Bodog Beat

The books are still reeling from last year’s Gigantic upset at the Super Bowl. (AP Images)

That would be the New York Giants (+12.5), who thumbed their nose at history by beating the New England Patriots 17-14. The Giants got an unusual amount of action for an underdog; anyone brave enough to go Big Blue on the moneyline cashed in at a handsome +350.

This year’s moneyline on the Arizona Cardinals (+7, -120) was pending at press time, but the pointspread suggests a figure in the +200 range. Underdogs are only 11-31 SU at the Super Bowl; however, they’re also 3-4 SU over the last seven years. The 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+155) and the 2002 New England Patriots (+350) have made taking the underdog the profitable thing to do this decade. Just don’t remind Arizona QB Kurt Warner about the Patriots beating his St. Louis Rams (-14) 20-17.