Caroline Michaud: San Francisco to win the Coin Toss (+100)
One of the most exciting parts of the Super Bowl is all of the unique prop bets that are available. From the national anthem and halftime shows to the Gatorade baths and the coin toss, you can bet on anything and everything surrounding this game. Rather than trying to predict which side the coin lands on, I’m betting that San Francisco will win the toss. While Kansas City has won the toss in two of their three recent Super Bowl appearances, that one loss came when these two very teams faced off in February 2020. Additionally, while the 49ers’ coin toss luck has been fairly mediocre in 2023, they set the all-time record for most victorious coin tosses in 2022, with 16 out of 20. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs broke an eight game Super Bowl losing streak for the coin toss winner last year after they were on the right side of a tails coin flip. The 49ers, should they win the toss, will look to extend that outcome into a winning streak for the coin toss winners this time in what will certainly be an exciting matchup.
Ian Gisiger: Gatorade Shower to be Red (+500)
If you get bored of watching an entire football game but still want the rush of Super Bowl Sunday excitement, look no further than the famed Gatorade shower. Never mind the actual game: The most import aspect of the Super Bowl happens after the final snap is taken. While the game can drag on over three hours, the gatorade shower happens in a split second, filling the viewer with a rush of euphoria as the flavor and color are revealed to billions around the world. Picking the right color is a scientific endeavor, and countless hours of research have lead me to this year’s correct flavor with absolute certainty. A casual viewer may miss this clear connection; however, if you utilize this knowledge that I am gifting, you will not be one of them. You see, there is an ancient, five-year-long relationship between gatorade flavor and Super Bowl logo. In the last five Super Bowls, the flavor of choice has been purple, blue, blue, orange then blue. Also in each year, the respective color has been featured as an accent color within the given year’s logo. By this scientifically-backed connection, it’s obvious that this year’s shower will be the bright — yet awful-tasting — red fruit punch Gatorade.
Jack Donovan: Usher’s first song to be “OMG” (+145)
The first half draws to a close. It’s 14-10 49ers after Harrison Butker drilled a 55-yard field goal as time expired. The screen goes dark. It’s silent. Then, out of nowhere comes Usher’s iconically extended “Oh my gosh.” The crowd goes wild. I go wild. You go wild. Usher has arrived and we are all 145 percent richer. When I first looked at this prop on Sunday, Feb. 4, this line was at +370. As I’m writing this on Monday, Feb. 5, it’s jumped to the aforementioned +145. I don’t know if the value is quite as good at such odds, nor do I know if there is some inside information that has caused this line to shift in such a dramatic fashion, but regardless, I really like this pick. It makes too much sense for Usher to start with one of his biggest hits, and while “Yeah!” is probably his most popular song, that’s more of a song to perform at the peak or end of the concert than the beginning. Other famous jams — such as “My Boo” — also feel like songs that would better fit the vibe of the middle or end of the show. “OMG,” on the other hand, is perfect. It’s got an iconic opening line, is upbeat without being too hype to open with and is extremely well-known.
Richie Rosen: Over Five Camera Cutaways to Taylor Swift (-165)
One of the biggest storylines surrounding Super Bowl LVIII is the relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. The amount of times the pop-star has been shown on screen during Chiefs games recently is a hot button topic, upsetting some fans while also bringing a large quantity of her fans — known as “Swifties” — to start following the sport. I guess what will really determine how many cutaways we get to the box is the amount of successful targets that Kelce gets throughout the game. With the Chiefs’ receiving core looking shakier than ever this year, I’d say that there is a very good chance that Kelce hauls in at least five passes during the game. Mahomes will want to lean on his most reliable target in the biggest moments, and there is no bigger moment than the Super Bowl. Cameramen probably won’t cut to the box for all of the catches, but I can guarantee you that the league’s PR team has given them the green light to cut to Swift and co. cheering on the fantastic Kelce as many times as they can cram into 60 minutes of game time.
Samantha Wotring: Reba McEntire’s National Anthem Performance Over 90.5 seconds (+102)
The history of the over/under prop for the length of “The Star Spangled Banner” began in 2007. There have been nine overs and seven unders with one push since its inception. Whitney Houston’s legendary 1991 performance — which clocked in at 116 seconds — began the obsession with the anthem. As a country music icon and no stranger to singing national anthems, Reba McEntire is a pro at belting “The Star Spangled Banner” in a timely, efficient and traditional American style. Her long history of national anthem-singing and short run times — her quickest being 83 seconds — must inform our decisions around length of performance. However, armed with the knowledge that singers tend to elongate their performance on such a large stage and the fact that McEntire — Country Music Hall of Famer and Hollywood Bowl member — is no doubt aware of the many country fans tuning in to see her perform, I’m counting on the performance going over 90.5 seconds.
