Super Bowl Point Spread: Take the Giants (+3) and the Under

Super Bowl XLVI is nearly here, and that means that all across America (in places where it's legal, of course, as anything else would be, you know, wrong) gamblers are hurriedly trying to decide on which team to place their hard-earned cabbage in the hopes of a little Super Sunday windfall.

Let's pretend that I'm in Vegas for a moment (you can tell I'm not, because I'm typing, and I'm typing coherently) and take a look at the two most common wagers...betting the spread and the over/under.

Note that these are updated lines from sportsbook.com.

LINE: Patriots -3 (-140), Giants +3 (-120)

This line hasn't budged that much this week even though action has favored the Giants (explaining why you now have to plunk down $120 to win $100 if you want the G-Men and the points while $100 will get you $140 if you lay the points and take the Pats), most likely because a 2.5-point spread would create a potential nightmare scenario for Vegas if New York wins on a late field goal.

That said, I expect the Giants to control both lines of scrimmage and win a close game outright, so I'd be inclined to part with a bit more cheddar, take the points, and hedge my bet a bit that even if New England wins a nail-biter I still get paid.

THE PICK: Giants +3 (-120)

OVER/UNDER: 53

How you feel about this bet depends on who you think will win the game. If you like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to get that fourth ring then I'd go over, as I'd expect a higher-scoring game in a Patriots win that could more readily result from a shootout.

I don't, however, and while 24-20 Giants was my predicted final score this over/under is in a spot where honestly I'd likely just pass.

Gotta lay a hypothetical bet, though, so the under it is.

THE PICK: Under (44)