2007 Super Bowl: The odds, Just in case, Looking ahead and Super bets

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

2007 Super Bowl: The odds
Despite the Steelers' run to Super Bowl XL, Las Vegas oddsmakers are lukewarm about their chances to repeat in 2007. The Indianapolis Colts instead draw their early favor, with the Steelers and Patriots tied for second favorite. A look at the odds from the Las Vegas Hilton Race & Sports Book:
Team	Odds
Indianapolis Colts	4-1
Steelers	8-1
New England Patriots	8-1
Seattle Seahawks	10-1
San Diego Chargers	10-1
Denver Broncos	10-1
Carolina Panthers	14-1
Kansas City Chiefs	15-1
Cincinnati Bengals	20-1
Dallas Cowboys	22-1
Washington Redskins	22-1
New York Giants	22-1
Chicago Bears	22-1
Philadelphia Eagles	22-1
Jacksonville Jaguars	30-1
Minnesota Vikings	30-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	30-1
Atlanta Falcons	30-1
Miami Dolphins	40-1
Baltimore Ravens	40-1
Oakland Raiders	50-1
St. Louis Rams	60-1
Detroit Lions	75-1
Arizona Cardinals	75-1
Buffalo Bills	100-1
Cleveland Browns	100-1
New York Jets	100-1
Green Bay Packers	100-1
Houston Texans	100-1
Tennessee Titans	100-1
New Orleans Saints	200-1
San Francisco 49ers	200-1
Note: The MGM Mirage Race & Sports Book gives the Steelers better odds, but places more teams ahead of them. They are given 6-1 odds to repeat. The Colts (4-1), Patriots (4-1) and Seahawks (5-1) are listed above them.

Just in case ...

Host cities for the next four Super Bowls:

2007: Miami

2008: Glendale, Ariz.

2009: Tampa, Fla.

2010: Miami

Looking ahead ...

While there is no rumor or report to back this up, and while the NFL schedule will not be released until spring, Steelers fans might want to note that five of the past six Super Bowl champions have opened the following season in prime time -- either Monday night or Thursday night. The New England Patriots opened each of the past two seasons on Thursday night -- against Indianapolis in 2004 and Oakland in 2005.

Super bets

One last little factoid on this Super Bowl season for the Steelers:

Nevada's legal sports books made money on Super Bowl bets as gamblers set a record of $94.5 million in wagers.

Figures released this week by the state Gaming Control Board showed the state's 176 licensed books won $8.8 million in the Steelers' 21-10 victory vs. Seattle in the NFL title game.

The betting handle eclipsed the previous record of $90.8 million, set in 2005. But last year, the books won $15.4 million for a 17 percent winning percentage as New England beat Philadelphia, 24-21.

First published on February 12, 2006 at 12:00 am