Some Interesting Super Bowl Betting Lines

Bill Barnwell posted this over on Grantland this morning (link here) but I just wanted to show you some interesting lines. Keep in mind that these are all legitimate lines, either from the Las Vegas Hotel or Bovada. Combined, they have like 500 lines to bet on just for this one game but I'm going to give you the five best. And keep in mind, "best" can mean whatever I want it to mean because I am a blogger.

Quick note on how betting works: a +150 means you win $150 in addition to the $100 you spent. A -150 means you need to spend $150 to win $100 - but you also get your original $150 back. I'm pretty sure that's how it works.  

5. Will Kelly Clarkson's stomach be bare when she sings the national anthem?
Yes (+300)
Let's just get this one out of the way. It's funny when you consider that this is what Kelly Clarkson used to look like:

...and this is what she looks like now:

The logical thing to do would be to hope that she doesn't bare her stomach. For her sake and for America's. Game over on the betting side. But I do have this one question for all my Kelly Clarkson fans: does her website (and her fan sites too, I guess) use images of her from when she was hot or images of what she looks like now? 

4. Who will have more?

Brandon Jacobs Touchdowns (-300)

Wayne Rooney Goals vs. Chelsea (Feb. 5) (+250)

For professional gamblers and gambling addicts only: let's bet on both kinds of football at the same time. Jacobs hasn't played a lot, but he does get most of his carries in the red zone so he does score a fairly sizable amount of touchdowns. Rooney is a goal machine, of course, and the Chelsea defense (while talented) can really only hope to contain him. I'm taking Rooney.

3. Who will have more receiving yards?

Travis Beckum (-30.5 yards) (-110)

Deion Branch (+30.5 yards) (-110)

Chances are, Beckum isn't going to have a whole lot of yards. Probably none, actually. However, Branch also generally ends games with less than 30.5 yards. The big question here is if Rob Gronkowski is playing or not - if he isn't, then 10-15 targets and 100-150 yards opens up for the other Pats receivers to grab. If I had to decide now, I'd take Beckum just for the irony of the situation. But we'll see what happens as next weekend gets closer and we get more information on Gronk. 

2. BONUS: Free $7.69

Will there be a safety?

Yes (+900)

No (-1300)

Statistically speaking, there is around a 3% chance of a safety happening (thanks to Bill Barnwell for doing that math so I didn't have to). If you're down with betting $100 dollars on the 97% chance that no safety happens, you're welcome. If 8 bucks isn't enough for you then you could even bet $1,000,000 and win enough money for a low-end Jaguar. I'm not sure if banks offer loans for gambling (even though this is a sure thing), but you may want to give you local Citizens' Bank branch a call and inquire about borrowing a milli to bet next Sunday. 

...or, if you were looking for another way to finance a low-end luxury car...

1. Which player will score the first touchdown? (must be a rushing/receiving TD - no passing)

Gronk (+500)

Hakeem Nicks (+700)

Victor Cruz (+800)

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (+900)

Jake Ballard (+2000)

Chad Ochocinco (+4000)

Field (+800)

No Touchdown Scored (+50000)

I think Vegas is going to seduce a lot of people into betting on Chad Johnson with that +4000. Benefiting those betters is this: if Chad doesn't play then it's just a push and everyone who bet on him gets their money back. 

But, you could bet $100 on No Touchdown Scored. And if by some miracle (I mean, the Giants' D-line is good and the Patriots have a really good punter) that it happens (well, we know the coaches have faith in Tynes and Gostkowski) then you get enough money to buy a new truck (and Eli could choke and Brady could have problems going into Peyton's house again). 

Perhaps I'm just justifying the most ridiculous betting line I've ever seen. But hey, then again....