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We aren’t just keying in on the simple props like passing yards and rushing yards here at Bankroll Sports. For the biggest game of the year, we are leaving no stone unturned for our Super Bowl picks! Today, our free Super Bowl pick of the day revolves around the punters and whether there will be a ball booted into the end zone for a touchback over the course of the game.

For the most part, logic tells you that you that this is a no brainer. It feels like there is a touchback in every game, but in all actuality, the sportsbooks are really trying to trick you into thinking this, and they hope that you back the “yes,” only to find that you’ll be greatly disappointed in the end.

However, it’s not just that simple. Green Bay Packers P Tim Masthay did end up booming one into the end zone last week, probably because he was really worried about WR Devin Hester getting his hands on the pigskin for the Chicago Bears. In fact, two of the six touchbacks that Masthay has in his 18 games this year came because of Hester and the Bears. He really doesn’t have all that much to worry about with the Steelers, as there isn’t a player standing back that could take punts in this one that is known as that explosive of a player that could return for to the house at a moment’s notice.

The punter that we are worried about screwing this up for us is Jeremy Kapinos. He had a touchback in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens, and in seven games this season, he had four touchbacks. Still, the Steelers quite often will let the ball stay in QB Ben Roethlisberger’s hands when they are close enough to go for it on 4th down to avoid punting, which could play right into our hands in this prop.

Between Kapinos and Masthay, they had 25 games and 11 punts between them. This theoretically should be about a 50/50 proposition, and considering we are getting +120 odds, we’ll gladly jump at them.

Free Super Bowl Picks: No Touchback in the Game +120 at Oddsmaker Sportsbook

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Here at Bankroll Sports, we are continuing our analysis of the Super Bowl XLV odds with our first look at our Free Superbowl Prop Picks. The very first one of these props that we are going to take a look at is the man that is going to score the first touchdown of the game.

Logic tells you that Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall should be the selection in this one, as he has three of the Steelers’ TDs in these playoffs, and when they get down close to the goal line, Mendenhall is the man getting the pigskin. However, we’re going to head down the board just a tad to the second favorite to beat the Super Bowl betting lines.

Green Bay Packers WR Greg Jennings was the leader on the team in the regular season with a dozen TDs on the year, and QB Aaron Rodgers usually loves to do what he can to get Jennings the ball early and often. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found his way into the end zone yet in the playoffs, but it feels like he is the only one that hasn’t for this team. Jennings was clearly vocal after the NFC Wild Card game in which he had just one reception against the Philadelphia Eagles, as he has eight grabs in both of the last two duels. We’re getting some great odds here on Jennings to be the first touchdown scorer in this game at 6.50 to 1, and we are going to cash in on this one for sure.

Free Super Bowl Prop Picks: Greg Jennings to Score the First Touchdown +650

Super Bowl Prop Odds: First Touchdown Scorer @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 1/24/11):
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Rashard Mendenhall +450
Greg Jennings +650
Mike Wallace +650
James Starks +950
Hines Ward +1000
James Jones +1000
Donald Driver +1200
Heath Miller +1200
John Kuhn +1200
Aaron Rodgers +1600
Emmanuel Sanders +1600
Jordy Nelson +1600
Ben Roethlisberger +2000
Antonio Brown +2000
Isaac Redman +3300
Brandon Jackson +3300
Mewelde Moore +3300
Andrew Quarless +3300
Tom Crabtree +3300
Matt Spaeth +4000
No TD Scored in Game +5000

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Heading into Tuesday, the Australian Open odds only show eight ladies left standing for the first crown jewel of the WTA season. Each of these eight women think that they can be the ones that really get the job done to claim glory.

All eyes are going to be on Kim Clijsters (1.35 to 1 @ BetUS Sportsbook), who is the favorite to take down the title. Clijsters has a relatively favorable draw to get through the rest of this tournament, while the opposite end of the bracket is clearly incredibly tough. The No. 3 seeded player in the world has yet to drop a set, and she has been one of the most consistent women to take to the hard courts in Melbourne.

Meanwhile, the top seed, Caroline Wozniacki (3.9 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) continues to battle both with the media and with an incredibly tough schedule. The Dane has been the subject of two very odd media story involving a pregnancy that isn’t, and a kangaroo bite that wasn’t. However, she, too has yet to drop a set. The problem with backing Wozniacki though, is that she has never won a Grand Slam title and that she really hasn’t played anyone of any note thus far in the tournament. That’s going to change when she takes on No. 6 Francesca Schiavone (48 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook), who does know what it’s like to win a major tournament having won the French Open last year. Schiavone is up against it though on Tuesday, as she is coming off of a hellacious three set win in which the finale was won 16-14, the longest match in the history of Grand Slam women’s tennis.

If you’re looking for feel good stories, you have to love the way that Andrea Petkovic (22 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) and Petra Kvitova (16 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) have looked thus far. They are the highest seeds remaining in the draw, but many think that their fine play can lead them to some tremendous upsets.

Should Na Li (5 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) beat the Australian Open lines, she would become the first Chinese woman to ever capture a Grand Slam event. She’s got a tough road in front of her though, as Petkovic and either Schiavone or Wozniacki will make for tough foes to get to the finale.

Odds to Win Women’s Australian Open @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 1/24/11):
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Kim Clijsters 1.35 to 1
Caroline Wozniacki 3.9 to 1
Na Li 5 to 1
Vera Zvonareva 7 to 1
Petra Kvitova 16 to 1
Andrea Petkovic 22 to 1
Francesca Schiavone 48 to 1
Agnieszka Radwanska 100 to 1

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All season long, the NFL has been chock full of high scoring affairs. In fact, this season alone, there have been 147 ‘over’ contests against 114 ‘under’ games with some pushes mixed in, meaning if you bet on the ‘over’ in every single duel, you cashed in 56.3 percent of the time. Will this continue to be the case on the Super Bowl XLV odds, or will we revert back to a lower scoring duel? Check out these three keys that are going to probably be the decisive factors in whether this one goes over or under the posted 46.

Key #1: James Starks needs to keep control of the clock
We’ve already talked about the importance of Starks in the Super Bowl for the Packers to beat the Superbowl XLV odds, but he is going to be very instrumental in the ‘total’ as well. Green Bay has to want to keep feeding him the football to keep this clock moving on a regular basis. It seems to go without saying that the more runs there are in a game, the fewer plays that there are, thus the fewer opportunities there are for points. The good news with Starks for those looking to back the ‘under’ is that he really isn’t all that much of a home run threat. If he’s going to move the ball 60s yards on you, he’s going to do it in 10-12 carries, not just in one pop. As we know, this probably isn’t going to work against the Pittsburgh front seven though, so in a bit of an ironic twist, if you back the ‘over’ on the Super Bowl betting lines, you’re probably more interested in Starks not getting his act together.

Super Bowl XLV Odds at BetUS Sportsbook
Pittsburgh Steelers +2.5
Green Bay Packers -2.5
Over/Under (Total) 46
Click Here to Bet on Your Super Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Teams need to avoid careless mistakes
This is what has really been killing anyone that has backed the ‘under’ in a Pittsburgh game in the playoffs. Dumb, dumb, dumb mistakes. Remember in the duel against the Baltimore Ravens… The visitors picked up 17 points off of a punt return that came all the way back inside field goal range, a 35 yard pass interference penalty, and a fumble out of QB Ben Roethlisberger’s hands that was scooped up and returned for a TD. Green Bay hasn’t been all that swift of late either, as QB Aaron Rodgers coughed the ball up in enemy territory against the Chicago Bears. Of course, we know the importance of flags as well, and the good news is that these teams are very disciplined. There shouldn’t be too many drives that get down to the opposing 30 yard line, only to end in a punt because of a holding penalty or a false start call. However, you must remember that there is going to be rust on both sides, and both defenses are good enough to not just take points away from enemies, but to directly parlays those into TDs, just as both teams did on Championship Game Sunday.

Key #3: Special teams and trick plays will be key
Neither the Steelers nor the Packers really excelled this year in the kick and punt return department, which is really a surprise for two teams that are duking it out to beat the Super Bowl XLV lines. However, we know that both teams are capable of pulling off some big plays, especially via some creativity, especially the Steelers. It was only six years ago that they pulled off the wide receiver pass from WR Antwaan Randle El to WR Hines Ward to help beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and they have enough talented players that can run, catch, and throw to make the Packers shake in their boots. Remember the onside kick that the New Orleans Saints pulled off in last year’s Super Bowl? Gimmicks like that are becoming more and more popular, especially with teams having two weeks to prepare for this game. You can bet that there are going to be at least three or four really tricky plays that are tried out for the first, and probably the only time on February 6th, and when they happen, you if back the ‘over’, you hope they work, and if you are relying on the ‘under’, you hope that they fail and fail miserably.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers are already getting set to do battle in the Lone Star State, and in order for you to make your Superbowl XLV picks, we have the three biggest keys to the game that you must remember that will probably determine the outcome of the game.

Key #1: The Steelers have to use experience to their advantage
When you look at the roster for the Steelers, you see a whole slew of men that have already won rings titles, many of which have helped Pittsburgh to two victories over the Super Bowl odds in their tenures wearing black and gold. QB Ben Roethlisberger, the heart and soul of this team, is arguably the most important player on the field, and he not only figured out how to do it as a young buck, who just relied on his defense and handed the ball off a ton, but he also did it in a shootout against a two-time Super Bowl MVP in QB Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals just three Super Bowls ago. There aren’t all that many coaches left in the league that can flash a Super Bowl ring in their locker room, but Head Coach Mike Tomlin is certainly one of them. He was the youngest head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl, and the youngest to ever win it, and now, he is the youngest to bring a team to the pinnacle of the NFL twice in his career. When the Steelers won their first title in this run with a very young team, Head Coach Bill Cowher had already coached in the Super Bowl once before, and he was able to use that experience to get through to his younger players. Unfortunately for Head Coach Mike McCarthy, he really doesn’t have that to rely on. Sure, DB Charles Woodson played in Super Bowl XXXVII with the Oakland Raiders, and DT Ryan Pickett did so in Super Bowl XXXVI with the St. Louis Rams, but aside from that, there isn’t a single player on this team that knows what it’s like to play in the biggest game of the season. Pittsburgh really needs to exploit that advantage to beat the Superbowl lines on February 6th.

Super Bowl XLV Odds at JustBet
Pittsburgh Steelers +2.5
Green Bay Packers -2.5
Over/Under 46
Click Here to Bet on Your Super Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The Packers need to figure out how to get into the face of Ben Roethlisberger
This is what the New York Jets had success with… sometimes. When Roethlisberger was kept in the pocket in the AFC Championship Game, he frequently made some mistakes. The pressure can really come from the outside, where Pittsburgh is very weak at the offensive tackle position, and this is a great thing for LB Clay Matthews, as these are the men that he is going to be going against. It’s when Big Ben breaks containment that things start to get hairy for the opponents. There might not be a signal caller that is better at escaping trouble and making something out of nothing than Roethlisberger in the entire league, and again, we have to stress the fact that he has really done it at every stage of the game in his career. Green Bay already has six INTs and 10 sacks so far in three playoff games this year. It really needs to make sure that Roethlisberger has hands in his face at all times and that he just doesn’t get to the outside, or these corners, no matter how great they are, just don’t stand a chance to win against guys like WR Mike Wallace, WR Antwaan Randle El, and WR Hines Ward.

Key #3: James Starks has to keep the Pittsburgh defense honest
We can be realistic when we say that Starks isn’t going to rush for 100 yards against the Pittsburgh defense in the Super Bowl, and we’re fairly sure that if he does, the Packers are going to be the champs and will beat the Super Bowl betting lines. However, the role that Starks has played, even though he has only averaged 3.76 yards per carry in the playoffs, is that he is taking some of the pressure off of QB Aaron Rodgers. Where this rookie from Buffalo has been all season long is beyond us, but he is clearly the best running back option that the Pack have had all season since losing RB Ryan Grant to a season ending ankle injury in Week 1. Starks, along with RB Brandon Jackson and RB John Kuhn, have to be able to keep Green Bay in front of the down and distance in this game. Punting is okay, but forcing Rodgers into situations in which he has to pick up third and long on a regular basis is going to create mistakes. The Steelers can overcome blunders every now and again. Odds have it, Green Bay won’t be able to. If Starks can’t at least get something going though, there is just going to be too much pressure on Rodgers, and he is going to be in for a very long game against a defense that just loves to make you one dimensional.

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If you’re an Australian Open betting nut, you absolutely love what you have seen thus far on the men’s side of the tournament, as the mass majority of the big names are still alive and well.

Rafael Nadal (1.4.5 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) has shown a few missteps along the way, but he has ultimately blown past his first round competitors without all that many issues, and he has really seen his side of the bracket open up dramatically. Yes, going up against the No. 7 seed, David Ferrer (150 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) won’t be the easiest thing in the world, but the greatest news in the world is that Robin Soderling, a man that has had some great success (relatively speaking, anyway) against some of the best players in the world, is out of this field is noteworthy.

The man that did the deed in the fourth round of this event is the one person on either half of the draw that you have probably never heard of. Alexandr Dolgopolov (100 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) is a Ukranian player who is ranked just No. 46 in the world. The 22 year old is playing in his first Aussie Open and just his fourth ever Grand Slam event. He only had three wins in his career before this point on the biggest stages on the ATP Tour, and now he has claimed four scalps just in a span of a week. Now, he has a huge challenge though, as No. 5 Andy Murray (4.85 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) has arguably been playing the best tennis out of any player on the men’s side of the draw. Murray hasn’t dropped more than three games in any set in this tournament, and he has absolutely coasted to a 12-0 record in sets thus far in Melbourne.

Of course, on the other half of the table, the biggest names are all still alive. Both Novak Djokovic (8 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) and Tomas Berdych (48 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook) made it through relatively easy brackets to make it to the quarterfinals, and both hope that they can make it just two more steps to get to the finale. The two will be facing off against one another on Tuesday, and a Swiss man will be awaiting the winner’s arrival.

Of course, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the Swiss hero that we are speaking of will be the great Roger Federer (2.5 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook). However, Federer has definitely shown some chinks in the armor in the rounds leading up to this one down under, including needing five sets to outlast Tommy Robredo. Now, he has to take on the man that he won the Gold Medal with in the 2008 Summer Olympics, Stanislas Wawrinka (44 to 1@ BetUS Sportsbook), who is coming off of the biggest match of his career, a victory over American, Andy Roddick in the fourth round.

Odds to Win Men’s Australian Open @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 1/23/11):
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Rafael Nadal 1.45 to 1
Roger Federer 2.5 to 1
Andy Murray 4.85 to 1
Novak Djokovic 8 to 1
Stanislas Wawrinka 44 to 1
Tomas Berdych 48 to 1
Alexander Dolgopolov 100 to 1
David Ferrer 150 to 1

There are only three games left in the entire NFL betting campaign, but before we get ready to make our Super Bowl XLV picks, we have some unfinished business to tend to in the AFC and NFC Championship Games. Check out our NFL prop picks for two of the biggest games of the entire season!

Will There Be a Score in the First 6.5 Minutes of the Game Bears/Packers Game?
We know that the Chicago offense got off to a great start last week against the Seattle Seahawks, but we also have to remember that these two teams have played some absolutely sparkling defense along the way as well. If the Bears get the ball first, there is a decent chance that a scoring drive might take over 6.5 minutes even if it does happen on the opening sequence, believe it or not. We’re believers that points could be at a premium on Sunday, and though that might not necessarily translate into a lower scoring game, we’ll take our chances that the first score doesn’t occur early on. Bank on there being No Score in the First 6.5 Minutes (-110 at Hollywood Sportsbook) between the Bears and the Packers.

Will There Be a Safety in Both Championship Games?
This season, including the playoffs, there have only been 13 safeties. That’s right. Over the course of all of those games in the NFL betting schedule, 264 of them, there have only been 13 safeties. That’s one safety in every 4.9% of games played in the league this year. In 2009, there were only 14 safeties, including the playoffs. Let’s do some simple math here, shall we? Over the last 531 games in the NFL, there have been 27 safeties, or one safety in approximately 20 games (5.08%). If we can hit this prop at -1000 in 94.92% of our games, we’re going to be worth a ton of money. Over 1,000 games, at this price, if we were to bet $1,000 to win $100, we would have a profit of $4,412. Not a bad haul, eh? No Safety in the NFC Championship Game, and No Safety in the AFC Championship Game (-1000 Each Bet at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Aaron Rodgers Over/Under 3.5 Rushing Attempts
Rodgers certainly hasn’t been afraid to tuck it and run when he has to this season, as he was one of the best running options for a team that really didn’t have all that much to work with in that department in 2010. The former Cal Golden Bear took off 64 times this year and accounted for 356 yards in the regular season, but what impressed us the most is the fact that he had seven carries in the 10-3 win over these Bears in Week 17. Rodgers hasn’t gotten to this point yet in the playoffs, as he only has five carries in two games, but we tend to believe that this will be an exception, as the Chicago defense is a lot more prone to sending a lot of men after the quarterback, which could cause Rodgers to have to escape more often than he really wants to. He’ll go Over 3.5 Rushing Attempts (-120 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against the Colts.

Matt Forte Over/Under 16.5 Yards on Longest Carry
It’s only one stroke of luck and one stroke of genius that will get Forte to this type of a number. We’ve seen that the Bears have stayed committed to Forte this season when they have had the chance to, and over the course of the last four games, he has at least 15 carries in all four outings and has averaged 19 carries per game. Forte isn’t really the most explosive runner in the world, but he has had a ton of opportunities, especially when he gets the ball in open space, to be able to take advantage and pick up some huge gainers. Over the course of the second half of the season, Chicago’s top running back has had a long carry of at least 17 yards six times, and we tend to believe that that will continue on Sunday. Forte’s longest carry will be Over 16.5 Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

Total Sacks in the AFC Championship Game
We’re a tad surprised to see Hollywood hang a ‘5’ in this game instead of a ‘5.5’ due to the fact that last week, there were 11 sacks in the duel between the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. We know that there are a ton of problems right now for the Steelers up front, and the Jets have really yet to show their best pass rush in these playoffs to date. After getting after QB Tom Brady all week last week, we have no doubt that New York can get to QB Ben Roethlisberger in this one, and when it does, it is going to make those opportunities pay off. There is no way, with these two ferocious defenses, that there aren’t Over 5 Sacks (-130 at Hollywood Sportsbook) significantly more often than not.

LaDainian Tomlinson Over/Under 18.5 Receiving Yards
You know that LT is going to get his touches in this game, and you know that the Pittsburgh defense is going to do what it can to make sure that he doesn’t have the same 49 yards on 11 carries that he had when these two squads met last month. We know that Tomlinson hasn’t been used all that much as a receiver of late, but there is a point that QB Mark Sanchez is going to have to realize that he doesn’t have the time to work the ball up the field against this Pittsburgh defense. Last week, it was TE Todd Heap for the Ravens that made all of those catches over the middle of the field, and it is clear that Tomlinson is going to be asked to fill that role as a check down option at times when Sanchez is in trouble. LT will go Over 18.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against the Pittsburgh defense.

Heath Miller Over/Under 3.5 Receptions
We’ve already talked just a tad about inside routes with Heap and the Steelers defense, but what about the New York ‘D’? This unit really doesn’t give up much of anything to anyone, but if there is a bit of a weakness, it is against teams that really utilize either tight ends or other receiving options to sit down in the middle of the field. Last week, Brady was really forced to do nothing but try to throw balls underneath to WR Deion Branch and TE Rob Gronkowski, while the week before, the Colts did the exact same thing with TE Jacob Tamme. Now, enter Heath Miller, who has had at least four catches in three straight games and is proving to be a great safety net for Roethlisberger when he gets himself out of some trouble in the pocket. Big Ben loves using his big time tight end, as Miller often gets at least a half dozen looks per game. He’s a big play threat up the seams and could be in for a lot of looks on Sunday, especially knowing that WR Mike Wallace and his friends are going to be worked a ton up the sides of the field. This is the man in the middle that should have a great day. Miller will go Over 3.5 Receptions (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against the New York ‘D’.