Pro Bowl bettors like underdog NFC

Feb 7, 2008 / By Nick Bailey

The last NFL Betting opportunity of the season takes place Sunday when the AFC and NFC square off in the 2008 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

And it seems NFL bettors are thinking the New York Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots last weekend may spark the NFC to a rare Pro Bowl win, as about 52 per cent of the betting public is taking the NFC.

The AFC is a 3-point spread and -155 moneyline favorite at BetOnline.com, and the over/under total is 63. The NFC is a +135 moneyline dog.

The NFC Champion Giants will have just one player in the Pro Bowl, as defensive end Osi Umenyiora will be a reserve on the NFC team.

The AFC Champion Patriots will have a total of six players in Hawaii, but quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss won’t be among them, as both are nursing injuries. The Pats will be represented by offensive linemen Matt Light, Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen, and defenders Vince Wilfork, Mike Vrabel and Asante Samuel.

San Diego head coach Norv Turner and Green Bay HC Mike McCarthy will lead the AFC and NFC squads, respectively, after watching their teams bow out of the championship round of the postseason.

The AFC has a 19-18 SU edge in the all-time Pro Bowl series dating back to 1970. Since the 1979 season, when the game was first played in Honolulu, the AFC holds a 15-13 SU advantage.

The AFC won the 2007 Pro Bowl 31-28, while the NFC won 23-17 the previous season.

The NFC is just 3-8 SU in the past 11 Pro Bowl appearances, and 1-2 SU in the past three.

Green Bay Packer pivot Brett Favre was to start for the NFC, but is out because of injury. The NFC will rotate the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo, the Seattle Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Jeff Garcia.

Indianapolis Colt quarterback Peyton Manning will make his eighth Pro Bowl appearance, while the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Cleveland Browns' Derek Anderson will make their first appearances.

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