:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48744899/usa-today-9075758.0.jpg)
The big game is just hours away, and when the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos square off in Super Bowl 50, there are a myriad of variables which could impact the outcome of the game. Will Cam Newton continue his ridiculously high level of play, and will Peyton Manning have one final great game left in his weary body before possibly riding off into the sunset and calling it a career?
Fans can give their predictions until they are blue in the face, but what about those people who claim to be "experts" when talking about football? Let's see who the experts like in Super Bowl 50...
In regards to the experts at ESPN, the 13-person panel is favoring the Panthers to claim their first Super Bowl victory with an 8-5 margin among the experts who make weekly picks. At CBSSports it is a similar song and dance. Their 8-person panel has Ron Rivera's squad winning the big game with an 5-3 margin, in terms of expert picks.
At FOXSports, they are a very Panther-heavy website, with 5 of their 7 experts taking Carolina to win the 50th Super Bowl. Here at SB Nation, they were not to be outdone in regards of picking the winner of the Super Bowl. This website would certainly be the most pro-Panther website with only one expert among the 6-person panel taking the Broncos to win their third Super Bowl.
At NFL Pick Watch, a website devoted to taking all NFL expert picks and putting them in one location, a whopping 73-percent of experts like the Panthers to win on Super Bowl Sunday.
Whether you trust the experts or not, it is clear the people who know more than the average fan are putting their support behind the Panthers to finally break through and win the big game and complete a remarkable season which would have them only losing one game.