NFL 2010: Win Total Predictions NFC South

Thursday kicks off the new season of the true 'Greatest Show on Earth', that's right, NFL Football! All odds taken from Vegasinsider.com (opening line).

NFC South should be an entertaining division, with two good teams, one enigmatic team, and one team continuing to rebuild. They face the creampuff NFC West and the tough AFC North, so their out of division match ups are a mixed bag. New Orleans should have another solid year, though their relatively weak defense may cost them a few more games than they did last year. Atlanta might be very good, or it might all fall apart, they have a lot of young talent at the skill positions, which means they're unpredictable. Carolina will probably be awful, unless they aren't, any result from 10-6 to 4-12 seem possible. Tampa Bay will play hard, but they lack talent, so playing hard won't result into a whole bunch of victories.

Atlanta Falcons (Win total 9.0) OVER!
This is a tough one, they feel like a 9-7 team to me, so most likely this will be a push, but if a few breaks go their way, 10-6 and a playoff berth should be within reach. Should be a fun team to watch, either way.

Carolina Panthers (Win total 7.0) OVER!
Another tough one, this is probably a 7-9 team, but they still have a pretty solid defense, so they might squeeze out a few 13-7 victories that push them to 8-8 or 9-7. Will be a frustrating season for their fans, and they'll probably be ugly games to watch, but they'll be about as successful as their talent allows.

New Orleans Saints (Win total 10.5) UNDER!
Another tough call, the lines on the teams in this division all fall right at the number of victories I expect. This is a 10-6 or 11-5 team, very solid, probably in the top four teams of the NFC, but nothing like the team the team that seemed so dominate offensively last season, and their defensive lapses will punish them in a few close games.

Tampa Bay Bucaneers (Win total 6.0) UNDER!
Might challenge for the number one draft pick this year. Don't think there are any 0-16 teams this season, probably 4-12 will be as poorly as any team does, and that'll be about where this team finishes, so on the negative side, horrible for their fans, on the plus side, they might earn themselves a pretty special player in next year's draft.