One ‘Fancy’ Super Bowl LVIII National Anthem Bet We Absolutely Love

Reba McEntire is an absolute delight. We all should be thrilled she’s scheduled to perform the national anthem this Sunday before the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs lock horns in Super Bowl LVIII.

But how long will it take the country music legend to belt out “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas?

The projected length of the national anthem is heavily debated before every Super Bowl, despite the prop bet not actually being offered at American sportsbooks. Football fans kick around hypothetical odds and numbers posted outside of United States borders. Maybe you’re even attending a gameday party that plans to incorporate the action.

This year, the over/under opened at 86.5 seconds. And Mike Cole and Ricky Doyle couldn’t help but overanalyze McEntire’s looming performance on the Super Bowl edition of “The Spread,” NESN’s football picks podcast.

“I think she gets in, gets out,” Cole declared Tuesday, before pointing to McEntire’s 83-second rendition prior to Game 3 of the 1997 World Series.

In fact, McEntire is no stranger to singing the national anthem in front of huge audiences, and there’s been several instances of her flying under the 86.5-second mark.

The number is juiced to the over, which makes sense seeing as only three Super Bowl national anthem performers — Pink in 2018, Demi Lovato in 2020 and Mickey Guyton in 2022 — went under two minutes in the last decade. But McEntire has been down this road before. Don’t be surprised if she keeps the offense moving, so to speak.

“She won’t ham it. She will not ham this up. She’s Reba. She’s Reba. She doesn’t need to. She doesn’t need to,” Doyle said. ” … My only concern is are we talking acapella or what kind of accompaniment do we have here? Because if she’s going straight acapella, I think it’s a no-brainer, dead-lock under. If we start mixing in some guitars and, I don’t know, triangles, tambourines, it might get a little dicey.”

Of course, there could be some bells and whistles — literally or figuratively — that drag out McEntire’s performance, much to the chagrin of under bettors. But we’re banking on the “Fancy” singer treating the Sin City crowd to a display that’s both excellent and efficient.

This is Reba we’re talking about!