The big game. With just that phrase, you know we’re discussing the Super Bowl 2025. Sure, there are plenty of big games in all other sports, but only one game is bigger than the rest. This big game is the biggest television event of the year, the moment where one team becomes a champion, immortalized for all time. It’s also, of course, the single biggest betting event of the year. Below are some facts from the past to help you to get the most from your Super Bowl Betting in 2025 and subsequent years.
As with all advice about betting, remember that this game is different. As of this writing, the Super Bowl is a long way off. The two teams that will play in that game will have been through the true gauntlet of the NFL regular season and the playoffs. So, it’s entirely possible that this Super Bowl will be atypical.
With that in mind, remember the phrase (quoted by Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, the youngest Super Bowl winning coach at the time he won) that “styles make fights.” Every Super Bowl is different from the last one as the two teams playing in are different from any one previously.
However, by taking all of this information in, you can be as informed as possible when it comes to betting on this game. Here at BetNow, you can find all of the bets you’ll need for the Super Bowl as well as, of course, for every other game as well.
Who’s Won the Most Super Bowls (and What Can That Tell Us?)
As you probably know, the teams with the most Super Bowls are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. They’re both tied with six. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers both have five (although the Niners did have five before Pittsburgh or New England did).
Depending on when you’re reading this, it’s entirely possible that all of those teams are contenders or none of them are. What this can tell us about the future is that: great teams with great players shouldn’t be counted out in the big game.
Dallas won two of their Super Bowls in the 70’s and then three in the 90’s. The Steelers won four in the 70’s and then two in the mid to late aughts. The 49ers won all five of theirs from the early 80’s through the mid 90’s. The Patriots won all six with Tom Brady, over the course of about 15 years.
So, while this may not be necessarily instructive to this year, it does show that great teams do tend to win in the big games. There are exceptions to this (more or less the same Steelers team lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Super Bowl 45, Brady lost to Eli Manning twice, etc.) But, if you’re going to bet on the big game, betting on the teams with the most great players is usually one of the safer places to put your bet.
Are There Any Teams That Haven’t Won a Super Bowl (and What Does That Tell Us?)
Absolutely. There are actually several, more than most people think. Teams that have been around seemingly since the inception of the league haven’t won a Super Bowl, such as the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. In fact, those teams, despite having been around for a long, long time, have never so much as been to a Super Bowl.
There are also teams that are more recently who have never been to a Super Bowl, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.
There are teams that have gone to Super Bowls but never actually won, such as the Los Angeles (then San Diego) Chargers, who lost to Steve Young’s all-time performance. The Cincinnati Bengals have actually lost multiple Super Bowls. The Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee Titans have also lost the big game.
When it comes to teams that have lost the big game, no one holds a candle to the Buffalo Bills, who were a dominant team in the AFC in the 90s yet lost each time they were in the biggest game of them all.
What does this tell us about the future? It tells us that just because a team has never won a Super Bowl, that doesn’t mean you should rule them out. After all, every team that’s a multiple time champion was once a team that had never won a Super Bowl. If we had written this article in the last decade or so, for example, it would have included the Seahawks, the LA Rams (not the St. Louis ones), etc.
As of this writing, one of the most highly regarded teams in football is the Detroit Lions. They have one of the best records in not just the NFC but throughout the entire NFL. The team lost in the NFC Championship Game a year ago so they certainly have playoff experience. Does that mean that, if they should get into the game, you should rule them out? Absolutely not.
Again, “styles make fights.” Perhaps the Lions are a good fit for whoever they would play in this game. Precious few of the current players on the Lions were alive the last time the Lions won a playoff game in the 90s, yet it didn’t preclude them from winning one last year. Looking at the current matchup, when it’s set, can give you what you need to be able to make the right betting decision for your needs.
Does the Team With the Best Record During the Regular Season Always Win?
Not only does the team with the best record during the regular season fail to win the Super Bowl quite often, many times they don’t even make the Super Bowl.
This comes on the heels of the NFL actually trying to make it more appealing to get the best record in the regular season. As you may know, only a few short years ago, the teams with the top two best records in the conference were given byes through the first round (“Wild Card Round”) where they would then host Divisional Round games (round 2).
Many very good teams, realizing that they had a slim chance of catching the team that had the best record in the conference, would rest some of their players in the last game or so once they had their bye, the bye that the team with the 2nd best record would get. The NFL, always wanting to make the game more competitive, thus eliminated this bye. So, only the team with the best record in the conference now gets the bye.
That said, in the year 1990, the NFL expanded the playoff format to 12 teams from each conference (it used to be even fewer). Then, the idea of “top seeds” came into play. Since then, just about half of the teams with the top seed have made the Super Bowl. Then, a little more than half of those actually won the thing.
Top Seeds: What Can That Tell Us?
That may sound like not many, but when you think about it, it’s quite a lot. If you have a team with the number one seed, you win the big game roughly 25% of the time. That’s a pretty great bet, all told. If you were to bet that at the start of the playoffs, you could make some real money. You might look at that and think: “OK, that’s less than 25%.” Yes, but it’s also a better, higher percentage bet than you might see with some other teams.
That team is going to have the easiest (most likely) path to the Super Bowl and, of course, they only have to win two games, both of which will be in their home stadium. That’s a lot of advantage. That’s a major reason that these teams have such a good record of getting to the game. If you’re looking for a “safe” bet (not that there is such a thing) this isn’t so bad.
Now, you may have read this section and thought: “Well, wait a minute – if the top seed is so good, if they’ve had the best record of anyone else, if they get to play at home, and if they have a week off that the other teams don’t, why on Earth wouldn’t they have won more games than they did?”
Well, there are plenty of reasons for that. The first, of course, being injury – a week off is longer than any other team in that particular conference is going to get, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s enough time for some injuries to heal.
By that same token, there’s also a question of momentum. Many of the teams that have won the Wild Card, or even some division champions, were teams that had to fight the entire way through the season to get into the playoffs. Maybe they had a slow start to the season and had to win out (or even win out and get help from games outside of their control).
Yet, when that occurred, they were playing their best football and were able to carry that into future stadiums as the game’s progress.
Of course, the clearest reason a team might lose when they have seemingly everything in their grasp is simple: they’re a bad matchup for the other team. The visitors came into their stadium, were ready for what the home team did, and beat them. That happens, too. Again: styles make fights.
How Do Favorites Do in the Super Bowl?
From the moment the final whistle is blown on Championship Sunday, the betting lines drop for the big game. One team will be the favorite and one will be the underdog (unless, of course, we get a Super Bowl like the one between Brady’s Pats and the Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks, which was famously the first consensus “pick ‘em” in SB history, but we digress).
Before this next Super Bowl, the favorites have won the game 37-20 straight up. That means, in 57 Super Bowls (as of this writing) the favorite has won the game not quite twice as many times as the underdog. The favorite has been, well, for lack of a better phrase, favorite. They have won this game more times than underdogs.
What Does the Favorites’ Success Tell Us About This Year’s Game?
It tells us that, frankly, the handicappers know what they’re doing. Yes, professional handicappers are trying to figure out a line that will get people betting, sure. That’s the nature of the job. That said, they usually know what they’re talking about more often than not. To that end, these show that the favorite is usually that for a reason.
So, if you are thinking about betting on a favorite or the underdog, understand that it’s more likely than not the favorite is going to win.
However, that said, the underdog certainly isn’t getting shut out here. The underdog has a great chance of winning the game. You can say that, straight up, the underdogs win about a third of the time. That’s pretty good for the underdogs. That’s not bad at all. Most people would take that.
Obviously, the underdog gets a better payout, mostly, should they come through, too. So, if you think that you know something about a team that others don’t, it could very well be advantageous to bet on the underdog. That could be your ticket to some real money, if you bet wisely.
How Do Favorites Do Against the Spread?
You’re a savvy bettor, you’ve bet on the big game before. You don’t want to pick one team or another to win straight up. Instead, you want to be able to bet the spread, to use that to get the most favorable bet for what you want. So, by that logic, how do these teams that are favored do against the spread?
In the history of the Super Bowl, going into this next one, the favorites are 29-24-2 against the spread.
What Does the Favorite Against the Spread Tell Us?
This tells us that, when you incorporate the spread, things even out significantly. Suddenly, the favorite goes from winning 2/3rds of the time to just winning about half of the time. Indeed, the underdog certainly sure looks a whole lot better when the spread is involved. And, when it comes to frustrating betting, the two ties in the Super Bowl were most likely very rough on some people.
Again, the take here is that the handicappers have a great understanding of what lines to set so as to get something equal, something where people want to bet on both sides. Now, here at BetNow, by the time the game comes around, we’re going to have all different kinds of lines about this game. Sure, you’ll be able to bet the traditional point spread, of course, the ones that folks have been betting since Bart Starr took Super Bowl I (if not sooner).
But, by that same token, we also offer spreads for the quarter, halves, and more. We understand that the Super Bowl is more than just a game, it’s a better experience. Here, you’ll be able to bet on what you want to bet on all throughout the game. We don’t believe that you should be stuck with just betting on what’s going to happen with the final outcome. So, to that end, we offer betting throughout the game.
That way, you don’t have to worry as much about how teams do against the spread, and so forth. Instead (or perhaps better phrased, “in addition to,”) you can also bet on what’s going to happen in the first quarter, what’ll happen in the 2nd, the first half, what happens in the 3rd, and even the fourth. You can bet on what happens in each of them. That way, you can keep winning throughout the game.
One team wins and one team loses, yes. But those are the teams. You, as a bettor, here have more chances to win than anyone else will on either side. Beyond that, you can also engage in what’s called “in-game” betting, too.
Maybe one team jumps out to a big lead in the first half or even in the third. You know the game is over, the players know the game is over… but you also know that the team that’s trailing tends to throw a lot during what’s often referred to as “garbage time.” With that, you can use that information to make money, betting on which team is going to score more points in the fourth quarter.
That’s just one example. There are many others. Yes, these numbers about who does what against the spread, what the favorites do, etc., can be intimidating. But, we offer enough bets that you can find one that’ll fit your needs.
How Do the Two Conferences Match Up?
The Super Bowl, of course, is about the team that gets through the AFC playoffs meeting the team that wins the NFC bracket. Knowing which conference has more championships than the other can give you more information… except that, it can’t. Why? Because the two conferences are the same.
The all time record, AFC vs. NFC? It’s tied. Yes, as of this writing, it’s 29-29. We’ve an even number of Super Bowls and we have, well, an even number of winners on both sides. What does that tell us?
Frankly, it tells us that the conferences go on runs. For example, those of you who are old enough may remember that there was a long time, in the late 80s through well into the 90s, that the NFC was just dominant. It won several, several Super Bowls in a row.
Think about it: it extended from those great Niner teams of the 80s into the 90s Cowboys, encompassing some Washington franchise and NY Giants teams in there, too. Of course, the team that lost these was already mentioned here: the Bills.
This all ended with John Elway and the Broncos (no strangers to losing Super Bowls in the 80s, of course). Then, it was fairly evenly matched until the rise of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Each of those quarterbacks won multiple championships with AFC teams in the aughts (the Patriots, the Colts and then the Broncos, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively). These players were able to help turn that trend around, to the point where the AFC started to catch up to the NFC in how many times each conference won the big game.
That trend has continued on into the present. Yes, teams like the Rams have won recently, but the Kansas City Chiefs, as of this writing, have a perfect record and are looking to become the first team ever to win three Super Bowls in a row. That’s never been done before. Teams have won back to back, teams have won three in four years, but no one has done three straight times in a row before. Perhaps the Chiefs are going to be the first.
Conference Records: What Does This Tell Us?
Similar to what was mentioned earlier, this tells us that good teams and great players can win more than once. It does seem like, with some exceptions, conferences go on “runs.” In those runs, the best players and teams rise to the top.
You could also look at it as: since the dawn of the “hard” salary cap era, the AFC has won a lot more championships than they did previously. All of this having been said, when they kickoff the big game, it won’t be two conferences hitting each other, it’ll be two separate teams.
How Do the Conferences Do Against the Spread?
OK, so we’ve learned that, straight up, the two conferences are tied in championship wins: 29-29. Surely, if we look at how the two conferences have done against the spread, that will give us some clearer information… except that, no, it won’t. The two conferences, the AFC and NFC, are 28-28-2 against the spread. So, yes, tied again.
What does this tell us? Well, while there certainly have been many Super Bowls that are blowouts, that are non-competitive, many in the 4th but several of them even earlier than that, the truth is that, when these two teams meet, they really are two of the best (if not the two best) teams in the league.
They’ve been through an entire playoff bracket to get there. Even if it is just two home games, they have played some really, really strong teams to get into the big game.
GO WITH TRENDS
What’s the Over/Under in the Big Game?
We’re not going to tease you again by asking: “surely, the history of the over/under in the Super Bowl can tell us something about the game, right?” No, because it is also more or less tied: 29-28. The over has hit 29 times, the under has hit 28 times (apparently, they did not have an over/under for the very first game).
This tells us that, again, the handicappers have some good ideas when it comes to setting these bets. They aren’t just pulling these numbers out of the air, nor are they just making something up. If you see an over/under that you like, jump on it, but there’s no grand trend to be drawn from how this has gone.
Prop Bets
The above covered all of the different kinds of history that can be invoked when it comes to betting on the big game in terms of the teams. With this game, as much as any other, there are plenty of bets that have nothing to do with the outcome. Yes, prop bets. Daily props bets are beloved by so many – particularly when it comes to the final game of the NFL season.
These bets are beloved for so many reasons, not the least of which is that you don’t have to know a lot of information to get a bet down. Someone who only follows the game casually, or is a die hard supporter of a team that’s not in the big game, may not know everything there is to know about how the AFC champion’s 3rd receiver can hold up on 3rd downs, but they can be confident enough to make a bet about how long the anthem is going to be. That said, there are some facts to be known about prop bets.
We looked at some research about prop bets, so that you can use it to make the bet that’s best for you. Now, many of these aren’t exactly based on any kind of science, but very few prop bets are.
Of course, here at our site, we have a wide range of prop bets for you to choose from. You can pick all of the traditional prop bets, of course, as well as many, many others that we’re putting together. Every year, we offer new and better prop bets so that players can get all of the betting that they want.
One of our favorites that we offer here: cross sport prop betting. On Super Bowl Sunday, there are almost invariably NHL and NBA games. So, you can bet on whether a player will do something in a basketball or hockey game while betting that a player will also do something in the big football game. We see this as one more way that we can make this day of sports watching (really, a holiday of sports watching) more fun.
Will the First Play From Scrimmage Be a Run or Pass?
It’s probably going to be a run. Run is more likely. That’s not to say that it won’t be a pass, but, comparatively, it’s been a run 34 times and a pass 23. That’s not quite a coin flip, but it isn’t even, either.
Some prop bets, you can give yourself an advantage by applying simple, basic football logic to it. Case in point: this bet. Most teams, first and 10, are going to try to run the ball. Make it a little more manageable on 2nd or even 3rd down. Starting with a running play can be a great way to begin to establish physical dominance, to set a tone for the rest of the game.
That having been said, of course, what can really set a tone for the rest of the game is throwing a big pass. Hitting a big play on the very first play is a great way to get the other team on their heels early and keep them there. It’s just less likely than you might think. Of those 23 pass plays, the longest one went for 20 yards. Which, of course, 20 yards is a great gain, but it’s not a “splash play,” to use the expression.
You might counter that with: “OK, that all sounds good about runs being more common, but, we live in a passing league now. The rules have been changed so significantly over the last so many years to favor the pass catches. Passing must be more common than ever.”
Perhaps in the way that offenses are drawn up, maybe, but not in terms of what’s the first play from scrimmage in the big game. Indeed, of the last five Super Bowls, a running play was the first play in four of them.
Remember that a “run” can happen in multiple ways. It could be, sure, that the play is executed as it’s designed, with a running back handing the ball to a running back who tries to gain yards. By that same token, if a quarterback is flushed from the pocket, unable to find an open receiver as the pass rush closes in, they can run – which would also count as a “run” play, even if it wasn’t specifically designed that way initially.
The above having been said, yes, there’s plenty of running on the very first play of the game. But, you may not see that much running throughout the rest of the game, at least not recently. Since the big game in 1988, no team has run for 200 rushing yards in the big game.
Look at that last sentence again. It wasn’t “no player has rushed for 200 rushing yards.” No, it said that no team has rushed for 200 yards. That shows just how much teams don’t rely on the run anymore to win a game.
After all, in the past, you ran in the beginning to establish the run, yes. But, also, when you were protecting a lead at the end, you ran then, too, so as to “milk the clock,” so to speak. Yet, even with all of that in mind, no team has rushed for 200 yards in the big game since the George H.W. Bush administration.
What does that tell us? That teams don’t have to run the ball like wild to win. Most of the teams that win use the run to complement the pass. They don’t run to win the game, they don’t run to control the game, but they do run when they have to.
How Can I Find Out What Color Gatorade Gets Dumped on the Winning Coach?
Of all the prop bets, this is one of the most fun. Traditionally, the team that wins the game dumps the enormous Gatorade container on their sideline and dumps it on their coach.
This is a prop bet that you can research easily. How? Look at how they did it in the championship game. Note the color of liquid that was thrown on the winning coach when it became apparent that they were going to the big game. Of course, some teams could switch colors, etc. – but, this could give you a good leg up on this when the bet comes.
But, what’s easy to forget about the Gatorade bath is that, well, sometimes it doesn’t happen. Every game has to have a coin toss. Every game has to have one team score, one winner and one team that comes up short – but, not every game needs to have a Gatorade bath. Some teams and coaches don’t prefer it. That hasn’t happened since the Super Bowl in 2017, but it has happened four times in the last 24 years.
If that sounds like a lot, it is. “No Coach Gatorade Bath” has happened four times since 2001, which ties it with “clear” and “blue” as the second most common colors. “Orange” is the most common, coming in five times since 2001 (twice with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they exclusively use orange).
Purple and yellow are the other most common colors, coming in at three times a piece. Purple was actually the most recent winner, when the Chiefs defeated the Niners.
Again, the best way to research this: look at what the teams did before. You don’t have to go back decades – all you have to do is to go back to their most recent game.
How Long is the Anthem?
You don’t have to wait for the game to start to win money. Other than the coin toss, some of the most common prop bets involve the national anthem. Yes, it starts the game and yes, a famous singer will perform it. You can bet on what the person will wear, of course, but you can also bet on the duration of the song.
For the most part, the anthem is going to take one to two minutes. How do we know that? The shortest the anthem was ever sung at the big game was 62 seconds, barely over a minute. The longest, by extension, was 152 seconds.
That’s a lot of leeway in there, yes, but it’s also not such a wide range that you can’t find an option that will fit you.
FAQs:
How Many Times Has a Quarterback Won SB MVP?
32 times. It’s by far the most commonly winning position.
Has an Offensive Lineman Ever Won SB MVP?
No. (Some believe that, in Super Bowl XL, eventual hall of famer Alan Faneca finished second in voting behind the winner, wide receiver Hines Ward.)
Has There Ever Been a Super Bowl Game That Went to Overtime?
Yes. The New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.
How Long is the Shortest TD in the Big Game Usually?
In 21 out of 22 Super Bowls since the early aughts, the shortest TD scored in the game has been 3.5 yards or less.
Has There Ever Been a Shutout in a Super Bowl?
No, there has not. The Rams and Dolphins have scored as few as three points.
What’s the Biggest Upset in Super Bowl History?
Many think it’s the Giants and Patriots but no, it was Super Bowl III. The New York Jets were 18 point underdogs to the Baltimore Colts.
What was the Highest Scoring Super Bowl?
Super XXIX. The Niners beat the Chargers 49-26, for 75 points. It wasn’t much of a game, as the Niners led comfortably throughout.
When Should I Start Doing My Research Into Betting?
Most of the most successful bettors we have do their research throughout the year, following the teams through free agency, the draft, etc. But, as a bettor, you need to be able to adjust as circumstances change. To that end, many of the best are those who start really looking at who’s going to be in the big game by mid-season.
That’s around the time of year when some teams have started to separate themselves. Yes, there are teams that will make a big push at the end of the season as well as those who may have good records now but are very likely to “crash back to Earth,” so to speak.
Mid-season is when some teams look to the playoffs and some look to next year. Around the time that coaches start getting fired, when teams that have an eye on the future start trading players on expiring contracts to contenders looking to flesh out a roster, that’s around the time that you can start your research. After all, that’s when the contenders start preparing for the Super Bowl – you might as well do the same thing.
Super Bowl Betting 2025 and So Much More
This is the one game that everyone looks forward to every year. The combine, free agency, the draft, minicamp, training camp, preseason, regular season, and the playoffs – it all leads up to this. It’s the one game that shows up in almost every interview with every coach and player in the league. They’re trying to win it and, if you do your research and make the right bets for you, you can win, too.
Here at BetNow, you’ll find a wide range of ways to bet on this game. You can bet throughout the game, you can bet the props, the point spread, one team to win outright – if there is a way to bet on these games, you’ll be able to find it at our site.
