Odds say AFC North looks like two-horse race

The Ravens and Steelers have tied for the AFC North title the past two seasons, with Baltimore winning the head-to-head tiebreaker in 2011 and Pittsburgh winning on the basis of a better division record in ’10.

As has been the case recently, it appears there is not a lot separating these two entering 2012.

Look no further than the division odds at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino's SuperBook, where Baltimore and Pittsburgh were 6-5 co-favorites to win the AFC North as of Monday. At the Caesars Entertainment sportsbooks in Las Vegas, the Ravens were 11-10 favorites in the North, with the Steelers just a tick behind at 6-5.

The Steelers, who have a widespread and passionate fanbase, are generally popular with the betting public. Jay Kornegay, the vice president of race and sportsbook operations at the SuperBook, said more tickets have been written on Pittsburgh to win the division than Baltimore. In fact, Cincinnati (4-1) and Cleveland (25-1) also have garnered more AFC North-title support at the betting window than Baltimore, which has received “very little support” from a division-winning standpoint to date, Kornegay said. Also, LVH has written almost twice as many tickets and has taken a little more than twice as much money on the Steelers to win Super Bowl XLVII compared to the Ravens, according to Kornegay, who said he believes Pittsburgh is the better team.

Despite the discrepancy in bets, the Steelers and Ravens are both 14-1 to win the Super Bowl at the SuperBook. Moreover, the Ravens are 12-1 to win the Super Bowl at the Caesars books off a 15-1 opening line, with the Steelers now 15-1 after opening at 12-1. Caesars oddsmaker Todd Fuhrman sees the Ravens and Steelers as “clear-cut” favorites in the division and has “taken what we’ve expected” in Super Bowl bets on both sides.

The Bengals are perceived as the strong third choice in the AFC North — the primary alternative to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. However, the Bengals “haven’t attracted a whole lot of attention” from bettors, Fuhrman said. Cincinnati is 7-2 to win the North and 30-1 to win the Super Bowl at Caesars.