Super Bowl XLIII went in the books less than 48 hours ago. You know what that means: time for official Vegas odds on next year's Super Bowl winner.
For the 49ers and Raiders, these odds are so long they make that "getting hit by lightning while riding a snowboard" insurance policy seem like a pretty shrewd move.
The 49ers, with their seven wins and arguable improvement, are being given daunting 60-to-1 odds to win it all.
That leaves them in the bottom five of teams in likelihood to win Super Bowl XLIV, but SF Illustrated sees evidence from the Cardinals' success this year indicating that the Niners might be the next team to pull it off.
The Raiders rank a notch even lower, tying the hapless St. Louis Rams with 75-to-1. Only the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions have more distant odds than the Raiders, bringing up the rear with 100-1.
We should be clear that these odds are provided only for cocktail party conversation, laughs and as conversation starters. We can't imagine any other use for ratios signifying what one would receive per one dollar wagered.
Take heart, Raider and 49er Nations -- these odds are often massively inaccurate. Just this past year, the Arizona Cardinals were given 50-1 odds -- and they came within two minutes of actually pulling it off.
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This year's Baltimore Ravens faced the same 60-to-1 odds that 49ers have been given, and rode those long odds right to the AFC Championship game. And these are nothing compared to the 250-1 odds laid on this year's Miami Dolphins, a team that both the 49ers and Raiders can tell you ended up being far better than anticipated.
