We hope you’ve enjoyed our look at the history of the Super Bowl and Super Bowl betting. Now it’s time to look to the future, more specifically to February 3, 2013 and Super Bowl XLVII.
It’s never too early to start preparing for the Big Game. The more informed you are, the smarter of a decision you will make when you bet on the Super Bowl. For one thing, we know where the game is going to be played: the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. This will be an advantage to teams who regularly play in domed stadiums – especially the New Orleans Saints, if they can somehow make it to Super Bowl Sunday.
As of Week 12 of the 2012 NFL season, the OVER was 6-2 in the last eight NFL games at the Superdome. The high-powered Saints offense figures heavily in that record, but this is still useful information.
We also have the results of nine previous Super Bowls held at the Superdome:
XXXVI: New England Patriots (+14) 20, St. Louis Rams 17 (UNDER 53)
XXXI: Green Bay Packers (–14) 35, New England Patriots 21 (OVER 49)
XXIV: San Francisco 49ers (–12) 55, Denver Broncos 10 (OVER 48)
XX: Chicago Bears (–10) 46, New England Patriots 10 (OVER 37.5)
XV: Oakland Raiders (+3) 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10 (UNDER 37.5)
XII: Dallas Cowboys (–6) 27, Denver Broncos 10 (UNDER 39)
IX: Pittsburgh Steelers (–3) 16, Minnesota Vikings 6 (UNDER 33)
VI: Dallas Cowboys (–6) 24, Miami Dolphins 3 (UNDER 34)
IV: Kansas City Chiefs (+12) 23, Minnesota Vikings 7 (UNDER 39)
You can see how the league has changed over the years just by looking at those totals. And you can see that the favorites and the OVER are each 3-1 in the last four Super Bowl games at the Superdome. This makes sense; scoring has historically been on the rise in the NFL, spurred on by offense-friendly rule changes and increased accuracy from place-kickers. These developments make it more likely (in theory) that the favorite will score enough points to cover the spread. There are several other factors to consider, of course, but a favorite-OVER parlay might be a smart way to bet Super Bowl XLVII.
If that weren’t enough, we even know that Beyoncé has been selected as this year’s halftime entertainment. This performance will feature prominently on the 2013 Super Bowl props list. You’ll typically be asked something about her wardrobe, her song selection, and perhaps a surprise guest star. These are events that you can anticipate by watching online videos of Beyoncé from her previous performances. Surfing the Web for updates on the Super Bowl halftime show will help keep you on top of things.
What we don’t know yet about the Super Bowl (unless you’re reading this in the future) is which two NFL teams will be playing. But we can give ourselves a head start by focusing on the teams that have the best shot of reaching the title game. We’ll do this by choosing the top four favorites on the Super Bowl XLVII futures market at Bovada, again as of Week 12.