Betting On the 2009 Super Bowl

The top sports books favor the New York Giants over the 11 other teams in the NFL playoffs to win the Super Bowl, giving 2-to-1 odds on the NFC’s No. 1 seed to repeat as champions. The Tennessee Titans are the favorite among AFC teams to win a title at 4-1, closely followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers at 9-2.

The Giants have the easiest road to the Feb. 1 Super Bowl, while the AFC teams are more evenly matched, according to a top oddsmaker. “You want to be in the NFC,” he said. “The AFC is closer bunched — there’s not a lot of difference between your top seed and the six seed.”

The Giants have a first-round bye, then would have to beat either the Arizona Cardinals or the Atlanta Falcons to reach the NFC championship game. Sports books set 40-1 odds on the Cardinals winning the Super Bowl, and 15-1 on the Falcons.