The effect of playing in the Super Bowl the previous year has an undeniable effect on teams, both winning and losing, into the next season. Whether it affects the actual teams, the oddsmaker's original line, or the public perception that eventually moves the line is debatable. However, one thing that is not is that the trend is there.

The last seven Super Bowl winners have covered in Week 1 of the following season. Almost mirroring that is that the last eight Super Bowl losers have failed to cover in Week 1 of the following season. You have to go back to the Super Bowl XXXIV champion St. Louis Rams to find a team that couldn't cover the number in the first regular season game. To find a losing team that covered, you have to go back to the losers of Super Bowl XXXIII, the Atlanta Falcons.

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These trends have taken a large reversal from the late nineties when it was almost the opposite. The Rams not covering in the 2000-2001 capped a six-year run of Super Bowl winners failing to cover the following season.

Super Bowl winners and following season's Week 1 ATS result:
2007 Colts Win
2006 Steelers Win
2005 Patriots Win
2004 Patriots Win
2003 Buccaneers Win
2002 Patriots Win
2001 Ravens Win
2000 Rams Lose
1999 Broncos Lose
1998 Broncos Lose
1997 Packers Lose
1996 Cowboys Lose
1995 49ers Lose

Super Bowl losers and following season's Week 1 ATS result:
2007 Bears Lose
2006 Seahawks Lose
2005 Eagles Lose
2004 Panthers Lose
2003 Raiders Lose
2002 Rams Lose
2001 Giants Lose
2000 Titans Lose
1999 Falcons Win
1998 Patriots Win
1997 Patriots Win

Besides just the first week of the season, Super Bowl losers have had a tough time rebounding the next season early on. The Seahawks, losers of Super Bowl XL went 2-1 ATS to start the 2007 season but then failed to cover the number the next four weeks. The Bears (0-4 ATS), Eagles (2-8 ATS), Panthers (1-2 ATS), Raiders (0-8 ATS) and Rams (0-5 ATS) all have had large struggles against the number after losing in the Super Bowl.

On the defending champion side, the luck has been much different. The Colts and Steelers both started 1-2 ATS after three weeks but before that it was the Patriots taking their backers to the pay window early and often. In 2005 the Patriots started 2-1 ATS and in 2004 they stormed out of the gate and kept it going, 9-1-2 ATS. Before that the Buccaneers, Patriots and Ravens all covered two out of three lines in the first three weeks.

After reading this NFL piece head over to our Bet Football Conference winners page. If you plan on betting NFL you'll also want to read our strength of schedule page. When it comes to betting NFL our How parlay wagers work feature is a must for any NFL fan. Since 1971 Doc's Sports has been recognized as a leader and trusted name in sports handicapping information.

Looking at Saturdays in fall, collegiate champions had covered four out of five opening week lines dating back to 2001. They are 11-7-2 in the first three weeks combined since 2001 when Miami won the National Championship. The college football runners up have not fared too bad in the opening week, posting a 4-5 ATS record. Looking at the opening three weeks for the BCS title game losers shows them with an 8-13 ATS record.

While most might think public perception of a defending champion might inflate lines early in the season, the teams have still managed to cover the line at a convincing rate. Contrary, the hangover of losing a title game also has a carryover effect evident for the first three weeks.