The hype leading up to Super Bowl XLI was as overblown and drawn out as I have ever seen. There are too many sports networks and too many TV analysts these days.

My favorite statement of the week came from ESPN’s Sean Salisbury who proclaimed:

”If Devin Hester returns a kick for a touchdown, I guarantee you that the Colts will not win.”

For those keeping score at home, Salisbury’s latest proclamation came on Sunday night after the game when he stated:

“This will not be Peyton Manning’s last championship, I assure you of that.”

I guess it is time to lock up those Super Bowl XLII futures on the Colts at 5-to-1 odds, although my money is on the Chargers next year at 10-1.

While it was the first Super Bowl in forty-one years to be played in rainy conditions, the sloppy, mistake filled game was actually very consistent with past championship games with eight turnovers and two returns for touchdowns.

The biggest play of the game (from a betting perspective) came late in the fourth quarter when the Colts decided to go for it on fourth down from the Bears’ 17 yard line, instead of kicking an easy field goal.

This was the right decision from a coaching perspective, as the Colts led 29-17 with just 1:49 remaining and did not want to risk a blocked kick. It was not a popular choice for the hundred of thousands of bettors across the world that had the Over 47½ total points in the game.

Overall, the Colts and Under were the correct results as my mathematical re-scoring model had the “accurate” final score 33-9 in favor of the Colts.

Steve Merril
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