2007 Record: 9-7 (6-2 H, 3-5 A)
2007 Against the Spread: 8-8-1 (5-3-1 H, 3-5 A); 9-8 vs. Total (5-3 H, 4-5 A)
2007 Rankings: 18th Offense (11th Rush, 16th Pass); 2nd Defense (17th Rush, 1st Pass)
2008 Odds: 25-1 Super Bowl odds, 12-1 NFC Championship odds, 7-5 NFC South odds, 8.5 wins (O/U)

As a Southern Boy who was raised in the South, I have a personal affinity for the NFC South. In fact, I'm an Atlanta Falcons fan and I can attest to you that I hate the Bucs with a passion given the recent years' of disappointment they have bestowed upon us. This Bucs team has simply brutalized the Falcons year in and year out as of late. The Bucs, keep in mind, were 9-7 last year and they won the division. In fact, they were looking solid heading into the playoffs as they sported the second best defense in all of the NFL. However, they lost in the first round to the eventual Super Bowl Champs in what was a very tight game for most of the way through. It's a bit surprising, though, that this team did as well as it did considering that it was No. 18 overall on offense. Of course, playing in an NFC South division, where no other team finished above .500 last year, certainly helped as not many teams can even envision winning their division with a 9-7 record. The Bucs will receive much more heated competition for the title this year as one cannot expect the Saints and the Panthers to finish with a 7-9 record as they did last year.

However, the strength of the Bucs was their play at home as they were 6-2 within the confines of Raymond James Stadium. Note that the Bucs were dominant against division opponents last year going 5-1 as well. However, don't expect a repeat of that division dominance this year. In fact, I believe the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and/or the Atlanta Falcons should be able to pick off a few wins this year over the Bucs as this Tampa Bay team should finish either 4-2 or possibly 3-3 in the division this year. Once again, note that this is a team that was first in the NFC in defense last year allowing opponents only 278.4 yards per game (only second in the league behind the Steelers). Shockingly, this team still managed to win the division last year despite being 18th in the league and managing to scrounge up 320 yards of offense per game.

In short, the Bucs had a very anemic offensive attack but did manage to control the clock and run the ball effectively. The style of play is one that is enviable by many coaches back in the heyday with limited yet timely offense and a defense that is extremely opportunistic. This team rushed for a 117 yards per game and once they found themselves with the lead, it was as if they had a suffocating bear hug on the game. This year in just the first two games of the preseason the Bucs have put up 44 points to their opponents 16. Hence, maybe the personnel is getting more used to the offense and their young crop of players on offense are becoming more seasoned.

Although I still believe the Bucs will be dominant, I can't imagine that the other two contending teams in the division (Saints and Panthers) will have such horrible years once again. Even with an extremely underperforming year for both the Saints and Panthers, they still finished 7-9. With higher expectations and jobs on the line for both teams, they will certainly place the heat on the Bucs for the division title. To me, this division is going to be decided between two teams - the Bucs and the Saints. However, I firmly believe because the Bucs have a clear edge on defense over the Saints, they will win the division. The Bucs have a far better pass defense than the Saints. Furthermore, while the Bucs offensive line came into their own last year, the Saints offensive line continued to struggle. I believe both the Bucs and the Saints will finish with similar records at 9-7 but expect the Bucs to win the division via the tiebreaker rules.

2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Predictions: 9-7: Division Winner. ATS Trends to look for this Year: Home Covers, Road Unders.

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