Betting Advice for Super Bowl LVI Novelty Props

Looking to bet the coin flip or the halftime performance? Our panel provides the novelty props they're eyeing for Super Bow LVI.

Super Bowl LVI week is finally here! And, it’s time to get you ready to bet on the event.

That’s right- not just the game- the entire event!

Let’s face it: For many Americans watching at home, Super Bowl LVI isn’t only about the game. It’s about the entire experience: the commercials, the halftime show, the  party food and, yes, maybe also winning a bet you made with your brother-in-law.

So, in the spirit of getting everyone involved—even those who think Cooper Kupp is the new product from Solo, I asked the SI Betting team to give me some of their favorite novelty props. Everything is on the table here—from whether or not a football will hit the upright to what color shoes Snoop Dog will be wearing at halftime.

You don’t have to know anything about jet sweeps, flea-flickers or Odell Beckham Sr.’s Instagram stories to bet on these props.

Let’s have some fun!

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SI Betting and Fantasy's Bill Enright:

Why wait for the game to kick off to start winning money? Get those profits flowing before the first pass, run or tackle. Betting on the coin toss is literally a 50/50 proposition—the best odds you’ll have all game. The -105 won’t make or break your bankroll but at least you’ll know the result immediately and can then settle in to enjoy the rest of the game.

BET: Coin toss outcome; Heads (-105)

Marilyn Chung/The Desert Sun

SI Betting's Matt Ehalt:

As a rap fan, I'm going to take my shot on the halftime show. You want something everyone knows. You want a song that captures the mood. Now, The Next Episode would be a good choice but that gets heavily edited once the beat drops. California Love is an iconic song with the hook "California knows how to party" and Dr. Dre does the first verse so it works, and the opening line is even "Now, let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west." I think it works the best versus a Mary J. or Kendrick solo song. But will there be a 2Pac hologram?

BET: First song to be played during halftime show; California Love (+225)

SI Betting and Fantasy's Jennifer Piacenti:

As a singer and a singing coach, I can tell you from experience the first thing you have to know when performing the National Anthem is that people go crazy as soon as you hit the word “brave.” That’s when the big feelings well-up for the crowd, and it’s also the last thing they remember. Usually, singers take a breath before that final “brave” and either hit it strongly and hold as long as they can or they embellish it. Either way, it’s going to take more than 6.5 seconds unless the singer is incredibly nervous. Mickey Guyton is a pro, and she’s going to bring this one home in front of a highly keyed-up crowd.

BET: Length of the word “Brave” in the National Anthem over 6.5 seconds: (-115)

Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

SI Betting's Frank Taddeo:

I will admit: I often invest in novelty proposition wagers regarding Super Bowls. However, my larger investments come from 'leaks' in days leading up to kickoff or from information here in Vegas that have a 'sharp angle'. For example, during rehearsal the "First Song" to be sung at halftime is often leaked or we discover from a player or a member of his family the color of the gatorade to be used on the sideline for a celebration bath. Jumping in quickly on that information is often pure enjoyment as the odds soar and in many instances oddsmakers are forced to remove the market from their offerings due to the overwhelming wave of liability as word spreads. 

Outside of those bets, I wager on the coin toss and the length of the national anthem every year. I follow the notion that "tails never fails" blindly and that has resulted in a 15-12 mark over the last 27 Super Bowls. With the reduced juice, that has resulted in a profit of 2.40 units. 

For the national anthem, doing research is often key. Last year, since it was duet with Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan, it made sense to back the over and that was a wise investment since it went over the projected time by oddsmakers by nearly 17 seconds. Three years ago, research online also revealed Gladys Knight preferred to belt out her notes when doing previous renditions of the anthem, which led to an easy cash on the over as well. 

This year, sports bettors will have to make a decision in regards to the talents of country music star Mickey Guyton. Bettors will find one of the shortest times in over a decade with a time of 95.5 seconds (-115). Although the inclination is to believe that Guyton will be more elongated in her notes with the eyes of millions upon her vocal talents, I simply do not envision a repeat of Alicia Key's performance - which is the longest Super Bowl effort on record at 2 minutes and 36 seconds (156 seconds). 

Guyton has gone way under this projected time demanded by oddsmakers in all her previous performances, with an average of 88.5 seconds, and I believe she is an efficient performer who will stay under the number once again on the biggest stage.

BET: National Anthem under 95.5 seconds (-115)

SI Fantasy's Craig Ellenport:

Most novelty props are basically a coin flip -- like who’s going to win the coin flip. But I’ve got one that’s a lock. Which head coach will be shown first during the National Anthem? It will undoubtedly be the Rams’ Sean McVay. Why? Because 99% of the viewing audience wouldn’t recognize Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, so leading with McVay is just better TV. You’ll get better odds picking Taylor to be shown first, but that is simply not going to happen.

BET: Sean McVay will be shown before Zac Taylor during National Anthem (-150)

SI Betting and Fantasy's Kyle Wood:

This may not be as fun as picking the national anthem length or color of the Gatorade shower, but I like the jersey number of the first touchdown scorer to be under 23.5. The Rams have scored eight offensive touchdowns this postseason—seven are from players with jersey numbers below 23.5. Cooper Kupp, who led the NFL in regular season receiving touchdowns, wears No. 10. Odell Beckham Jr., who has been a constant in the end zone since joining L.A., wears No. 3 and Van Jefferson, who has yet to score in these playoffs but had six regular season scores, sports No. 12. Matt Stafford has both of the Rams' rushing touchdowns in the playoffs and wears No. 9. Cam Akers, who fits right in this line wearing No. 23, has yet to score for in the playoffs but he has the most carries for the Rams in the postseason. The Bengals' side of this bet complicates things a bit. The only viable touchdown scorers who fit the criteria are Joe Burrow (No. 9), who only had two rushing scores in the regular season and, of course, Ja'Marr Chase (No. 1), who caught 13 touchdowns to lead the team. If Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd or Samaje Perine finds the end zone first, this bet fails. I'm going with likely one of Kupp or Chase to get the scoring going in this game—it's been a good bet all season. There's no reason to think otherwise now.

BET: Jersey number under 23.5 for first touchdown scorer (-140)

SI Fantasy's Matt DeLima:

To hedge Matt Ehalt's "California Love" as the first song bet, I'd pick it to be the last song performed. The game is in LA and feels like a perfect fit. Plus, iconic and one of my favorite songs of all time. That's reason enough for me!

BET: Last song to be performed at the halftime show; California Love (+150)

MMQB's Gary Gramling:

I’m not a big Eminem fan—I know the hits, saw the movie, etc.—but I know enough to write with absolute certainty that “Lose Yourself” is the only one of his hits the NFL would possibly allow him to perform during a halftime show. (“Stan” is clean, but the subject matter is not event-appropriate and also I don’t know if the Nike folks will sign off on them name-dropping Starter.) That this is anything longer than even money is simply absurd.

BET: First Eminem song during halftime show; Lose Yourself (+250)

MMQB's Conor Orr:

Since I believe in my soul the Bengals are winning this one, I love betting the MVP to thank the city or the state of Ohio first. Joe Burrow is nothing short of a hero football deity and the hometown kid from Athens has a lot of love for the once-lowly Bengals. This feels like a solid bet at nice odds, given that I don't think any members of the Rams are going to feel the need to mention how much they love a city most of them just moved to eight months ago.

BET: Super Bowl MVP will thank city first in his speech (+500)

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