Follow The Money Vegas Likes The Pats To Win It All

[Patriots2001]

Now it does not mean they will win but it shows where the money is and money has no emotion or bias..


Super Bowl Odds: Patriots Are Favorites To Win It All, 49ers Expected To Meet Them In The Big Game
by Tyler Nickel on Jan 17, 2012 7:00 AM MST in

Both the AFC and the NFC championship games are set for next week, with the Patriots taking on the Ravens in Foxborough and the Giants heading to the Bay Area to take on the 49ers. Both should be entertaining games, especially if you are one of the many bettors with money on the line.

Vegas has released their latest betting lines and odds for who they believe will not only win each game Sunday, but also for which team will be traveling to the White House after they win the Super Bowl. After the jump, let's take a look at some of those odds and some possible explanations as to why they are set the way they are.



Apparently ESPN isn't the only bunch that is enamored with Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, as Vegas gives the Pats the highest odds of taking home the Lombardi Trophy. According to Bovada, New England's odds to win it all are at 6/5, with the Niners and Giants trailing with 3/1 odds. The Ravens get no love, sitting with a current 6/1 outside chance.

New England played well on both sides of the ball against Denver and came away with a convincing victory, leading to their current 6/5 line. Both the Niners and Giants beat teams that were expected to possibly make it past the divisional round, so their stock has gone up over the past week as well. Baltimore's offense looked paltry against the Texans on Sunday and many doubt that their scoring output will be enough to match that of the Patriots.

Vegas also expects the Patriots and the 49ers to be the two teams that meet in February. The odds sit at 6/5 for that matchup, with the Giants and Patriots rematch at 9/5. The odds of a "Harbaugh Bowl" are given a 9/2 chance and a face-off between the Giants and Ravens seems unlikely, garnering a 13/2 line.

If I were a betting man, I would say that the Patriots/49ers matchup is worth putting a little bit of money on. Both teams played phenomenally last week and both have home field advantage for their games this weekend. So far, the home teams are 7-1 in the playoffs this year.

The most interesting line from Bovada is that the AFC is favored by 2.5 points to win the Super Bowl. Now, this may seem obvious considering that the Patriots are expected to win, but this line has moved dramatically since the beginning of the postseason. When the playoffs started, the NFC was the conference that was the favorite to win it all -- by 4.5 points.

With the Packers and Saints being eliminated from contention last weekend, many feel that the two strongest challengers to the Patriots have been taken out of the picture. Both teams have explosive offenses and were thought to be able to match the fireworks that Tom Brady and the gang inevitably put out week after week. It will be interesting to see how these lines move not only throughout the week, but also after the conference championship winners have been decided.

What do you think of these odds and who do you think will win the Super Bowl this season? Do you plan on laying any money down on the games? Leave your comments below.


Super Bowl Odds: Patriots Are Favorites To Win It All, 49ers Expected To Meet Them In The Big Game - Revenge of the Birds

 

[fnordcircle]

Vegas odds are about managing the lines so they don't get upside down on a bet that goes the way most of the money is going. It's really more of a 'Most of the money is going to go on the Patriots so we need to set the odds so we break even at worst'.

All a book needs to do to make bank is to break even since they make money on the juice no matter what.

 

[thenepatsrule]

ESPN and NFL Network need to get rid of some of the jokers they have as football commentators and hire some people from vegas :rocker:

 

[Rusty Coupe]

NFLN posted their 2012 mock draft with S.F. picking 31, and the Patriots at 32. Since the Saints are already out of the playoffs this can only mean one thing.
Mock Drafts Central

 

[JMarr]

Too bad the Packers and Saints are out because the Pats' odds might be 3-1 (or more) right now. I would take that any day of the week.

I also wish the Pack and Saints were still around because being the favorite hasn't worked out so well for us lately.

 

[mgteich]

The people who back up their opinions by betting cold hard cash favor the patriots. It's that simple. The line is simply a moving representation of the money being bet and expected to be bet. In total, Vegas rarely cares who wins.

And just BTW, this makes sense because the patriots are heavily favored this Sunday. The NFC game is expected to be close. The betting line does not mean that folks think that the patriots are a much better team than the rest. After all, if the the giants, pats and 49ers were all considered equal, then the patriots would be heavy favorites because of the relatively weak team that we are playing. Being favored by a touchdown is a lot.

 

[Patradomous]

kiss of death

 

[naF staP]

Anyone know what the AFC and NFC home team record is for the divisional championship game?