NFL Conference Championship Futures Odds

By Robert Ferringo

Below is a list of current odds for winning the AFC and NFC Championship. While picking the Super Bowl winner is the favorite betting prop for futures players, betting a team to win the conference title an provide better value because there are fewer teams to sift through in each conference. If you can realistically eliminate five or six teams from each conference (sorry Detroit fans, you’re not winning the NFC this year) then that really leaves just 8-10 teams with a legit shot in each conference. From there you can sift through value and take a shot on the teams that you like in each spot. And in the end you can probably come up with five or six teams that you think can cash this ticket. That’s a lot better odds than trying to find the four or five teams out of 32 that can win the Super Bowl.

In the AFC, I think that the best odds rest on the middle-tier teams. The usual suspects - Indianapolis, New England and San Diego - are relatively short odds, considering that they are each at the back end of their “dynastic” years. The Jets are appealing to some at 6-to-1, but that’s what is called a “Joey” play and is a bit of a sucker bet. I do like the NFL betting odds on the AFC North teams though. I think that this is a talented, deep division and that two of the teams out of the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals will make the playoffs. And I think that any one of those teams, once they make the postseason, would be a significant threat to win the AFC title.

In the NFC, things are a bit more wide-open. New Orleans is obviously one of the favorites, but the reality is that there hasn’t been a repeat NFC champion since 1997-1998 when the Packers made back-to-back Super Bowls. That seems to open the door for Dallas, who is clearly a Super Bowl contender. However, this conference has been known for its unpredictability over the last decade. Minnesota has decent odds - if Brett Favre comes back - and I think that Green Bay is a sucker play. I think that Washington, Arizona and San Francisco offer decent odds as longshot wagers, despite the fact that Arizona and San Fran have big question marks at quarterback.

Here is a look at the odds to win the 2010-11 AFC and NFC Championship:

ODDS TO WIN THE 2010-2011 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Team Open Current
Indianapolis 13/4 13/4
New England 9/2 9/2
San Diego 9/2 9/2
N.Y. Jets 17/2 6/1
Baltimore 11/1 7/1
Pittsburgh 13/2 10/1
Tennessee 10/1 12/1
Cincinnati 18/1 13/1
Houston 14/1 14/1
Miami 15/1 14/1
Denver 22/1 25/1
Jacksonville 22/1 25/1
Cleveland 30/1 40/1
Kansas City 60/1 50/1
Oakland 60/1 50/1
Buffalo 50/1 60/1

ODDS TO WIN THE 2010-2011 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Team Open Current
Dallas 4/1 4/1
New Orleans 7/2 4/1
Green Bay 9/2 9/2
Minnesota 11/2 6/1
N.Y. Giants 15/2 15/2
Atlanta 10/1 10/1
Philadelphia 10/1 14/1
Washington 25/1 14/1
Chicago 14/1 15/1
San Francisco 20/1 20/1
Arizona 20/1 25/1
Carolina 30/1 30/1
Seattle 40/1 30/1
Detroit 40/1 40/1
Tampa Bay 60/1 50/1
St. Louis 75/1 75/1

Posted at 7:59 am

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