How To Make Money Betting In August On Who Will Win The Super Bowl?

By Sports Handicapper Ron Raymond

Now that parity has given us new Super Bowl Winners each year with the exception of the 1998-1999 Denver Broncos and the 2004-2005 New England Patriots, it’s a great opportunity to make some money betting on who will win the Super Bowl?

Let’s face it, who had the Arizona Cardinals taking on the Steelers last year in the Super Bowl? Or the Giants taking on the Patriots and ruining their perfect season in 2008? If you have a few bucks put aside for futures bets, here’s some food for thought before making your bets on who will win the Super Bowl this season in Miami on February 7, 2010.

Before giving you my top plays on whom I like to win the Super Bowl in Miami in February or should I say, my top picks to “hedge” to win the Super Bowl, I want to give you my reasoning and theory behind these selections. Going back to 1991 to present, if you look at teams who have won or competed in the Super Bowl, they all had the 3 key factors of playing in the big show. Each team had the “BIG 3” which is a top rated Quarterback, stud running back and the touchdown machine at the wide receiver position. Plus, I feel a ball hawk Free Safety or Strong Safety gives that team a better shot at going to the Championship game.

Let’s look at the following teams who won the Super Bowl with the exception of the 1991 to 1994 Buffalo Bills, but still made an unbelievable 4 Super Bowl appearances, and all of these teams had a BIG 3.

• 1993 and 1994 Dallas Cowboys: Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith and Michael Irving
• 1991 to 1994 Buffalo Bills: Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed
• 1998 and 1999 Denver Broncos: John Elway, Terrell Davis and Rod Smith or you can say Shannon Sharpe.
• 2000 St.Louis Rams: Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt/Isaac Bruce
• 2004/05 New England Patriots: Tom Brady, Corey Dillon and Cliff Branch/Troy Brown
• 2008 NY Giants: Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress
• 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker and Hines Ward

Hard to bet against a team who has the "Hat Trick" of elite athletes on offense, but it’s finding the trio before the season begins that will bring you some profits when betting on NFL Futures.

Also, another way to make money is betting on teams regular season win lost records posted by the offshore sportsbooks. Plus, we don’t need for our NFL futures predictions to win the Super Bowl, just make the playoffs and then pick your spot to bet against them to reap a small profit.

Here are my 4 NFL picks on teams who I’m going to bet on to win the 2009/2010 Super Bowl in Miami this February. Remember, they don’t have to win the Super Bowl, but just make the playoffs to make us some money. Keep in mind, I’m looking to hedge, so I’m avoiding the favorites like the Patriots, Steelers and Colts, as there’s no money to be made betting on those teams.

1. Buffalo Bills +3200: The Sportsbooks have placed the Buffalo Bills at +3200 to win Super Bowl XLIV and considering they have Edwards (QB ), Owens (WR) and Lynch (RB ) at the Big 3 positions gives us great value! Keep in mind, the Bills started the year 4-0 SU last year before Edwards got knocked out of the Arizona Cardinals game and who knows how far they could have kept the momentum going with their field general in the lineup.

2. Cincinnati Bengals +5000: Probably one of the best value teams on the board, they have a great leader in Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson has rededicated himself fitness wise and he’s looking good in camp. If any of the Bengals Running Backs; Cedric Benson, Brian Leonard or Kenny Watson can step their game up, this pick might get interesting down the stretch.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars +4000: I’m not sure how Jack Del Rio let his team get out of fight mode late in the season last season; they finished the year at 5-11 but 6 of those loses where by 7 points or less, so it’s not like they fell totally apart. Keep in mind; they finished 12-5 SU in 2005 and 12-6 SU in 2007. Plus, with the addition of Torry Holt at the wide out position, granted he’s getting up there in age, but that’s why they are +4000 to win the Super Bowl. Plus, Garrard and Maurice Jones Drew compliment the Big 3 package.

4. St.Louis Rams +8000: In order for long shots to cash in, you need a bit of help, something like the Dolphins received last season when Tom Brady went down for the Patriots, the AFC East was wide open after that injury. Plus, the Dolphins really excelled winning 10 out of 11 games at the end of their schedule. Therefore, you need a bit of help from your division and a weak schedule gives the team a better psychological edge. When you look at the Rams, they have a reliable QB in Bulger and stud running back in Steven Jackson who’s coming off a so-so season and the organization must like Donnie Avery, because they allowed Holt to sign on with the Jaguars to let Avery be the guy! When you look at this BIG 3, there is a shot of them giving us an opportunity to hedge come January. Plus, with a new coach, we can expect the unexpected, just like the Dolphins did last year.

Same thing for the NFL Teams regular season win/lost totals; take the following picks.

• Buffalo Bills OVER 7.5 (-135) WINS
• Cincinnati Bengals OVER 7.5 (+125) WINS
• Jacksonville Jaguars OVER 8.5 (+120) WINS
• St.Louis Rams OVER 5.5 (-155) WINS

Here are every 2009 NFL Football teams “BIG 3 position” with the players names and I’ve added the Free and Strong Safety position players. In fact, I feel a great Safety is the key to a winning championship team, just look at the Steelers last year with Troy Polamalu, as players like him are the safety valve and the last line of defense to Super Bowl Teams.

Arizona Cardinals +2000

QB: Kurt Warner
WR: Larry Fitzgerald
RB: Tim Hightower
FREE SAFETY: Antrel Rolle
STRONG SAFETY: Adrian Wilson

Atlanta Falcons +2000

QB: Matt Ryan
WR: Roddy White
RB: Michael Turner
FREE SAFETY: Erik Coleman
STRONG SAFETY: Thomas DeCoud

Baltimore Ravens +2000

QB: Joe Flacco
WR: Derrick Masson
RB: Ray Rice
FREE SAFETY: Ed Reed
STRONG SAFETY: Dawan Landry

Buffalo Bills +3200

QB: Trent Edwards
WR: Terrell Owens
RB: Marshawn Lynch
FREE SAFETY: Ko Simpson
STRONG SAFETY: Donte Whitner

Carolina Panthers +2000

QB: Jake Delhomme
WR: Steve Smith
RB: DeAngelo Williams
FREE SAFETY: Charles Godfrey
STRONG SAFETY: Chris Harris

Chicago Bears +2000

QB: Jay Cutler
WR: Devin Hester
RB: Matt Forte
FREE SAFETY: Josh Bullocks
STRONG SAFETY: Kevin Payne

Cincinnati Bengals +5000

QB: Carson Palmer
WR: Chad Johnson
RB: Cedrick Benson
FREE SAFETY: Chris Crocker
STRONG SAFETY: Chinedum Ndukwe

Cleveland Browns +5000

QB: Brady Quinn/Derrick Anderson
WR: Braylon Edwards
RB: Jamal Lewis
FREE SAFETY: Abram Elam
STRONG SAFETY: Brodney Pool

Dallas Cowboys +1200

QB: Tony Romo
WR: Roy Williams
RB: Marion Barber
FREE SAFETY: Ken Hamlin
STRONG SAFETY: Gerald Sensabaugh

Denver Broncos +5000

QB: Kyle Orton
WR: Brandon Marshall
RB: Knowshon Moreno
FREE SAFETY: Renaldo Hill
STRONG SAFETY: Brian Dawkins

Detroit Lions +17500

QB: Daunte Culpepper
WR: Kevin Smith
RB: Calvin Johnson
FREE SAFETY: Louis Delmas (rookie)
STRONG SAFETY: Daniel Bullocks

Green Bay Packers +2000

QB: Aaron Rodgers
WR: Greg Jennings
RB: Ryan Grant
FREE SAFETY: Nick Collins
STRONG SAFETY: Atari Bigby

Houston Texans +2000

QB: Matt Schaub
WR: Andre Johnson
RB: Steve Slaton
FREE SAFETY: Eugene Wilson
STRONG SAFETY: Nick Ferguson

Indianapolis Colts +1200

QB: Peyton Manning
WR: Reggie Wayne
RB: Joseph Addai
FREE SAFETY: Antoine Bethea
STRONG SAFETY: Bob Sanders

Jacksonville Jaguars +4000

QB: David Garrard
WR: Torry Holt
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew
FREE SAFETY: Reggie Nelson
STRONG SAFETY: Sean Considine

Kansas City Chiefs +7500

QB: Matt Cassel
WR: Dwayne Bowe
RB: Larry Johnson
FREE SAFETY: Jarrad Page
STRONG SAFETY: Bernard Pollard

Miami Dolphins +2500

QB: Chad Pennington
WR: Ted Ginn
RB: Ronnie Brown
FREE SAFETY: Gibril Wilson
STRONG SAFETY: Yeremiah Bell

Minnesota Vikings +2000

QB: Tarvaris Jackson
WR: Bernard Berrian
RB: Adrian Peterson
FREE SAFETY: Madieu Williams
STRONG SAFETY: Tyrell Johnson

New England Patriots +365

QB: Tom Brady
WR: Randy Moss
RB: Sammy Morris
FREE SAFETY: James Sanders
STRONG SAFETY: Brandon Meriweather

New Orleans Saints +1900

QB: Drew Brees
WR: Marques Colston
RB: Reggie Bush
FREE SAFETY: Darren Sharper
STRONG SAFETY: Roman Harper

New York Giants +950

QB: Eli Manning
WR: Domenik Hixon
RB: Brandon Jacobs
FREE SAFETY: Kenny Phillips
STRONG SAFETY: Michael Johnson

New York Jets +3500

QB: Mark Sanchez
WR: Jerricho Cotchery
RB: Thomas Jones
FREE SAFETY: Kerry Rhodes
STRONG SAFETY: Jim Leonhard

Oakland Raiders +5500

QB: JaMarcus Russell
WR: Javon Walker
RB: Justin Fargas
FREE SAFETY: Hiram Eugene
STRONG SAFETY: Michael Huff

Philadelphia Eagles +705

QB: Donovan McNabb
WR: DeSean Jackson
RB: Brian Westbrook
FREE SAFETY: Quintin Mikell
STRONG SAFETY: Quintin Demps

Pittsburgh Steelers +755

QB: Ben Roethlisberger
WR: Willie Parker
RB: Hines Ward
FREE SAFETY: Ryan Clark
STRONG SAFETY: Troy Polamalu

San Diego Chargers +760

QB: Philip Rivers
WR: Chris Chambers
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson
FREE SAFETY: Eric Weddle
STRONG SAFETY: Clinton Hart

San Francisco 49ers +4500

QB: Shaun Hill
WR: Isaac Bruce
RB: Frank Gore
FREE SAFETY: Da. Goldston
STRONG SAFETY: Michael Lewis

Seattle Seahawks +3000

QB: Matt Hasselbeck
WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh
RB: Julius Jones
FREE SAFETY: Brian Russell
STRONG SAFETY: Deon Grant

St. Louis Rams +8000

QB: Marc Bulger
WR: Donnie Avery
RB: Steven Jackson
FREE SAFETY: OJ Atogwe
STRONG SAFETY: James Butler

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +4000

QB: Luke McCown
WR: Antonio Bryant
RB: Derrick Ward
FREE SAFETY: Tanard Jackson
STRONG SAFETY: Sabby Piscitelli

Tennessee Titans +1900

QB: Kerry Collins
WR: Nate Washington
RB: Chris Johnson
FREE SAFETY: LaRon Landry
STRONG SAFETY: Chris Hope

Washington Redskins +1900

QB: Jason Campbell
WR: Santana Moss
RB: Clinton Portis
FREE SAFETY: Michael Griffin
STRONG SAFETY: Chris Horton

ODDS TO WIN SUPERBOWL XLIV

• Arizona Cardinals +2000
• Atlanta Falcons +2000
• Baltimore Ravens +2000
• Buffalo Bills +3200
• Carolina Panthers +2000
• Chicago Bears +2000
• Cincinnati Bengals +5000
• Cleveland Browns +5000
• Dallas Cowboys +1200
• Denver Broncos +5000
• Detroit Lions +17500
• Green Bay Packers +2000
• Houston Texans +2000
• Indianapolis Colts +1200
• Jacksonville Jaguars +4000
• Kansas City Chiefs +7500
• Miami Dolphins +2500
• Minnesota Vikings +2000
• New England Patriots+365
• New Orleans Saints +1900
• New York Giants +950
• New York Jets +3500
• Oakland Raiders +5500
• Philadelphia Eagles +705
• Pittsburgh Steelers +755
• San Diego Chargers +760
• San Francisco 49ers +4500
• Seattle Seahawks +3000
• St. Louis Rams +8000
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers +4000
• Tennessee Titans +1900
• Washington Redskins +1900