Super Bowl 50: Top 10 prop bets that paid off big time

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; A Carolina Panthers fan reacts in the stands after the Carolina Panthers lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

Super Bowl 50 was heralded as one of the greatest sporting events in history and provided a unique opportunity to make some serious cash, too.

Well the clocks have hit zero on the 2015-16 season in the NFL and that all came to a close when the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. There were fans from both teams represented at the game in silver and black with a tinge of orange crush.

But fans of the Panthers and Broncos weren’t the only participants in Super Bowl 50. There was an infusion of gamblers and prop betters looking to make a pretty penny at the expense of some unusual circumstances.There were some funny prop bets, some crazy ones, but there were 10 in-particular that really stood out.

Here are the top 10 prop bets that paid off big time on Super Bowl Sunday.

Next: 10. The Panthers just couldn't get it together

Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship football game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

10. The Panthers just couldn’t get it together

Cam Newton took the league by storm in 2015-16, he brought a 17-1 Panthers squad to the Super Bowl. Newton the night before, won the league MVP award along with the Offensive Player of the Year award.

Speaking of that OPOY trophy, to win this prestigious award you have to score touchdowns and Newton scored 50 of them during this past year including the postseason. So many prop betters figured that Newton would be doing his patented dab or Superman pose on multiple occasions. That wasn’t the case on Super Bowl Sunday.

How many times will Cam Newton do the Open Shirt Superman motion during the game?

Over     2.5        (EVEN, 1/1)

Under   2.5        (-140, 5/7)

(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.) (provided by SBNation.com)

Again, the leading headline was that the Panthers were the odds on favorite to win it all and more likely than not by multiple scores. But not only was there less than 2.5 Superman motions, there was none, zilch, zero. Now that would have been a bet that could’ve won some serious cash.

Next: 9. Mike Carey continues to be the butt of jokes

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery (82) misses a pass defended by Denver Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby (29) during the first quarter in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

9. Mike Carey continues to be the butt of jokes

Everyone knows who Mike Carey is: a retired football official who was hired by CBS to be their officiating aficionado. The only problem is that Carey has a propensity for getting calls wrong on national television.

So much so that there was an actual prop bet that revolved around Carey’s participation in this Super Bowl. Of course personally it would be a call that I actually agreed with that would be wrong, go figure.

Will Mike Carey be wrong about a challenge?

Yes      +110 (11/10)

No        -150 (2/3)

(Note: He must be consulted on live broadcast and must clearly take a stance on his position. If not consulted wagers will be No Action.) (provided by SBNation.com)

The specific call I’m referencing is seen in the photo above. Referees and the NFL have been taking a ton of criticism from fans and analysts about what a catch really is. This catch/no catch (shown above) won’t help matters.

So anyone who bet on Carey’s ineptitude certainly took advantage and their wallets appreciated it. But who knows what a catch is anymore, I give up.

Next: 8. So close, yet so far

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak looks at the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

8. So close, yet so far

Peyton Manning won his second ring and has the opportunity to walk off into the sunset. The Broncos hoisted their third Lombardi in their team’s history and Gary Kubiak (his first year with the team) won the Super Bowl.

Jim Nantz in his post-game presser interviewed Kubiak and relayed him some interesting tidbits that were involved in some prop bets. Unfortunately according to the rules of prop betting this didn’t occur during the allotted period of play.

Will the announcers mention that Kubiak was Elway’s backup during the broadcast?

Yes      +120 (6/5)

No        -160 (5/8)

(Note: From kickoff to final whistle, halftime does not count.) (provided by SBNation.com)

The tidbit that Nantz relayed is actually incorrect, but his premise is all the same. What Nantz meant to say is that Kubiak is the first head coach to win a Super Bowl with the same team he went to the Super Bowl with as a player. Kubiak was on the roster for the Broncos defeats in Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV, throwing seven passes total in those three games.

Nantz had opportunities to relay this information during the broadcast, but refrained to do so to the disappointment of prop betters everywhere. An interesting factoid none the less.

Next: 7. A conspiracy theory that fell on it's face

Feb 1, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; A general view of past halftime show costumes on display at the NFL Shop including the left shark in advance of Super Bowl 50. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

7. A conspiracy theory that fell on it’s face

The Super Bowl has become a media phenomenon attracting millions of eyes to the tube on an annual basis. The Super Bowl halftime show is even bigger and last year’s Super Bowl featured pop icon Katy Perry, but she wasn’t the star of the show.

It was #leftshark who became an internet sensation across the globe. His popularity rose to such a level that he was displayed (photo above) at the NFL Shop in San Francisco and the conspiracy continued that #leftshark may make an appearance.

Will “Left Shark” make an appearance on stage during the Super Bowl halftime show?

Yes                  15/1

(provided by SBNation.com)

This category was a bit more open ended due to the absurd nature of the prop bet. I’ll be honest if I were a betting man, I might have bought into the hype.

But much to my dismay there were no sharks present at Super Bowl 50. Apparently the Super Bowl halftime show was terrible, but I thought they did a good job combining the talents of Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Coldplay.

Next: 6. The safest bet in the history of prop betting

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy on the podium following their victory aCarolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

6. The safest bet in the history of prop betting

I alluded to the attention that the Super Bowl warrants year in and year out. So much so that advertisers for the biggest corporations and organizations of the world are willing to throw five million dollars for a 30 second spot in this event.

If anyone was to bet on anything wacky about the Super Bowl and wanted to feel half-way confident about it, you should do it on viewership. Whether that is the Nielsen rating prop bet or the amount of viewers.

How many million viewers will Super Bowl 50 have?

Over/Under                   117 million

What will the Nielsen Rating be for Super Bowl 50?

Over/Under                   48.5

(provided by SBNation.com)

The final numbers aren’t out yet, but the early indicators are suggesting that this game might have broken those records as reported by THR (The Hollywood Reporter). THR is suggesting that the Nielsen rating is a 49 (great for prop betters) and a ginormous 73 share among households.

So prop betters looking to cash their checks will have to wait a little bit longer until it can be confirmed by the big wigs. But no pun intended safe to say the smartest and safest bet will always be viewership.

Next: 5. The bet for the casual fan

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Members of the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos line-up fort the coin toss prior to the start of Super Bowl 50 at Levi

5. The bet for the casual fan

Now we’ve talked about some crazy bets, some safe bets and now here is the easiest bet. There’s no two ways about it, this bet is black and white and as we’ll see in the next slide, bets can get subjective. While strategy is involved in a lot of these bets, safe to say not for this one.

Coin Toss

Heads               -105 (20/21)

Tails                 -105 (20/21)

(provided by SBNation.com)

50-50 chance, you are either right or you’re wrong. Perhaps the more interesting part is all of the other questions that stem off of this result: Will the team that wins the coin toss win the game? Will the team that chooses heads or tails in the coin toss be correct? And for the comedians out there: Will the referee redo the coin toss?

There’s all kind of strategy here: do you defer, do you receive, is one way the best way. After the coin toss debacle in the NFC Championship game, anything is possible. All kidding aside maybe when you’re feeling lucky or you lay your trust on one side of the coin you can make a prop bet and cross it off the bucket list.

Next: 4. Peyton Manning tears

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) hoists the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

4. Peyton Manning tears

Yes folks we’ve reached rock bottom of prop betting. Where countless fans were on the edge of their seats hoping that Manning sniffed an onion on the way up to the podium.

This is where we get into a bit of the subjective territory, is it sweat or a tear? Gatorade gets splashed around and so does water so that is possible, but really I feel embarrassed that this indeed is a thing.

Will Peyton Manning be seen crying at any point during the entire broadcast?

Yes      +600  (6/1)

No        -1200 (1/12)

(provided by SBNation.com)

Reportedly this prop bet has been locked in as a no-show for Manning tears, but some prop betters may be attempting a dispute claim (sigh). Well you knew on a top 10 list it was inevitable this was going to get weird, but now lets get back to football.

Next: 3. Defense still wins championships

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) strips the ball from Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

3. Defense still wins championships

One of the biggest match-ups of the game was in the trenches for both football teams and it certainly decided the game. The Panthers’ offensive line had protected Newton well all season long, particularly in the playoffs where Newton had all-day in the pocket game-in and game-out.

On Sunday Newton barely had seconds to decide what to do with the football. A big reason for that was the play of DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller. Not only did the Broncos’ defense play spectacular, but the Panthers ‘defense rose to the occasion as well.

Total QB sacks (Both teams combined)

Over/Under                   5½

(provided by SBNation.com)

Oh not only did both teams combine for over five and a half sacks, but they more then doubled it combining for a Super Bowl record 12 sacks. Kony Ealy led the way for the Panthers notching three sacks and an interception while Miller and Ware combined for four and a half sacks.

Some fans are turned off by the old school style of punishing defenses and low scoring ball games. So I guess the moniker remains that defense wins championships and that is still the case after Super Bowl 50.

Next: 2. Controversy brews again

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Recording artist Lady Gaga performs the national anthem before Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos at Levi

2. Controversy brews again

Before we get to the number one prop bet on this list we have to address the elephant in the room or perhaps the scarlet pop sensation Lady Gaga instead. Typically as far as prop betting goes it’s pretty cut and paste, whatever was being bet on last year is being bet on this year just with a simple switching of players.

But when it comes to the national anthem, things can get interesting. One of the big prop bets of the day was the over/under for the length of the national anthem sung by Lady Gaga. Usually this would be a fairly simple task, but the pop star’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” concluded with a stylish embellishing that basically meant there were two endings to the song.

The over-under for the anthem was set at two minutes, 20 seconds. Lady Gaga initially appeared to finish the song well before then, but then decides to repeat the ending of the song again.

Going by the first ending, the length of the anthem would be under, but going by the second ending, it would be over. Different sports-books are treating the results in different ways, so hopefully you were lucky enough to bet in the right place.

Next: 1. And you thought the tears were sad

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) celebrates after defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi

1. And you thought the tears were sad

The number one prop bet has to be all the Manning retirement nonsense that has been the circulating lead headline over the last two weeks. You can’t blame the media for lack of attempts.

More jets: Chris Ivory is not a necessity for Jets in 2016

It was painfully obvious that Nantz or Tracy Wolfson wanted to break the Manning retirement story, they set him up with the movie ending and the walks into the sunset cliche. Manning didn’t fall for it and thus resulting in many disappointed gamblers.

Will Peyton Manning announce his retirement in the postgame interview?

Yes      +500  (5/1)

No        -1000 (1/10)

(Note: Must be on live broadcast.) (provided by SBNation.com)

I’m glad he didn’t fall for the trap and make an emotional decision, in lieu of retiring Manning said he’d take some time to evaluate things. So it might not be the last time we see Manning and I’m on the bandwagon that Manning plays one more season no matter where that is. Go Manning go!