NFL Futures – Indianapolis Colts Still Control AFC South

If you’re an NFL betting fan of Houston, Tennessee or Jacksonville, then you know that the road to the playoffs goes through the Indianapolis Colts.

What has always made the AFC South division intriguing is the fact that we get tight games no matter how stacked one team is compared to their divisional opponent.

Over the long haul however, it has been the Colts that have been the division winner for seven of the past eight seasons.

Indianapolis Colts (-150 to win AFC South)

A 2009 AFC Championship will hang from their rafters next year, but it’s certainly not the decoration that four-time MVP Peyton Manning and his Colts were hoping for.

Not only did they go a sterling 14-2 SU last season, they also went 10-6 ATS, reigning in big wins for their football betting backers.

Virtually everything about this team stays the same heading in to the 2010 NFL betting season, but what’s scary is that they may be even better this year than last.

Running back Mike Hart and wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez will both return from injuries, making an offense that saw the emergence of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie last season even wealthier in talent.

Reggie Wayne is still in the picture, so it’s not like there’s any reason to doubt the favorite in the AFC South.

Houston Texans (+350 to win AFC South)

Drafting Ben Tate at running back was a huge win for Texas’s running game, which will see constant relief as teams focus their attention on keeping Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson from tearing their endzone to pieces.

However, the big story in Houston is always defense. The Texans gave up 324.9 yards per game (13th), 20.8 points (17th) and, 106.9 yards on the ground (11th) 217.9 yards through the air (18th).

For a defense that failed to rank in the top-10 in any relevant stat category, the four-game suspension of Brian Cushing will kill this team’s chances from getting a hot start.

It’s easy to be optimistic about the Texans on paper, but this is a team that has never found a way to turn the corner. They’ve never made the playoffs in franchise history. Thinking they’ll win the division is sheer insanity.

Tennessee Titans (+350 to win AFC South)

No team is poised to fall apart at the seams more than the Tennessee Titans.

Letting Albert Haynesworth walk two years ago was a bigger loss than they realized, but allowing Kyle Vanden Bosch to prowl with the Detroit Lions all but assures that this once stout defensive front will be a walking mat.

There are zero big names in the trenches for this defensive side, making them prone to be torn asunder by the rest of the division.

Couple their defensive woes with the not-so-sudden personal implosion of one Vince Young, and the looming contract issues with Chris Johnson, and you have a definitive stay-away bet in the Titans.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+1000 to win AFC South)

They missed out on the Tim Tebow sweepstakes and are stuck with David Garrard.

Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine that someone would actually make a fan base miss Byron Leftwich, but Garrard has been tremendously underwhelming.

The Jaguars had the worst record in the division at 7-9 SU, and the worst betting record at 5-11 ATS.

Anyone who thinks that their money is safe with Garrard at the helm needs to have their head checked.