Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"
The Arizona State Sun Devils are the reigning champions of the Pac-12 South Division, and while they’ll compete for those honors again in 2014, the Pac-12 is becoming an increasingly difficult conference to play in.
In all likelihood, the Tennessee Titans are not going to be good in 2014. This is blatantly obvious when looking at their roster, but at least they have one reason to hold their heads high entering the new year: The only team in the NFL with worse odds to win the Super Bowl are in their own division—the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Indianapolis Colts are the odds-on favorites to win the 2014 AFC South, and it’s easy to see why. They went 11-5 this past season—the best record in the division by a relative longshot—and with a guy like Andrew Luck leading the way, it’s tough to picture the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans or Jacksonville Jaguars taking over as the team to beat.
The Houston Texans entered the 2013 NFL season with high hopes. They were thought to be contenders for a shot at a Super Bowl, but they ultimately flopped their way to an abysmal 2-14 record. Now it’s time to see if the offseason changes can get them back to where they were expected to be a year ago, which is far away from the basement of the league.
The Utah Utes are in a unique position entering the 2014 college football season. They should be improved following their second year in the Pac-12, but they’re still a ways away from competing for a title in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
The Washington State Cougars have begun making strides under head coach Mike Leach. Despite going 3-9 (1-8 in conference) two years ago in Leach’s inaugural season, the team went 6-7 (4-5 in conference) in 2013, giving it the momentum it needs to creep back into relevancy for the second straight year.
Steve Sarkisian is out, but he left a whole bunch of talent for Chris Petersen to work with in the new head coach’s first year roaming the sidelines for the University of Washington Huskies.
Reinforcements Have Steelers Set To Challenge For AFC North Crown In 2014
The Pittsburgh Steelers went to three Super Bowls from 2005 through 2010 and won two of them. Heading in to 2014, they face the harsh reality of a team at risk of missing the playoffs for a third straight year.
Bengals Destined To Take Step Back After Three-Straight Winning Seasons
The Cincinnati Bengals have improved their win total in each of the last three seasons, finishing with nine wins in 2011, 10 wins in 2012 and 11 wins in 2013. Despite improving the overall record every season the Bengals still haven’t won a playoff game in 23 years.
Latest Reset Gives Browns Legitimate Reason For Optimism
No NFL team has gone through more change than the Cleveland Browns over the past decade. Heading in to year two under owner Jimmy Haslam and with a new head coach in Mike Pettine, there is legitimate reason for optimism.
Key Offensive Additions, Dominant Defense Will Make Jets A Playoff Contender
The New York Jets have followed up back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship game by missing the playoffs in three straight seasons. The reality is that despite a severe lack of talent at key positions the Jets still managed to finish 8-8 in two of those three years, including last season.
Dolphins Not Ready To Compete In Improved AFC East Division
The Miami Dolphins overcame plenty of adversity to put themselves in position to challenge for a playoff spot down the stretch last season, only to lose back-to-back games against their AFC East rivals in the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets to finish 8-8 and miss the postseason.
Patriots Have Eye On Super Bowl After Offseason Reload
The New England Patriots were hit hard last offseason, losing leading receiver Wes Welker to the rival Denver Broncos, and Aaron Hernandez to jail in one of the most bizarre off-field twists in NFL history.
Bills Hope Young Stars Can Help End Record Playoff Drought
The Buffalo Bills have missed the playoffs a league-high 14 straight seasons. The franchise is for sale and with its future in the Buffalo area uncertain, fans are hoping this is the year their team finally puts it all together and ends that drought.
The Mountain West Conference was something of a conference of parity last season. The Fresno State Bulldogs and Utah State Aggies each finished 7-1 (in conference play) in their respective divisions, the San Diego State Aztecs and Boise State Broncos each went 6-2 in the same category and three teams finished 5-3.
The Baylor Bears are coming off of a Big 12 title from the 2013 college football season, but the question is: Can they defend that title with the likes of the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns on their tails?
