Super Bowl 2013 picks and predictions: Early edge goes to Ravens

The San Francisco 49ers opened as a 5-point betting favorite against the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, but as Baltimore has proven throughout the postseason, being favored doesn't matter much. The Ravens advanced to the Super Bowl despite being at least an 8-point favorite in each of the last two games. The game is still over a week away, but some of the early picks are starting to come in and the majority are predicting the Ravens to pull another upset.

AccuScore the "industry leader in sports forecasting" ran 10,000 Super Bowl simulations and the Ravens came out with the Lombardi Trophy 51.1 percent of the time. While Baltimore held the slim advantage in the simulations, it was close as both teams averaged 22 points per game.

Baltimore isn't only the favorite among the computer simulations, NFL analysts are also favoring the Ravens in the early going. Of the nine CBS Sports NFL experts, seven are picking the Ravens to beat San Francisco. Pete Prisco and Dave Richard are the only two experts picking San Francisco.

Even though the Ravens are currently favored, most are predicting a close game. Eight of the nine analysts expect the winning margin to be six points or less. Only Josh Katzowitz, who predicts a 26-16 Ravens win, expects the game to be decided by more than one possession.