Super Bowl Prop Bets 2017: Box Score Game Odds and Score Prediction

If you're one of those fans who begrudgingly watches the Super Bowl with friends because your team was eliminated long before February, then you might like betting some props or playing the classic box score game.

Below you'll find some prop bets, of which there are hundreds, per OddsShark, as well as some notes on the box score game, if you happen to be playing this year. There's also a quick score prediction.

Prop Bets

If you are playing the box score game this year, you should study the following four prop bets, as they could provide clues as to what the experts behind the sportsbooks think will happen on Sunday.

1st Scoring Play

Result	Odds
Touchdown	-165
Field goal or safety	+135

Team To Score 1st in the Game

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	-125
Atlanta Falcons	-105

Total Team Points: New England Patriots

Team	Odds
Over 30.5	-140
Under 30.5	+110

Total Team Points: Atlanta Falcons

Team	Odds
Over 27.5	-140
Under 27.5	+110

Vegas seems pretty high on touchdowns being scored early and often, as well as the New England Patriots winning a close one, so don't expect any funky score-ending numbers like "9," which can only be achieved through a bunch of field goals more often than not.

Therefore, the numbers to shoot for are "one," "four" and "seven."

Box Score Game

The box score game rules are fairly easy. There is a board of 100 squares (see one here on FootballSquares.net), with one team on top of the square and the other team on the side.

Each team has a number from zero through nine. The goal is to pick the last number of the score that will end each quarter and the end of the game.

Typically, there are smaller prizes for the first three quarters before a grand prize for the final score.

If you think the New England Patriots will win 31-24, then you'll want the "one" for the Pats and the "four" for the Atlanta Falcons. If that's the score at the end of the game, then you win. Furthermore, if the score happens to be 21-14 to the Pats after two quarters, you'll take the halftime prize too.

People can buy multiple squares to increase their chances of winning, which isn't a bad idea if you are willing to gamble.

The key is to avoid numbers that rarely occur at the end of games. For example, it's rare to see the number "two" at the end of a football score, so avoid it at all costs.

Here's a look at the ending score for each digit in the 50 Super Bowls. There are 100 final team scores, so we have whole percentages to work with here. Seven is the leader, and given that touchdowns will likely be scored frequently in this content, it's probably the safest bet.

Super Bowl Final Scores

Score	Percent
0	13
1	13
2	4
3	8
4	14
5	5
6	10
7	20
8	5
9	8

Score Prediction

The prediction for the final score here is 31-24 to the Patriots. New England's defense is underrated, and Atlanta might be held back if the Pats try to control the clock on offense, which they can likely do thanks to their strong run game.

Of course, it looks hypocritical to predict a 31-24 scoreline when saying that a score ending in "seven" is the safest bet, so it's worth closing with this: If I were playing the box score game, I'd buy as much real estate in "one," "four," and "seven" as possible and hope for the best.