The Jacksonville Jaguars look to repeat as AFC South Champions this year. It is time to continue our NFL odds series with an AFC South Champion prediction and pick.

Last year it all came down to the last game of the season. The Tennessee Titans entered with a 7-9 record on the year and had already lost to Jacksonville. The Jaguars were 8-8, but the winner was going to win the division based on tiebreakers. Tennessee had a 10-0 lead in the second, and 13-7 at half. They held the lead going into the fourth as well, leading 16-10. Jacksonville would add a field goal. Then Josh Allen would return a fumble 37 yards to the house to give Jacksonville their first lead of the game, which they would hold onto to win the division.

Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans were two of the worst teams in the league. The Colts would finish on a seven-game losing streak to end their year 4-12-1. The Texans would win the last game of the season to cost themselves the top pick in the draft. They would still get their man with the second pick in the draft, with C.J. Stroud being the new quarterback.

Here are the AFC South NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NFL Odds: AFC South Champion

Jacksonville Jaguars: -155

Tennessee Titans: +310

Indianapolis Colts: +550

Houston Texans: +1000

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Why The Jacksonville Jaguars Will Win the AFC South

The Jaguars look to repeat as division champions for the first time. Since the division was formed in 2002, the Jaguars are the only team in the AFC South not to repeat as division champions. They have repeatedly won the division in franchise history though. They won the AFC Central in 1998 and 1999. The 1999 season was special. They went 14-2 losing just twice, both to the Tennessee Titans. This year is all about Trevor Lawrence. He threw for 4,113 with 25 touches and just eight interceptions. After a rough first half of the season, he took off down the stretch throwing for 2,273 yards and 15 touchdowns with just two picks in his last nine games.

If the Jaguars are going to win the division, they have to be better on defense though. They were 24th in yards per game last year against, and 28th against the pass last year. Tyson Campbell was one of their draft picks last year to help the secondary, and the team returns Josh Allen, Devin Lloyd, and Foyesade Oluokun at linebacker. There still needs to be more of a push to get to the quarterback. They had just 35 sacks all of last year, and this year, second-year player Travon Walker needs to step up there. If the defense can improve just a little, with this offense led by Lawrence and Travis Ettienne, they will win ten games this year, which should get them a title.

Why The Tennessee Titans Will Win the AFC South

Derrick Herny is the focus of this offense. For the Titans to win this year, a few major things need to happen. First Derrick Henry needs to be healthy all year. He went for 1,538 yards and 13 scores last year. Still, his 349 carries were the second most of his career, and he is coming off his second-worst yards per carry season since taking over as the primary back in 2018. If he cannot be over 300 carries again, it will be hard for the Titans. To help him out though, the Titans need to have a better passing game.

Tannehill played just 12 games last year, throwing for 2,536 yards and 13 touchdowns. With his six interceptions, he had his worst QBR since his days in Miami. Tannehill needs to turn back the clock to 2020, where he threw for a career-high in yards and touchdowns while having his best touchdown to interception ratio. The help has to start with DeAndre Hopkins. He has not played a full season since 20202, but that year he went for 1,407 yards and six scores. If he can play 15-16 games, it gives Tannehill a legitimate threat.

The defense also needs to step up in the passing game. This was the worst passing defense in the NFL last year. They did attempt to address that in the offseason through free agency, but they did not do anything in the draft to fill holes. So it will be up to returning veterans to make an impact this year.

Why The Indianapolis Colts Will Win the AFC South

Last year was a disaster for the Colts. Matt Ryan showed his age and was benched twice. Sam Ehlinger and Nick Holes were not any better. Jeff Saturday ended up coaching the team, and went 1-7, including losing the largest comeback in NFL history. Now Shane Steichen comes in. He brings with him the number four pick in the draft Anthony Richardson. Richardson is going to be the starter and brings a new dimension to the offense. The Colts have not had a mobile quarterback in a long time, with Andrew Luck being the most mobile in recent history. Richardson improved almost every game in his 13 starts in college, and if he continues that ascent, he will be able to lead them to a promising record.

Still, there are two major questions on this team. First is Jonathan Taylor. Taylor will be out the first four games of the season, meaning Deon Jackson will most likely get the start. Still, with four extra games of rest, if he can come back and make an impact, they will hopefully have gotten through the growing pains of Richardson and can win games. Second, is Shaquille Leonard. He was one of the top defensive players in the NFL, and then he played just three games last year. He has had a second back surgery and was slow in those games. If he can make a bounce back though the defense will be solid.

Why The Houston Texans Will Win the AFC South

This is a long shot for a reason. The Texans were bad last year, and are clearly in a rebuild. They ended up trading to get the third pick in the draft as well, so the team will be led on both sides of the ball by rookies. CJ Stroud would have to be nearly perfect in his rookie year, and Will Anderson would have to make an immediate impact. DeMeco Ryans gets his first chance to be an NFL head coach this year. It would be a small miracle for them to win the division, but with a weak division, it is possible.

Final AFC South Champion Prediction & Pick

The pick here comes between the Titans and the Jaguars. With the Colts and Texans clearly in a rebuild, it will be one of those two teams to win the division. The Titans will be solid under Mike Vrabel. The Titans will enter week 18 at home against the Jaguars with eight wins. The Jaguars will also be 8-8. It will be another winner-take-all game, and this time, the Titans win it.

Final AFC South Champion Prediction & Pick: Tennessee Titans (+310)