The Green Bay Packers are heading into Sunday's game as the favorite, but that might not be a good thing according to the Super Bowl trends.
In last year's Super Bowl, the Colts were a 4.5-point favorite against the Saints. That favorite status did little good for the Colts as they were blasted 31-17. Two years earlier the Patriots also failed to get it done as the favorites when they were upset 17-14 by the Giants as 12.5-point chalk.
In the last 10 Super Bowls, taking the favorite hasn't been a very smart wager for bettors. In those 10 games the favorite was only 5-5 SU and even worse ATS at 2-8. The only favorites to cover in the Super Bowl in the last decade were the Colts (-7) over the Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI and the Steelers (-3) over the Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL.
Green Bay's last two Super Bowl appearances as the favorite haven't exactly gone as planned either. They defeated the Patriots 35-21 back in Super Bowl XXXI, but that was a push on the 14-point spread. A year later in Super Bowl XXXII the Packers were a big 11.5-point favorite against Denver only to lose 31-24.
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However, the Packers are a money-making 10-3 ATS in their past 13 games overall and are 6-2 ATS their past 8 games away from Lambeau.
Adding more trends fuel to the fire for an upset is Pittsburgh's sparkling record as an underdog. This season when the Steelers were the underdog they were 3-1 SU and ATS. In their last nine games as the underdog the Steelers are 7-2 SU and 8-1 ATS.
The trends are also pointing the way for totals bettors, with the UNDER looking pretty good on the 45.5-point posted total. Last year's Super Bowl went UNDER the total, and so have five of the last six. This game also features the top scoring defenses in the league this season, so points could be at a premium.
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Before the Super Bowl kicks off bettors have a week to wait, but they can still scratch their betting itch with this weekend's Pro Bowl odds.
Back in Hawaii this year, the NFC is a slight favorite at -1.5 at Sportsbook. The AFC won last year 41-34, ending the NFC's short two-game winning streak. The AFC hasn't won back-to-back Pro Bowls since their three-peat from 2001-03.
The smartest bet on the Pro Bowl this weekend may be taking the OVER on the posted total of 62. Last season 75 points were put on the board in Miami, and in six of the last 10 Pro Bowls the score has rocketed over 60.
In the past 11 Pro Bowls, the OVER has prevailed 9 times! [ Best Pro Bowl OVER line? Check out Sportsbook to learn more. ]
