National Football League

Super Bowl 2022 odds: Referee betting trends you need to know

Updated Jan. 18, 2023 10:39 a.m. ET

In the wake of Conference Championship weekend, a few nuggets are whetting fans' and bettors' appetites as they get ready to wager the big game. The Los Angeles Rams are heading to their second Super Bowl in three years as 4-point favorites. The Cincinnati Bengals head to the dance as the second-biggest longshots in NFL history since 1977. But there's one more team suiting up at SoFi Stadium.

The officiating crew.

And the outcome of the game could very much depend on how the zebras decide to play.

Let's look at how stripes of Bowls past have colored the big event as you prepare to bet on this year's matchup.

This year's head referee is Ron Torbert. He's in his 12th year as an NFL official and has worked as a referee since 2014. Per FOX Sports Research, over the course of his career when he's been the head ref, favorites have gone 70-54-3 against the spread (ATS) and 97-30 straight up (SU). Those stats are enough to make a Ram's horns sit straight up.

And while analysts and fans are excited about second-year superstar Joe "Cool" Burrow making his first appearance in the Big Game, bettors should note that this is also Torbert's first time quarterbacking a Super Bowl crew.

Since 1987, when a first-timer is leading the officials in a Super Bowl, the over has hit 11 times out of 20. Favorites are also 19-13 SU when a new guy is watching over the X's and O's.

And while we're highlighting rookies, two other newcomers are part of this officiating crew.

Bryan Neale (umpire) and Keith Washington (side judge) will be a part of Torbert's crew as they call their very first Super Bowl. Will Neale and Washington be to the officiating crew what Cincinnati hopes Ja'Marr Chase will be to the Bengals — stand-up rookies who help lift the team to a winning day?

While Torbert's ATS and SU history are slightly one-sided, ultimately bettors and fans are hoping for one thing: the crew calls a fair game and doesn't let their stripes be the focal point of the festivities.

Are you ready to wager on Super Bowl LVI? Head on over to FOX Bet and get in on the action now!

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