Just when you thought that you did haven’t anything to do with the NFL that you could bet on… The 2013 Madden Cover Contest is on and here at Bankroll Sports, we are handicapping the 2013 Madden Cover contest and trying to figure out which player will be on the cover of the Madden NFL 2013 game! All Madden cover odds courtesy of Bovada Sportsbook!

The top dog for this year’s Madden cover is none other than the Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton (2013 Madden Cover Odds: 5 to 2 @ Bovada Sportsbook). Newton clearly had the best year that a rookie has ever had, and he is one of these figures that is hard to hate at this point. He does it all, and there really isn’t a player that he can run into on the bracket that could possibly upset him until perhaps the third round against someone like a LeSean McCoy or Larry Fitzgerald. Even then, it just doesn’t seem likely. Don’t be shocked if Newton makes it all the way, as he is clearly one of the more popular players and is deserving of being on the Madden cover, even if he is just in his second year.

It’s not all that often that we talk about the prospects of a tight end being on the Madden cover, but there is no doubt that Rob Gronkowski (Odds To Be On Madden Cover: 6 to 1 @ Bovada Sportsbook) is going to be a man that takes deep run into this tournament. Gronk is another one of these figures that really came out on nowhere to be a force this year, and he is in a bracket that just isn’t all that hard when push comes to shove. There shouldn’t be a player challenge him until Round 3, where the likes of Arian Foster or Calvin Johnson could be waiting. Remember that Gronk also has the Boston market on his side, and though playing with the New England Patriots does turn off a ton of fans, it also helps get the support of his own huge market.

List Of All Madden Covers Players
Note: Before 1999, John Madden was on the cover
2013 Madden Cover – ???
2012 Madden Cover – Peyton Hillis (Cleveland Browns)
2011 Madden Cover – Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)
2010 Madden Cover – Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) and Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers)
2009 Madden Cover – Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers)
2008 Madden Cover – Vince Young (Tennessee Titans)
2007 Madden Cover – Shaun Alexander (Seattle Seahawks)
2006 Madden Cover – Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles)
2005 Madden Cover – Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens)
2004 Madden Cover – Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons)
2003 Madden Cover – Marshall Faulk (St. Louis Rams)
2002 Madden Cover – Daunte Culpepper (Minnesota Vikings)
2001 Madden Cover – Eddie George (Tennessee Titans)
2000 Madden Cover – Barry Sanders (Detroit Lions) and Dorsey Levens (Green Bay Packers)
1999 Madden Cover – Garrison Hearst (San Francisco 49ers)

At the top of that bracket though, is the quarterback that we think can get the job done. Aaron Rodgers (Odds To Be On Madden 13 Cover: 5 to 1 @ Bovada Sportsbook) of the Green Bay Packers won the league’s MVP award last year, and he probably would have been a virtual lock to be on the Madden Cover had he led his team to a second straight Super Bowl title. He has absolutely no one in his draw that should be a threat to his crown until perhaps running into Drew Brees in the third round, but even then, with all of the negativity that is floating around in the Bayou right now, we just don’t think that Brees is going to be the one that gets the job done.

Every now and again in a contest like this one, you see some screwy results. The fans of the Oakland Raiders are crazy, and Florida State Seminoles football fans flock all around the country. There aren’t many that would say anything bad whatsoever about one of their fan favorites Sebastian Janikowski (Madden NFL 13 Cover Odds: 100 to 2 @ Bovada Sportsbook). Okay, sure. We get it. Janikowski is a kicker. That being said, he is going against Maurice Jones-Drew in the first round of this tournament, a man that probably has no business being a No. 3 seed in this bracket, and neither Matt Forte nor Patrick Willis really seem like that much of a threat either. Janikowski has made all sorts of history in the past with some of his outrageous field goal attempts, and now, he can make even more history if he can become the first kicker or punter to be on the cover of a Madden game.

Full List of 2013 Madden Cover Odds @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 3/24/12):
(Get a HUGE 20% Bonus at Bovada.lv When Using This Link)
Cam Newton 5 to 2
Aaron Rodgers 5 to 1
Rob Gronkowski 6 to 1
Victor Cruz 10 to 1
Arian Foster 12 to 1
Calvin Johnson 12 to 1
Maurice Jones-Drew 12 to 1
Drew Brees 15 to 1
Larry Fitzgerald 15 to 1
LeSean McCoy 15 to 1
Matt Forte 15 to 1
Ray Rice 15 to 1
Tim Tebow 15 to 1
Darrelle Revis 25 to 1
Jared Allen 25 to 1
Antonio Gates 35 to 1
Marshawn Lynch 35 to 1
Chris Johnson 50 to 1
DeMarcus Ware 50 to 1
Dwight Freeney 50 to 1
Stevie Johnson 50 to 1
Dwayne Bowe 60 to 1
Patrick Willis 60 to 1
AJ Green 70 to 1
Reggie Bush 70 to 1
Brandon Lloyd 80 to 1
Matt Ryan 80 to 1
Troy Polamalu 80 to 1
Brian Orakpo 100 to 1
Sebastian Janikowski 100 to 1
LeGarrette Blount 125 to 1
Joe Haden 150 to 1

To say that Tim Tebow is a polarizing character is a bit of an understatement. He will be making his debut with the New York Jets on Monday, and he is going to inevitably be used in a ton of packages this year for the boys from the Big Apple. Check out our 2012 New York Jets predictions, complete with a look at how Tebow fits with the Jets. These are our 2012 Tim Tebow props!

Will Tim Tebow start at least one game for the Jets in 2012?
Betting this prop is going to be a bit of a crapshoot. We tend to think that if something happens to Mark Sanchez in terms of an injury, it would be Greg McElroy that ends up getting the nod as the starter and not Tebow, though we know that the pressure and the temptation to get No. 15 in the game is going to be there for Head Coach Rex Ryan. The Denver Broncos melted under the pressure of the fans last year to put Tebow in, and it turns out that they were probably right to want to see their former first round draft pick in action. That being said, Ryan isn’t the type of man that is going to give into the media or the fans all that easily, as he beats to the tune of his own drummer. We tend to think that Tebow is going to at least start all 16 games on the bench this year for the Jets, though we are aware that even starting off the game as a Wildcat quarterback just once would ruin our bet as well.

Tim Tebow rushing TDs in 2012 Over/Under 4
Sanchez has had some problems over the course of his career in the red zone, and we have to think that that means Tebow is going to come in and try to pound the ball into the end zone when the Jets are down close this year. We’ve seen good ol’ No. 15 do it before, and we surely will see it again. Ryan and the Jets still have to have nightmares about Tebow running into the end zone against them after a long drive that beat them in Denver late in the season, and that is likely going to be exactly what the coaching staff tries to get done with Tebow this year. Four is a generously low number for his rushing TDs this year, knowing that he is probably a better power back than Shonn Greene is.

Tim Tebow passing TDs in 2012 Over/Under 1
One? Really? Just one? We at least see it as a possibility that Tebow is going to be a starter at some point this year, and we could see a number of games in which he comes off of the bench to try to give the team a spark. Offensive Coordinator Tony Sparano isn’t an idiot, and he knows what it is going to take to run this Wildcat to perfection. Tebow is going to have no choice but to throw the football out of this formation. Whether it be a bit of a razzle-dazzle play, or whether it is a jump pass, or even just a flat out drop back and throw, we have to think that Tebow is going to get at least one TD pass on the campaign, and that number might be a heck of a lot more when it is said and done with.

Full List of 2012 Tim Tebow/New York Jets Props @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 3/24/12):
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Will Tim Tebow start at least one game at QB for the Jets in the 2012 regular season?
Yes -150
No +110

Tim Tebow – Total Rushing TDs in the 2012 Regular Season
Over 4 -115
Under 4 -115

Tim Tebow – Total Passing TDs in the 2012 Regular Season
Over 1 -130
Under 1 Even

Will either Tim Tebow or Mark Sanchez catch a pass in the 2012 regular season?
Yes -140
No +110

Bovada Sportsbook has another great set of NCAA Tournament props available for you to bet on for all of the big games of the day! Check out some of the top props on the board, as well as a list of Elite 8 props for you to sink your teeth into!

Total Three Point Shots Made By Kenny Boynton Over 2.5
The time is here for Boynton to really step up and have a great game. He has been wildly inconsistent in this tourney, but he hasn’t been afraid to jack up the three point shot when he has the chance to either. Remember that this junior knocked down 108 triples on the season, and he shot 41.1 percent from downtown. Sure, things have been rough for the most part in the tourney, and we know that the Louisville defense is going to be stifling to say the least, but in the end, we think that all of the penetration and kicking out to the perimeter is going to give Boynton all of the opportunities in the world to get to these three made triples.

Total Points and Rebounds for Patric Young Under 16.5
In all likelihood, Young is going to draw Gorgui Dieng in this game, and if that turns out to be his defensive assignment, there had better be a heck of a lot of rebounds that this forward gets if he wants to reach this number. As it is, Young only had 10.2 points and 6.4 boards per game this year, and we have to remember that he hasn’t had the greatest games here in the dance either. Sure, he was able to go off for 21 and nine against the Kentucky Wildcats a few weeks ago, but he also has had a total of just 26 points and rebounds combined in the last two games. Dieng is going to be too tough of a draw for Young to get his stats on in this one.

Total Free Throw Shots Made By Peyton Siva Under 2.5
This is a prop that just doesn’t make all that much sense to us. Siva only averages getting to the charity stripe 3.2 times per game, and though he was a 73.0 percent foul shooter this year, that number is in the high 60s for his career. So, what needs to happen here to beat us is that Siva needs to get to the foul line a lot more often than he normally does, and he needs to hit at least one more from the line than he normally does to beat us. Laying -150 in this case just doesn’t seem like it is that unrealistic to do for a man that only made a grand total of 84 free throws on the season.

Two of the top teams in the whole NCAA Tournament are going to square off on Thursday night in Beantown, and we are set to make our Elite 8 predictions with our Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Syracuse Orange keys to the game.

2012 Elite 8 Matchup: #2 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #1 Syracuse Orange
East Region Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Elite 8 Date/Time: Saturday, March 24th, 7:05 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Syracuse Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: Someone is going to have to take over the role of Fab Melo in the middle
Syracuse has been able to use a strong enough defense to get the job done against some of the other teams in this tournament, knowing that none of the three opponents that the team has faced has scored more than 65 points. That being said, there really hasn’t been that dominating big man that would be able to penetrate into the teeth of that 2-3 zone like Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas will likely be able to. It is hard to see how anyone else is going to be able to anchor the middle of this defense for a lineup that is suddenly quite small, and if no one can take to the task at hand, the big boys for the Buckeyes are going to have a field day assuming that the guards take care of the basketball and can work it inside.

Elite 8 Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Ohio State Buckeyes -3
Syracuse Orange +3
Over/Under 135.5
Click Here to Bet Your Elite 8 Picks!

Key #2: Aaron Craft has to make sure the OSU offense keeps up at a good clip
It’s hard to always identify which one of the Ohio State guards is truly the point guard, but Craft is the man that has to make a lot of the big time passes to get the ball inside in the post. He did a remarkable job of this against the Cincinnati Bearcats, another team from the Big East, and another team that plays a heck of a lot like these Orange do. We know when Sullinger and Thomas get the ball in their hands, they know what they are doing with it. They shot a combined 17-of-30 from the floor and had 49 points between them, and they also had 18 boards. The key is going to be keeping them involved and getting the ball to them in the post as early as possible. If that’s the case, not only will the inside game be working, but the outside game is going to likely get involved as well when the others in the Syracuse backcourt are crashing down to help out and double team.

Key #3: Kris Joseph has to kick his game into gear
Joseph is a man that averaged shooting the ball over 10 times per game in the regular season, and he shot 42.2 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from downtown. He is the man that is almost certainly going to have to step up and hit the big time shot down the stretch. However, the problem is that he has now had six straight games with 12 points or fewer, and all of those games are below his scoring average, which currently sits at 13.5 points per game. It is going to take senior leadership to get the job done in this one against an Ohio State team that is likely a heck of a lot more talented than the Syracuse team that is going to be on the court.

Click Here to get the best March Madness picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our NCAA Tournament picks and the Elite 8 picks for the rest of the NCAA Tournament game odds.

Either the Florida Gators or the Louisville Cardinals are going to claim the first spot in the Final Four on Saturday, and we are going to try to nail down the winner of this one with our Elite 8 picks to start the weekend.

2012 Elite 8 Matchup: #7 Florida Gators vs. #4 Louisville Cardinals
West Region Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Elite 8 Date/Time: Saturday, March 24th, 4:30 p.m.
Wisconsin vs. Louisville Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: It’s all about the intensity
You aren’t going to find two teams that go at it on either side of the floor with the intensity that the Gators and the Cardinals bring to the table. This is the exact matchup that we were hoping to see, because Head Coaches Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino both get the most out of their players. Are these two teams amongst the most talented eight in the land? Probably not. However, there is no reason to think that either of these teams are going to back down right now. The pressure that is going to be put on both of these teams with full court pressure and the offenses that try to get up and go, and the team that wins this one very well could be the one that has the more intense runs of the two.

Elite 8 Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Florida Gators -1.5
Louisville Cardinals +1.5
Over/Under 131.5
Click Here to Bet Your Elite 8 Picks!

Key #2: Gorgui Dieng has to have a huge game
What really made the difference in Florida’s win over the Marquette Golden Eagles is that the team found a way to take the Marquette big men out of the equation. It goes without saying that the Gators are a group that love to run and do so with at least three, and usually four guards on the court. Dieng is the big man that can really do a lot on both sides of the court. You might look at the five points that Dieng had against the Michigan State Spartans and think that he had a bad game. Then look closer at the box score. He had nine boards, seven blocks, and three steals and altered a slew of what MSU tried to get done. We know what Florida does; this is a team that loves to drive the ball and kick it out to the perimeter and take three point shots if the layup or short jumper isn’t open. Dieng can change all of that when push comes to shove, and he should be able to throw his body around. If he does that and stays out of foul trouble, UF had better hope that it is hitting its outside shots without all that many difficulties, or it will be in a lot of trouble.

Key #3: It’s time for Kenny Boynton to play like a veteran
Boynton only had 11 points in the Sweet 16 against Marquette, and he has been wildly inconsistent in the postseason. He only had two points against the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC Tournament Final, and he had just eight against the Virginia Cavaliers. That being said, he also had 20 against the Norfolk State Spartans. This is a man that averages 16.0 points per game and shoots 41.1 percent from beyond the arc. There is a lot of pressure on Boynton, though there has been a heck of a lot of production from Bradley Beal and the others. We just don’t know if that’s going to be able to keep up in the rest of this tournament. The Gators really need their leader to play like one.

Click Here to get the best March Madness picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our NCAA Tournament picks and the Elite 8 picks for the rest of the NCAA Tournament game odds.