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There are so many different proposition bets available for the Super Bowl that it is hard to even know where to begin. Some of the props make sense - they are interesting, it is possible to handicap them, and there is a potential for profit. On the other hand, there are a whole lot of strange, trivial, bizarre props out there. What I'm saying is that there are some odd Super Bowl bets. As I was combing through the long lists of props looking for value these are a few that jumped out that definitely struck me as odd. I've obviously been spending too much time looking at them, though, because I'm actually giving some more consideration than they probably deserve:

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Will the player that scores the first touchdown have an odd or even numbered jersey? - Odd -300, Even +250 (odds are identical for the last touchdown of the game) - This is the perfect example of an odd and trivial Super Bowl prop bet. The reasons for the odds are fairly obvious - the top receivers and running backs have odd jersey numbers. That price for even is pretty juicy, though, so let's take a quick look at who we would get if we bet on that side. Giants - Steve Smith, Eli Manning, Ahmad Bradshaw, Kevin Boss. Patriots - Tom Brady, Kyle Brady, Matt Cassel (if Brady's foot is a problem), Heath Evans, Jabar Gaffney, Donte Stallworth, Ben Watson, Mike Vrabel (it has happened before - he has 10 career receptions, all for touchdowns, and two came in Super Bowls), Asante Samuel. Sure, you aren't getting the offensive superstars, and you aren't as likely to win with evens than with odds, but then you would get rewarded pretty handsomely if you do go with evens, and it is far from impossible, so it might just be worth a look.

Team to use coaches challenge first in the game - Giants -115, Patriots -101 - What an odd thing to want to bet on. It surprises me that people would care about challenges for any other reason than they are annoying because they needlessly interrupt the flow of the game more often than they actually solve any problem. What surprises me even more is that people would handicap this as anything more than a coin flip, but the price indicates that they obviously have. This is obviously not the bet for me, because by my logic I would have guessed that the Patriots would be the first to challenge - I think that they will have the ball more early on, and will be moving it more effectively, and it seems to me that flags are thrown most often when a team has the ball, so the Pats would be my choice. If I was going to make a choice that is - this is too trivial for me to invest in. I guess, though, that if you are going to bet on the coin flip (which I am not), then you might as well bet on this as well.

First missed field goal in the game will be? - Wide left - 125, Wide right -105 - How do you know if you have a gambling problem and need some help? If you look at a bet like this and think that it sounds like a good idea. I could sort of understand the appeal of this bet if the game was going to be played in windy conditions that would predictably and adversely affect the kicks. Sort of, but not really. The conditions in Arizona are going to be absolutely perfect, though, so all you are doing here is speculating. If that makes you happy then go for it, but I think this bet, and you, are odd.

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Will the final score differential be? - Even +104, Odd -120 - This one again struck me as odd because it is so trivial and ultimately so meaningless - who cares how much a team wins by other than how the score differential compares to the spread? When I looked at it further, though, it turns out that this could be a pretty big overlay if you just look at past Super Bowls. There have been 41 Super Bowls played, and just 14 of them have been decided by an even score differential. Last year's was (29-17=12), but before that nine in a row, and 15 of 17, were decided by an odd differential. If you believe in trends then that would be a pretty compelling trend, and -120 for the odd differential would be a bargain.

Personally, I can't believe I used brain cells and my time actually thinking about any of those props. Needless to say, I won't be betting on any of them, or on any of the other odd ones out there.