online sports betting news

Sunday sees one of the biggest sporting annual televised events hit the screens across the world, as the NFL’s Super Bowl rides into Miami. Only recently has the Champions League Final overtaken the Superbowl in terms of worldwide viewing figures, and even with all of the hype surrounding this big event, very often the $200 million which gets spent on TV advertising during the game, produces more interesting results. This year however, promises to be a real showcase of the best of the attacking game between the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts and the NFC’s New Orleans Saints.

Something which does not happen too often, indeed you would need to go back nearly twenty years to find the previous occasion, is that winners of both conferences are actually meeting in the Super Bowl. The two sides were dominant throughout the early stages of the regular season, and it looked even from an early viewpoint, that they would be meeting each other in the NFL’s showcase. But with some blips coming into both of their season’s near the end, their confidence could have been rocked. It was not to be however, as both fairly cruised their way through their conference play-offs to Sunday’s Final.

To many outside, American Football looks boring, and looks overly complicated. Granted there is not the flow of a rugby union match, to which it can be most closely associated, but there is a sense of technical overabundance and showmanship, which all works. The players are padded up to the hilt, and for the most part, play perfectly into their role of over the top sportsmanship. The game has tried to crack Europe, with little to mediocre success, although there is another planned regular season game in the UK in October between the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins. For many outside of the US, it remains something of an enigma, yet many sports fans tune in to watch the Super Bowl and of course, have a once-a-year punt on American Football.

The NFL is broken down into two conferences, each conference, the AFL and the NFL, consisting of four divisions in each. Quite confusingly, instead of eight teams, only six teams make it through to each of the conference’s play-off stages. Each conference play-off will consist of the four division winners (get seeded from 1-4 based on the win, loss, tie record), and then two wildcard entries make it. Wildcard 1, plays Division winner 4, and Wildcard 2, plays Division winner 3. The winners of those games will go on to play either Division Winner 1 or Division Winner 2 in what is essentially a conference semi finals. The winner of each of the conference’s finals, go head to head for overall NFL supremacy in the Super Bowl.

If you are looking for a favourite, then the smart sports betting money will be going on the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts. They have star Quarter Back (the equivalent of Rugby’s scrum-half for the un-ordained American Football fan) Payton Manning, who has been to the SuperBowl before and won it. He has the coveted Super Bowl ring, which is an actual gold ring, and not something you get from sitting on the lavatory for too long, and he has the experience to guide his team to glory. For the New Orleans Saints, it would be a sporting victory that would epitomise the hope of a region, even five years on from the devastation which Hurricane Katrina wreaked. The Saints very nearly had to find a new home altogether on a permanent basis, but their strength has put them in a perfect spot to complete something of a fairy tale story.

The New Orleans Saints have brought the best out of Quarter Back Drew Bees, who was bounced around the NFL a little before finding an adopted home where he could flourish. He is in many respects, the all-American hero, portrayed as a quiet spoken, humble hero. Should he carry the Saints to a victory on Sunday, he will be revered along the path to a Hall of Fame spot. Like Manning, Bees has an attacking arsenal that can split games wide open and rack up the points. The Saints may have the edge in defence, as they are quick up on the line of scrimmage, but both Quarter Backs are quick and intelligent. These two combatants are considered the best that the NFL has, and that is why there is great hopes that the 2010 SuperBowl really can stand head and shoulders as one of the best.

Super Bowl XLIV Outright Odds
Indianapolis Colts to win: 8/15 at Bwin
New Orleans Saints: 9/5 at Boylesports

New Orleans
Average points per game for: 31.9 points per game (1st overall)
Average points per game against: 21.3 pointer per game (20th overall)

Indianapolis Colts
Average points per game: 26.0 (7th overall)
Average points per game against: 19.2 points per game (8th Overall)