2014 NFL futures betting: Breaking down the AFC South

The Indianapolis Colts endured their longest drought in the AFC South before finishing back atop the division in 2013. 

The Colts conceded the South's top spot to the Houston Texans in 2011 and 2012, the only stretch of consecutive seasons in which the team did not win the division since it was founded in 2002.

The Colts are a unanimous favorite to repeat as division champions in 2014, as seen in the odds comparison below.

Odds courtesy BetOnline, Bovada, Pinnacle.

Indianapolis Colts

While his numbers may not jump off the page, Andrew Luck has been one of the best quarterbacks in football over his first two seasons. He'll work with his best collection of skill players yet, with Hakeem Nicks joining a returning Reggie Wayne and an emerging T.Y. Hilton. Dwayne Allen also returns to join Coby Fleener in one of the better young tight end tandems in football. Losing Vick Ballard hurts, but the backfield duo of Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw should be effective, even if neither player puts up great individual statistics.

Robert Mathis was the runner-up in 2013 Defensive Player of the Year voting, and he'll be missed in the first four games of the season, two of which are divisional matchups, as he serves a four-game suspension. The team's defense figures to regress after playing above expectations last season. They'll have a difficult time getting to the quarterback all year, particularly in the first month of the season without Mathis.

Houston Texans

The days of the team's dominant running game are probably over. Arian Foster says he's healthy, but it's difficult to believe he'll gut it out for 16 games this season. Andre Brown should fill in nicely when Foster's in street clothes. Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't a long-term answer at quarterback, but under Bill O'Brien, he can put up a strong season or two. He'll be playing behind a great offensive line with a pair of very good receiving weapons in Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins.

The Texans have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the football. J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney have the potential to form one of the most dominant pass-rushing tandems in football. He's the forgotten man in the middle, but the unit is always better when Brian Cushing is on the field.

Tennessee Titans

Skill position players be damned. Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt were allowed to walk, while general manager Ruston Webster spent the offseason stockpiling offensive tackles, bringing in a pair in Michael Oher and Taylor Lewan, possibly forgetting Michael Roos is already on the roster. The Titans' strength will surely be their offensive line this season, if only by default. On the other side of the ball, Ray Horton is one of the best defensive coordinators in football, but the group of players pencilled into starting spots do not look like a good fit for his 3-4 scheme. Looks like another rebuilding year is coming in Nashville.

Jacksonville Jaguars

There is some reason for optimism in Jacksonville. It sounds as if Blake Bortles won't be rushed into the starting job, which is a good thing. He'll have a chance to grow with incoming wide receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson. Free agent running back Toby Gerhart looks like he could be a decent bruiser in a feature role, having excelled in limited action while playing behind Adrian Peterson in Minnesota. Defensively, the team steadily improved last season, its first in the Gus Bradley-era. Similar to the offense, the defense is heading in the right direction, but is still a year or two away from helping the team compete for a playoff spot.

Where to put your money

The Colts look like they will be the class of the AFC South once again this season. They can be had at a reasonable -151 on Pinnacle. The Texans don't offer as much value as one would hope for when backing a team riding a 14-game losing streak. Even still, they're worth a good long look at +300 on Bovada. Many of the same faces that helped the team win the division in 2011 and 2012 are still around.

More 2014 NFL futures betting articles:

AFC East | AFC North
AFC South | AFC West

NFC East | NFC North
NFC South | NFC West

Super Bowl odds | Yardage leaders odds
MVP odds | Win total odds
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