When betting on an event as enormous as the Super Bowl, it’s important to consider all factors.
What will the weather be? What time does the game start? And who will be officiating the game?
This year, the honor of Super Bowl head referee belongs to Bill Vinovich, who will join the prestigious three-timers club who have presided over three Super Bowl games.
What impact will Vinovich and his crew have remains to be seen. But here’s a glimpse at what to expect and how it may affect the Super Bowl odds.
Super Bowl 2024 Referee Crew
- Crew Chief: Bill Vinovich
- Umpire: Terry Killens
- Down Judge: Patrick Holt
- Line Judge: Mark Perlman
- Field Judge: Tom Hill
- Side Judge: Allen Baynes
- Back Judge: Brad Chase
- Replay Official: Mike Chase
Keep up with the latest Chiefs vs 49ers lines heading into Super Bowl Sunday
Bill Vinovich 2023 Refereed Game Betting Trends
- Average Total Points Scored: 41.4
- Average Total Penalties: 11.6
- Average Penalty Yards: 90.06
Vinovich, who has been a head referee since 2004 and has been an NFL official since 2001, will join Super Bowl 57 head ref Carl Cheffers as the only active crew chiefs to preside over three Super Bowls. Vinovich presided over the Chiefs’ 31-20 win over the 49ers four years ago and also the Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49.
✅ Read the best ways to bet on The Big Game with our Super Bowl 58 predictions.
The officiating crew is an all-star crew of some of the best at their position in the NFL. Terry Killens, the game umpire, will also make history as the first person to play in and officiate a Super Bowl. Killens had one tackle as an outside linebacker for the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl 34.
Super Bowl Referee Betting Tips
More Penalties = Fewer Points
Unless the calls go entirely against the defense, penalties lead to lost yards, and lost yards require more time for the offense to score.
The Under was 10-7 in Vinovich-called games this season, including his presiding over the lowest score of the season, the LA Chargers’ 6-0 win over the Patriots in Foxborough.
But the Over has struck in four of the past five, including his lone playoff game between the Buccaneers and Lions. Detroit outscored Tampa Bay 31-23 in a game that featured eight accepted penalties.
Vinovich’s 2023 penalties-accepted mark was the highest it had been in eight years, and the trend of fewer points bore out since the Under hit in 58.8 percent of his games.
Vinovich Favored Road Teams in 2023
Vinovich’s crew has historically favored home teams, but that trend swung in the opposite direction in 2023. After a three-season trend where home teams won 56.1 percent of Vinovich-called games, they won just 41.2 percent of his contests this season.
That trend flies in the face of the rest of the league’s officiating, which props up home teams. Home teams won 56.34 percent of games not called by Vinovich, which marks a 15-percent swing.
The numbers are stark, but it’s not like Vinovich’s crew targeted home teams. His 11.6 penalties-per-game mark was about league average since the average NFL game had about 11.3 accepted penalties per game.
The Chiefs are the home team, for what it’s worth.
More Super Bowl Ref Data
- The Over is 2-0 in Vinovich’s previously officiated Super Bowls.
- The past four Super Bowls have featured an average of 9.75 accepted penalties for 79 yards. The past two Super Bowls have had fewer than 50 penalty yards.
- In Vinovich’s most recent Super Bowl, between the Niners and Chiefs on Feb. 2, 2020, the 49ers were cited for five fouls for 45 yards, and the Chiefs were whistled for 24 yards on four infractions.
- In his other Super Bowl, in which Perlman and Hill were also part of the crew, Vinovich’s team called 12 penalties for 106 yards in New England’s victory over Seattle in Glendale, Arizona.
