PUPPY BOWL XXII BEST BETS
Summary
This Sunday features Puppy Bowl XXII, a lighthearted canine sporting event airing opposite the Super Bowl. It will involve 150 shelter dogs competing for Team Ruff and Team Fluff. The broadcast includes fan voting for a “Most Pupular” dog and a halftime game featuring older dogs.
Team Fluff holds a narrow 6-5 all-time series lead and is predicted to win again. The analysis also offers betting-style predictions on the event’s outcome, including a wager on a male dog scoring the first touchdown.
Well, the most important football game of the season is coming this Sunday. A day when we come together, as a nation, regardless of any of our petty squabbles, and all experience the same wondrous event. I’m talking, of course, about Puppy Bowl XXII.
What did you think I was talking about?
Yes, our animal-themed counter programming will be on thousands of televisions, mainly those of toddlers, I would think, as the Super Bowl LX is underway in Santa Clara, Calif.
Still, it’s a sport, and it’s on TV. That means we can bet on it.
Let’s take a look at the tale of the tape.
Our 22nd Puppy Bowl boasts 150 contestants from 72 shelters across the United States. They will represent the regular teams of Team Ruff and Team Fluff.
In spite of this being the 22nd edition of the Puppy Bowl, the score has only been kept since Puppy Bowl XI, won 87-49 by Team Ruff. Before that, it was a participation fest, much like your nephew’s Upward Basketball league played in the basement of the local church. In other words, it was a waste of time.
Since then, though, that fabled Puppy Bowl 11 years ago, this game matters. It is important. In spite of Team Ruff taking that first match-up, Team Fluff has the all-time advantage, 6-5, thanks to breaking the stalemate with a last-second 68-66 victory last season and an MVP (Most Valuable Pup) performance from Foxtrot, a Border Collie.
In fact, Team Fluff has won three of the last four Puppy Bowls, only thwarted by a historic postseason run from Moosh, an Australian Shepherd Mix, in a 72-69 Team Ruff win in Puppy Bowl XX. But, of course, you already knew that. Who amongst us doesn’t remember where they were when Moosh wagged his team to victory? Many a gentleman in England, then a-bed, still think themselves accursed they were not there. And hold their doghoods cheap whiles any speaks that romped with Moosh upon Puppy Bowl XX.
In addition to the actual game, there will be a “Pupularity Playoff” where fans can vote for a “Most Pupular” dog. At halftime, we’ll get a special game between older dogs, Team Oldies vs Team Goldies.
Date: Feb. 8, 2026
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Broadcast: Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Discovery+, and HBO Max
TEAM FLUFF ROSTER
Benito (Siberian Husky/Chihuahua Mix), Chappel Bone (Pembroke Welsh Corgi), Cheesecake (Shi Tzu/Miniature Schnauzer Mix), Fudge (Pomeranian/Chihuahua Mix), Rhett (Basset Hound), Showgirl (Chow Chow/Rottweiler Mix), Wynonna (Miniature American Shepherd/Shih Tzu Mix)
TEAM RUFF ROSTER
Brulee (Boston Terrier/French Bulldog Mix), Button (Boston Terrier/Beagle Mix), Carrie Pewshaw (Elkhound/American Eskimo Mix), Litchi (French Bulldog/Terrier Mix), Lobster Roll (Bulldog/Border Collie Mix), Miss Coco (American Staffordshire Terrier/Chow Chow Mix), Oscar (Toy Poodle), PuPAW (Boston Terrier)
SEX OF WINNING TOUCHDOWN SCORE
Male +150
Female -200
This is a tough one. The females are the odds-on favorites, but two of our four working dog mixes are males, Lobster Roll and Benito. Wynonna, the Miniature American Shepherd mix, is down a leg but still playing, and, honestly, I feel like you’re going to need all four legs to get the job done here. Chappelle Bone is a Welsh Corgi and has all her legs. She could be the wild card.
BEST BET: Male+150
From my count, we have a 7-5 advantage on males to females here, based on the names alone, so the odds are definitely in our favor.
WINNER OF PUPPY BOWL
Team Ruff -140
Team Fluff +100
And here it is, the most important bet of the day. Who will win and stand victorious, on three or more legs, at the end of Puppy Bowl XXII?
BEST BET: Team Fluff: +100
While Wynonna might be down a leg, she still gives Team Fluff 11 legs of working dogs in the game when you add in Chappelle Bone, your full-blooded Welsh Corgi. That alone should give them a distinct advantage over a Boston Terrier-centric Team Ruff roster. Plus, while Oscar may end up winning the “Most Popular” trophy, I feel like a toy poodle is just going to bring the entire team’s performance down. And, yes, I really did think about this way too much.
Follow Adam Greene on Blue Sky @AdamGreene13, threads @adam.greene and Twitter @TheFirstMan
