If Line Holds, Patriots-Seahawks to Become First Ever Super Bowl With No Favorite

With one of the most highly-anticipated Super Bowls in recent memory just hours away, the matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks has no favorite.

As of noon on Sunday, VegasInsider.com listed their consensus as a pick ‘em. CG Technology has the Seahawks favored by a point, while Westgate Superbook, MGM Mirage, William Hill, Wynn LV, and Stations books all have the game as a pick ‘em.

If the line holds until kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, it will mark the first time a Super Bowl has been played without a betting favorite. The closest two before were Super Bowl XVI in 1982 between the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals, which had 1-point odds (favoring San Francisco), and Super Bowl VII in 1973, which saw the Miami Dolphins go in as 1-point favorites over the Washington Redskins.

In those games, the 49ers beat the Bengals 26-21, while the Dolphins completed their undefeated season with a 14-7 win over Washington.

Only twice in Super Bowl history has Vegas called the final margin, with the St. Louis Rams’ 7-point win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV and the Green Bay Packers’ 14-point victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI both resulting in a push.

Going back to the last time the Patriots hoisted the Lombardi Trophy (in 2005 over the Philadelphia Eagles), the favorites heading into Super Bowl Sunday are just 3-6 against the spread. The Patriots were favored by 2 1/2 and 12 points in 2012 and 2008, respectively, and lost both games to the New York Giants. The Seahawks were 2 1/2-point underdogs to Denver last year before blowing out the Broncos, 43-8; Seattle went into Super Bowl XL as 4-point underdogs before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-10.