Unsurprisingly, Super Bowl LVI has been dominating the sports pages over the past week or so, and in particular, the fact that the Bengals were there for the first time in 33 years. After the dust settled on the Championship games, the Bengals were quoted as 8/5 outsiders for the Super Bowl, odds that had shortened from an incredible 150/1 preseason. Yet that’s nothing we haven’t seen before on the world’s biggest stage.
Why everyone cares
Sports betting odds are usually interesting to sports fans but to nobody else. The Super Bowl, though, turns everyone into not just sports followers but also passionate gamblers for a weekend. Of course, that’s far easier in this age of legalized sports betting and online sports books than it used to be, and although there are also far more sports betting options, a simple moneyline bet with cash out enabled from a big name like Bet365 is ideal for occasional or inexperienced sports bettors. There are lengthy online explanations that answer the question of how does Bet365’s cash out work if more details are needed.
The biggest underdogs ever?
Let’s be under no illusions here, 150/1 preseason odds are on the long side. Only on two occasions have a team gone into a regular season at longer odds, and in those cases, the Browns went 0/16 and the Lions went 1/15.
In fact, the bookmakers have already published odds a year in advance for Super Bowl LVII and the longest offered on any team are the Dolphins at 120/1. A case of the bookies being once bitten and twice shy, so battening down the hatches for the season ahead? That’s perfectly possible, but this hasn’t been the first time a 150/1 preseason outsider has made it to the Super Bowl.
Rams have been there and done it
In a season that was full of twists, turns and upsets, it was interesting to note that the one place that avoided all the “Joe Burrow will get buried” hyperbole was the Rams camp. Sure, they must have been brimming with confidence but they also knew that this is a place where anything can happen. After all, they themselves went into Super Bowl XXXIV having been quoted at the same preseason odds of 150/1 and they went on to win a game that has gone down in history as one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time.
Expect the unexpected
It is often said in sport that when you reach the knockout stages of a tournament, anything can happen. However, history has shown time again that the regular season is just as capable of throwing up surprises as the playoffs. It’s all part of the NFL magic that viewers and punters around the world find so compelling. Time to head to the sports books and put a few dollars on the Dolphins for next year? Why not – after all, we can accurately say that stranger things have happened!
