As we prepare for August 9^th’s Hall of Fame game odds featuring Buffalo and Tennessee, it’s time for betting players to start looking at divisional futures. Today’s preview is focused on the NFC South, where there should be plenty of offense, but whoever can keep the opposition out of the end zone should end up with the prize in this tight race.

New Orleans is the favorite at +165 according to betting services, and the Saints should have a healthy assortment of weapons for Drew Brees, who led the league’s best offense in 2008. Reggie Bush, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey all spent time on the trainer’s table last year, so New Orleans could score even more points. Darren Sharper was brought in to shore up a secondary that was 23^rd against the pass, but the problems came up front as the Saints managed only 28 sacks.

Atlanta comes in with football odds of +175 in your offshore sportsbook, and they made the biggest move in the NFC South as they snagged Tony Gonzalez from Kansas City, which gives Matt Ryan the NFL’s best tight end over the last decade. Ryan will also have the second-leading rusher in the league in Michael Turner to hand off to. But like the Saints, the Falcons had trouble stopping their opponents as they were 24^th in the league on defense, and they lost Keith Brooking and Lawyer Milloy as well.

Carolina is next at +220, and they have a solid base with the backfield duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, while Steve Smith is as good as they come at wide receiver. They just gave Jake Delhomme a five-year contract extension, and he’ll be under intense pressure to live up to it, especially after throwing five picks against Arizona in the playoffs. Out of the top three teams in the division, the Panthers had the best defense and received a boost with the return of Julius Peppers, who powered the team to ninth in the NFL in sacks. Don’t be surprised to see the Panthers as one of the surprise football picks of the season…if Delhomme can return to his 2005 Pro Bowl form.

With odds of +700, Tampa Bay has a new coach in Raheem Morris, as well as no Monte Kiffin calling the shots for the defense, and they’re trying to get over a late-season collapse, which spells trouble if you’re a Bucs fan. It’s either Byron Leftwich or rookie Josh Freeman at quarterback, but there are weapons around them in Antonio Bryant, as well as pickups Kellen Winslow and Derrick Ward. The biggest changes will come on defense, where Kiffin was the coordinator for 12 years, and there is no Derrick Brooks for the first time in 13 years. This Tampa Bay team will just be looking to find themselves in 2008, so I wouldn’t make them one of my sports picks just yet.