Mild prediction: AFC champion will come out of South in '08

It would be a great injustice to one of the strongest divisions in recent memory in the NFL if it did not produce next season's AFC Super Bowl representative. Call it a prediction, or maybe just wishful thinking that the Patriots don't cheat their way to a fifth* big game appearance in eight years. Just consider that the last-place team, the Houston Texans, finished at 8-8 last year, something that has happened only a handful of times since realignment. The division produced the two AFC Wild Card teams, as three clubs, the division-winning Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans, all reached double-figures in wins. The combined winning percentage of the four teams in the division was .656, the best-ever in the NFL history.

This offseason, the Colts, as in the norm with them, stood pat in free agency, mainly keeping intact a team that has won at least 12 games each of the past five seasons, a first in the NFL annals. The Jaguars addressed one of their weaknesses by upgrading the wide receiver position, while the Titans also made significant additions to an average offense. The Texans are like the forgotten step-child, a franchise that has never posted a winning season in its five-year existence but who made significant strides to reach .500 last season.

Like the NFC East, the AFC South has four playoff-caliber teams that will duke it out over the course of the season. The Colts have won the division five straight years, but the Jaguars are hot on their coattails, and the Titans don't figure to go quietly either. The biggest issue for the Jaguars and Titans will be first overcoming the Colts before they can think about overcoming some of the other top teams in the conference.

My semi-prediction, if you will, is that either the Colts or Jaguars will represent the AFC in Tampa Bay in next year's Super Bowl, but don't be surprised if the Titans make a run at it. The Texans are solid, but at least a year or two away.