Just days after Super Bowl XLVI ended, and as the New York Giants are celebrating in a ticker tape parade down Broadway, a quick internet search will show Las Vegas odds for who will be the Super Bowl XLVII champion, and there's some interesting numbers out there.
First of all, the favorite to win the whole thing, according to the MGM Grand sports book is the New England Patriots. You can go ahead and cross that off your list since the Super Bowl loser never makes it back the following year unless you're the Buffalo Bills, and most of the time, the Super Bowl loser doesn't even make the playoffs the following year. So scratch that.
Checking in at No. 2 is the Green Bay Packers, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia tied for No. 3 at 6/1 odds. The New York Giants are fourth at 8/1, which is also a pretty big question mark considering teams hardly ever repeat.
This is where things get really interesting. At 10/1 odds each, you have the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, keeping mind that the big game next year is in the Louisiana Superdome. Can you imagine that place if the Saints are in the Super Bowl. Talk about a zoo. The 49ers proved to be one of the most promising up-and-coming teams in the league this year, losing a thriller to the Giants in the NFC title game. That defense will win a lot of games, especially in the playoffs.
Right behind them at 12/1 are the Houston Texans, which probably would've had a first-round bye had they not been ravaged by injuries. They're a very intriguing team at those odds if they can get Matt Schaub and Mario Williams back healthy.
Finally, at 20/1 are your Dallas Cowboys. Considering the history, there's pretty much always a new team in the NFC going to the Super Bowl every year. The Cowboys have some pieces in place and with the emergence of DeMarco Murray last season, they could make some noise in the NFC.
Crazier things have happened.
