HERE'S AN INTERESTING FACT... REPEAT CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

The Super Bowl hasn't been played yet, but the odds for next year's game are already out. The Broncos, Seahawks and 49ers are tied at 5-1 odds of qualifying for Super Bowl XLIX.

This is beyond early, but if these stats come to fruition, then there's a 2-3 chance of next year's Super Bowl being a repeat of this year's. The chances of that happening are extremely rare. Of the combined 358 seasons between the four major sports, there have only been 43 repeats of a previous year's championship game. I don't have any other analysis of that beyond saying "That's cool! Wanna see them?!"

Baseball (9)
1907-08: Chicago Cubs vs. Detroit Tigers (Cubs, 2-0)
1921-23: New York Giants vs. New York Yankees (Giants, 2-1)
1930-31: Philadelphia Athletics vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Split, 1-1)
1936-37: New York Giants vs. New York Yankees (Yankees, 2-0)
1942-43: New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Split, 1-1)
1952-53: Brooklyn Dodgers vs. New York Yankees (Yankees, 2-0)
1955-56: Brooklyn Dodgers vs. New York Yankees (Split, 1-1)
1957-58: Milwaukee Braves vs. New York Yankees (Split, 1-1)
1977-78: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Yankees (Yankees, 2-0)

Football (12; 10 NFL, 2 AFL)
1933-34: Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants (Split, 1-1)
1938-39: Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants (Split, 1-1)
1942-43: Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins (Split, 1-1)
1947-48: Chicago Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Split, 1-1)
1950-51: Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams (Split, 1-1)
1952-54: Cleveland Browns vs. Detroit Lions (Lions, 2-1)
1958-59: Baltimore Colts vs. New York Giants (Colts, 2-0)
1960-61: Houston Oilers vs. Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (Oilers, 2-0)
1961-62: Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants (Packers, 2-0)
1964-65: Buffalo Bills vs. San Diego Chargers (Bills, 2-0)
1966-67: Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers (Packers, 2-0)
1992-93: Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys, 2-0)

Hockey (10)
1932-33: New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Split, 1-1)
1948-49: Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Maple Leafs, 2-0)
1954-56: Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens (Red Wings, 2-1)
1957-58: Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens (Canadiens, 2-0)
1959-60: Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Canadiens, 2-0)
1963-64: Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Maple Leafs, 2-0)
1968-69: Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues (Canadiens, 2-0)
1977-78: Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens (Canadiens, 2-0)
1983-84: Edmonton Oilers vs. New York Islanders (Split, 1-1)
2008-09: Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Split, 1-1)

Basketball (12)
1952-54: Minneapolis Lakers vs. New York Knicks (Lakers, 3-0)
1957-58: Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks (Split, 1-1)
1960-61: Boston Celtics vs. St. Louis Hawks (Celtics, 2-0)
1962-63: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Celtics, 2-0)
1965-66: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Celtics, 2-0)
1968-69: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Celtics, 2-0)
1972-73: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks (Split, 1-1)
1978-79: Seattle Supersonics vs. Washington Bullets (Split, 1-1)
1982-83: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers (Split, 1-1)
1984-85: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Split, 1-1)
1988-89: Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers (Split, 1-1)
1997-98: Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz (Bulls, 2-0)

So yeah, don't expect to see a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII for Super Bowl XLIX, or for the Red Sox and Cardinals to square off in the 2014 World Series, or the Heat and Spurs, or the Blackhawks and Bruins. But if it happens, it'll be really cool.