Three NFL Playoff Bar Bets Offered Up By The Wiz

I am fresh off my trip to Primm, Nevada where I wagered 1,100 units on the Auburn Tigers at plus 8 ½ points. My ROI Monday night based on the three different scenarios shown below are:

• Florida State wins by more than 8 ½ +$1,400
• Auburn wins +$900
• Florida State wins but by less than 8 ½ +$3,500

I got right down to work on the NFL Playoffs by putting together my final chart for all twelve playoff teams. I came away with three facts that might win you some bar bets:

1) Which team has the best rushing differential? That is rushing FOR yards divided by rushing AGAINST yards. I am sure you would get plenty of answers before the correct one: The Philadelphia Eagles with 1.54 yards gained for every 1.00 given up. Defense and a good ground game are almost always a trait of a Super Bowl winner.

2) The next winning bar bet is which playoff team has the quarterback with the highest QB Rating? 99 out of 100 people would blurt out Peyton Manning without the slightest hesitation. The correct answer is once again the Philadelphia Eagles. Nick Foles has a rating of 119.2 while Peyton ended the year at 115.1.

3) Which playoff team has the lowest rated QB? Shockingly the correct answer is the Colts with Andrew Luck at 87.0. Now don’t get me wrong I love Luck and believe he has a very bright and long future in the NFL but the numbers do not lie.

Below are the current odds to win the Super Bowl posted at the LVH (old Las Vegas Hilton) Monday, December 30th:

• PATRIOTS  7/1
• 49ERS 7/1
• BRONCOS 5-2
• PACKERS 16/1
• SEAHAWKS 2/1
• SAINTS 25/1
• BENGALS 16/1
• CHARGERS 40/1
• COLTS 25/1
• PANTHERS 10/1
• EAGLES 25/1
• CHIEFS 30/1

If you follow this space regularly then you know I have 100 units each on the four teams below at the odds I bet them at in early October:

• 49ers 8/1
• Seahawks 5/1
• Colts 15/1
• Chiefs 20/1

The numbers above tell me that the boys in Las Vegas think I made two really bad investments (the Chiefs and Colts) but something we all learned last January/February is that the BEST team does not always win the Super Bowl. Now Peyton and company may very well take down the Lombardi Trophy but at 5/2 I think they are a poor investment. If you are looking for a couple of double digit long shots to “invest” in then the Panthers at 10/1 and the Eagles at 25/1 would be my choice. Thanks for logging in and Good Luck to all of you during the playoff run.