Las Vegas favors Panthers, Patriots to win Super Bowl 50

Despite being the first team to clinch a playoff spot and the NFL's lone undefeated team at 12-0, the Carolina Panthers haven't been getting much respect nationally.

Las Vegas, though, has certainly taken notice.

For the first time all season, the Panthers are co-favorites with the New England Patriots at 4-1 to win Super Bowl 50, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

The Arizona Cardinals have the third-best odds at 9-2, while the Denver Broncos are fourth at 6-1. The Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals are tied for fifth at 8-1.

After losing Super Bowl XLIX to the Patriots in February, the Seahawks opened as 5-1 favorites at the Westgate, while the Patriots were 7-1 (along with the Packers) to repeat. The Panthers opened at 30-1, tied for the 16th-best odds to win Super Bowl 50.

Seattle entered Week 1 as 9-2 favorites to win the title, while New England was 8-1 and Carolina was 60-1. The Panthers' odds were 25-1 after Week 5 and have continually improved as the wins have piled up.

The only other teams to be the favorite this season are Seattle, Green Bay and New England.

In addition to owning the NFL's best record, the Panthers have been rewarding bettors by going 10-2 against the spread, the second-best mark in the league behind the Bengals (10-1-1).