BETTING ON THE SUPER BOWL

For me, the best part of the Super Bowl isn’t the game. Or the commercials. Or the halftime show.

My favorite part of the Super Bowl experience is looking at all the crazy stuff you can plunk money on related to the big game.

It used to be that you could bet on a few fun “proposition wagers,” such as who will score the first touchdown, and how many total sacks there would be in the game.

But in the past decade or more, the proposition wagering options have exploded and become far more creative. The Las Vegas Hilton has taken the lead in recent years, and this year is no exception. Here’s a quick look at a few of the things you can have action on come Sunday:

*     Jersey number of player to score first touchdown, over or under 43 ½

*      No. of Wes Welker receptions (plus ½) vs. number of free throws made by Kobe Bryant in Sunday’s Lakers-Wizards game. (In fact, Bryant is tied to six separate prop bets).

*    Tom Brady’s number of interceptions thrown vs. number of free throws missed by the Lakers’ Derek Fisher.

*      Laurence Maroney’s total rushing yards (plus 35 ½) vs. the number of points the Pistons score against the Mavericks on Sunday.

*      The number of yards in the longest touchdown scored, Patriots or Giants, plus 9 ½, vs. the number of points Northwestern scores against Indiana.

*      Tom Brady’s total passing yards, minus ½, vs. the total number of points scored by the four ACC teams in action on Sunday North Carolina, North Carolina State, Florida State and Wake Forest.

*      The total number of touchdowns between the Giants and Patriots vs. the total number of assists by North Carolina’s Ty Lawson.

*      Amani Toomer’s total receiving yards, plus 16 ½, vs. Tiger Woods’ fourth round score in the Dubai Desert Classic.

*     The total number of interceptions thrown in the Super Bowl vs. the number of goals scored between Newcastle and Middlesbrough (this sounds like a couple of breweries to me, but apparently this is a soccer match).

*    The total number of points scored in the Super Bowl, plus 13 ½, vs. the combined points scored in the Scotland-France RBS Six Nations Rugby Union match on Sunday.

The Hilton isn’t the only place with innovative wagers. For example, at Station Casinos, you can bet whether the player who scores the first touchdown attended one of “America’s 100 Best Colleges,” according to the rankings from U.S. News and World Report, which is available online.

You can also make bets on Eli Manning’s performance against some of the statistics that brother Peyton compiled in last year’s Super Bowl. You have to admire the sports books for their creativity.

So whether you are a casual fan hoping for a close game and great commercials, or someone like me, who will be consumed with praying for New England not to take a knee at the end because I need their total yards to be above the total number of points by the six MAAC teams in action -- despite the fact I can’t name one player on Fairfield, Niagara, Loyola-Marlyand, Canisius, Manhattan or St. Peter’s -- enjoy the game, everyone.

***

Harrah’s headliner Rita Rudner and her husband, Martin Bergman, who won this year’s celebrity football contest, have provided picks each week throughout the playoffs, with a comment about each game. Playoff record against the spread: 4-6.

Patriots -12 vs. Giants

“Even though I've sucked at playoff predictions, I still take the Patriots minus the points. Adrenaline and tape will get Brady's ankle through, and Eli will finally buckle under pressure.”

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