The NFC South division has been an up and down division, and it is one that is full of drama over the course of the last few years, and this year should be no exception on the NFL betting lines. Join our expert NFL handicappers, as we try to beat the odds to win the NFC South in 2012.

Last year, the Atlanta Falcons (Odds To Win NFC South Division: 1.14 to 1 @ 5 Dimes Sportsbook) basically went all-in with the NFL Draft, moving way up to take WR Julio Jones to complement WR Roddy White in a very talented offense. QB Matt Ryan had a great year, and both Jones and White per incredibly productive. That being said, the defense just wasn’t good enough, and the pieces to the puzzle weren’t added to make this team a legit Super Bowl contender in our eyes. This is still quite a good team though, and this is a deserving team to be in the playoffs. We just don’t think that there is a deep run to the Super Bowl coming, and we aren’t so sure that Atlanta should be the favorite on the odds to win the NFC South.

It has understandably been a heck of an offseason New Orleans Saints (2012 NFC South Odds: 1.35 to 1 @ 5 Dimes Sportsbook), and we can definitely sympathize with NFL betting fans that just don’t want to take their chances on a team that has had so much going on. Missing out on LB Jonathan Vilma for the year will hurt, as will not having DE Will Smith for a month. However, we think that the rest of the punishments for New Orleans, including the year-long suspension for Head Coach Sean Peyton are overblown. We are far more concerned about the fact that QB Drew Brees still doesn’t have that contract that he so badly wants to make him a Saint for the rest of his career, as that could linger. Losing OL Carl Nicks is going to hurt as well. Still, New Orleans’ offense is out of this world, and it isn’t going to take Peyton for that to keep up. TE Jimmy Graham should be in for another record-breaking type of season in 2012, and Brees should once again at least flirt with the idea of getting to 5,000 passing yards.

We think that it is very interesting to see what the Carolina Panthers (2012 NFC South Odds: 6 to 1 @ 5 Dimes Sportsbook) can do this year. The offense clearly came together with QB Cam Newton calling the shots. Newton had the best statistical season that a rookie quarterback has ever assembled. WR Steve Smith once again looks like one of the top speed burning receivers in the league. The pressure came off of both RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Neither had a great year, but combined, they had a fantastic campaign. Now, the next task for Head Coach Ron Rivera is to build up a defense that was the Achilles heel of the team. Can Carolina get there? Probably not quite yet, but this is definitely a team that is going to be a pain for the rest of the league when it can get its act together on both sides of the ball.

There aren’t many teams that we think can come from the longest NFL odds on the board to win a division, but we are at least cautioning that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Odds To Win NFC South: 16 to 1 @ 5 Dimes Sportsbook) could be good enough to get the job done. Remember that this was a team that just two years ago finished with 10 wins and just missed the playoffs. Tampa Bay has a new head coach in Greg Schiano, and he is going to bring a level of toughness that just wasn’t there with the youthful and exuberant Raheem Morris. The first thing that the Bucs did in the offseason, was bring in some proven leaders, WR Vincent Jackson and OL Carl Nicks, and then they drafted a true winner in S Mark Barron and a tough, hard-nosed runner in RB Doug Martin. This isn’t a team that is going to lose 10 games in a row like it did to end last season. Tampa Bay can be a legitimate winner this season, and we expect to see good things from the up and coming QB Josh Freeman. If he can limit turnovers and Schiano can get a good, solid rushing attack, whether it be from Martin or RB LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay will have the defensive intensity to be a pain to the rest of the NFC South.

2012 Odds to win the NFC South @ 5 Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/3/12):
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Atlanta Falcons Win NFC South +114 (1.14 to 1)
Field Wins NFC South -144

New Orleans Saints Win NFC South +135 (1.35 to 1)
Field Wins NFC South -165

Carolina Panthers Win NFC South +600 (6 to 1)
Field Wins NFC South -900

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Win NFC South +1600 (16 to 1)
Field Wins NFC South -2500

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AFC East

Odds to win the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills +600
Miami Dolphins +1000
New England Patriots -400
New York Jets +700

The AFC East was among the most exciting playoff division races of 2009. Miami, New York, and New England all entered the last two weeks of the season with chances to make the playoffs and many were shocked when the Patriots dynasty failed to make the post-season. The Patriots lost QB Tom Brady early in the year and it quickly leveled the playing field among the division. Miami was among one of the biggest turnaround stories in recent memory and became the only team in the division to make the post-season. However, Brady is back and so are the expectations for the Patriots to return to dominance in 2010. The Patriots put together some depth through the NFL Draft and WR Brandon Tate could find away to fit into the air attack in the future. The Jets had a great draft as well landing Mark Sanchez to fill the shoes at quarterback. However, it will take Sanchez some time and the Jets need someone to make an immediate impact. Chad Pennington turned the Dolphins team around in 2009 throwing for over 3600 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Dolphins had an unexpected successful year, but that may have been more of a sign of how weak the division was instead of how well the Dolphins were playing. Buffalo struggled to move the ball last season as they only averaged 305 yards of total offense. The Bills addressed some defensive needs in the draft, but they are in desperate need for playmakers on offense. The Patriots appear to be a lock in the AFC East this year with their high power offense and solid defense. However, if Brady goes down again this year they will have a lot bigger problems as Cassel is not there any longer at backup.

Pick – Patriots -400

AFC North

Odds to win the AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens +250
Cincinnati Bengals +800
Cleveland Browns +800
Pittsburgh Steelers -200

The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their NFL record 6th Super Bowl victory last season and they will of course be rather sizeable favorites to win the AFC North in 2010. The Steelers were involved in some hard fought battles with Baltimore throughout the season, but in the end the Steelers beat the Ravens in all 3 games played. Heading into next year it is fairly safe to say that the division will likely be a two horse racing again. Cleveland and Cincinnati ranked as the bottom two teams in the NFL in 2009 in terms of overall offense. Cleveland averaged 249 yards per game and the Bengals somehow were even worse at 245 yards per game. These two teams combined to only average 26 points per game last season. Seven teams averaged at least 26 points per game last season to just give an idea of how poor these offenses were. Do not expect any dramatic improvements next year. The Steelers and the Ravens were propelled by two very strong defenses in 2009. Pittsburgh’s defense was perhaps the best to take the field in the last decade as they were ranked number 1 in 3 out of 4 major defensive categories. Baltimore’s defense was ranked number 2 behind the Steelers in nearly every category and the two tangled for some low scoring defensive controlled games. The difference this year could be Joe Flacco ability to continue to mature at quarterback for Baltimore. The Ravens used Flacco’s arm to pursue the deep ball more often towards the end of the year and Baltimore could develop into a strong offensive team as well. We will pick the Ravens to play spoiler against the defending champions in the AFC North.

Pick – Baltimore +250

AFC South

Odds to win the AFC South:
Houston Texans +400
Indianapolis Colts +160
Jacksonville Jaguars +200
Tennessee Titans +300

The AFC South should without a doubt be the strongest division in the AFC next season from top to bottom. The Tennessee Titans started 2009 a perfect 10-0 as one of the breakout teams in the league. The Titans will look to stick to strong defense and an offense led by the legs of Chris Johnson. Draft picks Kenny Britt and Jared Cook could become potential weapons after time to develop. Cook has a lot of speed for a tight end that could present some big mismatches in the secondary. The Texans added a lot of focus to the defense during the off-season. Houston allowed 24 points per game last year and things must change for them to contend. Steve Slaton had strong year running the ball and will need similar efforts for Houston this year to keep the offense affective. Jacksonville did a wonderful job adding some premier talent to the offensive line with Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton during the draft. The offensive line allowed a miserable 42 sacks last season and these two young guys will change that. The question is how long will it take? The Jaguars defense is a work in progress and they could be a playmaker away on offense from shaping out to be a great team. The Indianapolis Colts got off to a horrible 3-4 start last year before rattling off 9 straight wins to close out the season. Indianapolis appears on the outside looking in to be primed for 2010. However, the release of Marvin Harrison along with major changes in the coaching staff after Tony Dungy retired and the Colts have a lot of question marks. However, Peyton Manning behind center is all anyone could ask for even when times are tough.

Pick – Indianapolis +160

AFC West

Odds to win the AFC West:
Denver Broncos +350
Kansas City Chiefs +600
Oakland Raiders +800
San Diego Chargers -225

The San Diego Chargers became the first team to enter the playoffs that did not have a winning record last season in nearly two decades. The Charges finished 8-8 on the season, but it was good enough as they held the tie breaker over Denver who was also 8-8. Darren Sproles made a big impact during the playoffs as the speedy running back will get his share of touches with LaDainian Tomlinson. San Diego’s late season success could be a good indication of what to expect in 2010. The Denver Broncos gave up star quarterback Jay Cutler. Does Kyle Orton come in to run the offense? If so we have seen the show before and it did not work out so well in Chicago. The Broncos did add Knowshon Moreno to the roster with the first pick. Moreno could be a solid back with unbelievable lateral quickness, but how much of an immediate impact he will make is the question. Oakland shocked the world by taking Darius Heyward-Bey in the first round over Michael Crabtree. However, the Raiders were going after an immediate big play threat. Heyward-Bey’s speed gives the down field threat on any given play. However, Oakland needs a lot more help to improve from the 16.4 points and 272 yards of offense from 2009 which were both among the worse in the NFL. Kansas City went after a few defensive needs with the draft selecting Tyson Jackson and Alex Magee for the defensive line. The Chiefs defense was flat frightening in all the wrong ways last season so any help has to be a plus. Kansas City still has a lot of question marks all over the field on the offensive side of the ball as well. The Chiefs should win more than two games this year, but perhaps not enough to consider contending for the division crown.

Pick – San Diego -225