Super Bowl 2014: 5 Over/Under Predictions
By Mike Dyce
Super Bowl Sunday is here, and the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are squaring off in the big game. So if you’re going to a Super Bowl party and making some friendly wagers on prop bets we got you covered. Here are five over/under prop bets and how you should be them. We tried to go with ones that are more fun than purely statistically based.
1. How long will it take Renee Fleming to sing the official US National Anthem? Over/Under 2 minutes 25 seconds
The record for longest National Anthem at the Super Bowl was set last year by Alicia Keys who sang it in two minutes and 36.4 seconds. The previous record was Natalie Cole’s two minutes and 32 second performance. That means the over/under line is high which should make the under look appealing if it was your average pop star performing it. Fleming is an opera singer though and I think this means it is going to be stretched out so I’m taking the over.
2. How many times will Eli Manning be shown on TV during the game? Over/Under 1.5 times
This seems to me to be a no-brainer, take the over. Picture this: Peyton Manning’s family is here shot. One time right there. Then, game is close and Eli is stressing for his brother. That is twice. MetLife Stadium is the home of Eli, another shot. I can think of a bunch of other instances they’d cut away to show Eli. Take the over.
3. How many times will “12th man” be said during the game? Over/Under 2 times
This seems like another no brainer, take the over. They’ll say it at the beginning guaranteed. Then I can imagine a couple of instances where they’d say “12th man” including “I bet the defense wishes that loud 12th man was at MetLife” or “look at these 12th men who made it to the game.”
4. How many times will “Beast Mode” be said during the game? Over/Under 2 times
This seems like another no-brainer, take the over. All it takes is introducing Marshawn Lynch of referencing him the first time or him making a big run. Heck, I can imagine them saying “they could use a beast mode run from Lynch right about now.”
5. How many times will Peyton Manning say “Omaha” during the game? Over/Under 27.5 times
This is the hardest one out of all the over/unders in my opinion. I think with all the attention the word is getting he’d be inclined to say it less. In the AFC divisional round against the San Diego Chargers he said “Omaha” 44 times. During the AFC Championship game that dropped all the way to 31 times. Still, since no one seems to know what the word means and that it changes based on the situation, I think they’ll keep it. Follow history and take the over.