Anthem Length: Over 1:54 (-175)
-The last known national anthem she performed was 1:54 long, I can only assume she holds that final note a hair longer on sports biggest stage this Sunday.
Team to score first: Green Bay (-125)
-The Steelers like to start on defense, the Packers prefer to start with the ball. Whomever wins the coin toss I assume the Packers will get the first crack at points and Sunday and at least walk away with a field goal on the game's first possession.
Player to Score First Touchdown: Greg Jennings (13/2)
-Piggybacking on my guess that the Packers get first dibs at points, I'll go with Greg Jennings to score the games first touchdown as he was responsible for the first Packers touchdown 4 times in the 17 games they got in the endzone in this season. For those who thinks the Steelers will make a stop, Rashard Mendenhall scored the Steelers first touchdown 8 times this season and is currently a 5/1 pick.
Game MVP: Aaron Rodgers (3/2)
-I'm with most of America in predicting the Packers win a close contest. Of the 44 Super Bowls played, 24 have wound up with the winning quarterback as the game's MVP (54.5%). The biggest key to the Packers winning this game will come down to if they can throw on Pittsburgh since the Steelers don't allow anyone to run on them. I'm guessing the Packers and Rodgers are able to do so; it may not be a longshot by any means but I'll take my chances on the most common player in Super Bowl history to win the game's MVP.
Alternate Spread: Packers -7.5 (+195)
-The Steelers will be attacked by BJ Raji without pro-bowl center Maurkice Pouncey. That will effect Pittsburgh's running attack and limit Rashard Mendenhall and in turn give the Packers more attempts at the end zone. They run away late and I'll take the near 2/1 odds being offered for the Pack to win by more than a touchdown.
Are any of these guaranteed to come through? No, so wager at your own risk and don't blame me for your losses, but these will be the props bets I'll be playing on Super Bowl Sunday.
-All odds courtesy of Bodog.com
