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November 11, 2009

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NFL conference title games draw bettors

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Jan. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

After watching the 10-point opening line soar to 12 1/2 in the first day of betting, the onslaught of money being wagered on the Green Bay Packers has settled in most sports books.

The Packers, who face the Carolina Panthers in Sunday's NFC Championship -- kickoff is at 9:30 a.m. on KVVU Channel 5 -- are the favorites to win Super Bowl XXXI in most books.

"At 12 1/2, we've seen action both ways," said Kelly Downey, assistant sports book director at Imperial Palace. "Once it opened the wise guys waited for the number to go up and 12 1/2 seems to be it."

Downey expects the number to reach 13, but no higher.

"It will steady more at 13. Both 12 1/2 and 13 are dead numbers. It should go a half-point higher and the wise guys will bet it back to 12 1/2 by kickoff," he said.

Jacksonville has been the popular pick in the AFC Championship. The Jaguars opened as 8 1/2 -point underdogs to the New England Patriots and have been bet down to +7. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on KVBC Channel 3.

"This week, the public is for one expansion team and against the other," said John Avello, sports book director at Bally's. "The public feels one of them can make it (to the Super Bowl)."

Avello said the presence of expansion teams has helped the handle, adding that "this will exceed almost all of the previous" AFC and NFC title games in wagering.

But the games that decide the participants in Super Bowl XXXI don't compare.

"It's not even close. The Super Bowl is one game where you have a lot of proposition bets and two weeks to bet them. People come from all over the country. This weekend, there's not a big enough reason to come into town. It's not as big a deal."

The over/under line on the AFC title game has fallen from an opening mark of 46 1/2 to 45.

"It's dropped steadily, but seems to be at a good number now," Downey said. "Before game time I think it will go back up a little."

The Green Bay-Carolina total of 39 points has seen little action, as bettors wait on the progress of two factors -- weather and sod.

Five hundred tons of new sod were laid at Lambeau Field despite several inches of snow Thursday. More snow is in the weekend forecast.

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