THON 2015 Prop Bets
THON, for all the ways it stays the same each year, has many variables in it. For those changes, there is certainly plenty of coverage, and for any truly newsworthy event, there are prop bets.
Prop bets, for those not in the know, are defined by Onward State co-founder Evan Kalikow as such: “A prop bet is short for proposition bet. Basically, it’s a bet on something not commonly betted upon. For example, lots of people bet on the score of the Super Bowl, but how many people bet on how many times the winning coach will say ‘humbled’ in the post-game press conference? That’s a prop bet.”
Remember: these are not real odds, I made them up. Oh, and, ONWARD STATE IS NOT A GAMBLING OPERATION. DON’T GAMBLE ON THON.
Now that our lawyers have had their way in this post, let’s get to it!
1. Which of these five songs will be played the most often during THON, and how many times?
- Shake It Off – Taylor Swift: 2-1
- Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson: 4-1
- A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay: 6-1
- Break Free – Arianna Grande: 7-1
- Stay With Me – Sam Smith: 12-1
May wanna keep an excel spreadsheet handy for this one. The song must be played individually, not as part of a line dance. Piped in music, covers, all of that is fair game.
To be honest, we’re in a weird spot with pop right now. A lot of the most popular songs aren’t very FTK, and won’t get a lot of airplay. Shake It Off and Uptown Funk (suggestive as it may be) have to be heavy favorites. Break Free has energy, Coldplay has the name value, and Sam Smith is beloved by pretty much everyone. I’m thinking of adjusting these lines before everyone arrives in the BJC by listening to a hit music station and taking down some statistics.
2. Will Jay Paterno use profanity to fire up the crowd again?
- Yes: 3-1
- No: 10-1
In case you were too delirious during THON at this point last year to remember, Jay Paterno gave a, um, motivational speech last year during THON. He didn’t drop any F-bombs or anything, but “ass” and “damn” are still a little bold for the FTK-fest. Still, his annual speech was certainly a hit. Don’t be surprised if he pretends he’s in a locker room again during his speech.
3. Which team will win the pep rally?
- Men’s Swimming: 2-1
- Football: 3-1
- Women’s Volleyball: 5-1
- Fencing: 10-1
- Gymnastics: 15-1
Men’s Swimming has become a bit of a powerhouse in the pep rally, but I think Football and the National Champion Women’s Volleyball and Fencing teams will make it competitive. People love a winner, and is there a bigger one in State College than Micha Hancock? Fencing and Gymnastics have Saturday meets, but may well be there. Who knows? Remember: Don’t give away the time!
4. At what time will the Bryce Jordan Center hit capacity for good?
- Before 1 a.m.: 2-1
- Between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.: 4-1
- After 4 a.m.: 15-1
Smart money is on before 1 a.m.. This is the year the BJC closes at midnight, probably. With the digital line system among many other features, plus the lack of the holding room in the Pegula Ice Arena for periods throughout, I expected people to come longer and stay longer. If it lasts past 4 a.m. before hitting capacity, I’ll eat my hat.
5. What team will win the Color Wars?
- Blue: 1-1
- Red: 1-1
- Orange: 1-1
- Purple: 1-1
Who has absolutely any idea? It’s a crapshoot. If you have insider information, let me know. Like, if one of the teams is made up of the Colors Wars equivalent of Mike Trout, I’d like to know. I’d go with the Red Team, but your guess is as good as mine.
Over Unders
1. People found asleep in the bathroom: 15
2. Times you are harassed by R&R: 5
3. Recorded Hypothermia cases: 3
4. Number of Line Dances it takes before you memorize it: 4
5. Times you crave caffeine: 30
6. Tears shed (in gallons): 50
7. Freshmen sitting down and getting death glares: 1,000
8. Songs you never want to hear again at the end of the weekend: 9
9. Sweet Caroline, Shipping Up to Boston, and Zombie Nations: 4
10. Onward State writers who run out of story ideas: 35
11. Terrible Homecoming Theme Guesses You’ll Make: 15
12. Terrible BJC hot dogs you’ll eat: 4
Last but not least…
Total funds raised: $14,000,000
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