AFC South: To be the man you must beat the man!

This statement has been used to describe many a divisional rivalry. It's holds true often enough to have become the mantra of many division rivalries. Now in Boxing you can knock out your opponett and every thing is clear cut. Football it is not as clear but beating your division rivals goes a long way. Beating the usual division champ twice can really help your cause.

This division has become one of the hottest Division Battles ever. The Colts have had a lock on this division for quite awhile. The Jags have been getting better and better each year but the Colts are usually one of the top two teams in the NFL. This has made it very hard for the Jags who are probably one of the best of the division challengers league wide. But the hump is the hump and the Jags have to get over on of the biggest humps in the NFL to be division champs. Beating the Colts twice would go a long way to becoming the champs. But it doesn't have to be so to win the division.

With both the Texans and the Titans improving if you stop to take a breath in your division championship quest you could get your azz kicked that week. But for the sake of this poll we will assume it will be the two traditional studs at the top. But feel free to come into the thread and argue that a stud will fall out completely.

Good topic. I tend to think that this may come down to either Indy or Tennessee, and it is much closer than people may think.

This was the most competitive division in the AFC last year, with the worst team (Houston) going 8-8. The Titans, 10-6, were just one game below the Jaguars, and they were 4-2 in the division, as opposed to the Jags who were 2-4 in division play.

So, what is different for this year?

The Jaguars have added some receivers who have been underachievers with their previous teams. If these guys turn their careers around, the Jaguars have a much better offense.

The Titans have made some key improvements across the board, and particularly in the offense.

The Colts have been the team to beat, and as long as they have Manning, they will remain a force in the division.

Houston is ....... Houston.

If I were betting big money, I would have to put a safe bet on the Colts to win the division, but I would be very tempted to throw a decent amount of money on the Titans. If any team has the chance to take over in this division, I think it is Tennessee.

The Jags were as good as they could be last year and will take a step back this season IMO. In a tough division, they could be on the outside looking in. I love what Houston continues to do, and they were a few injuries away from making the playoffs last year. I'm not sure they beat Indy in this division just yet, but mark them down for a playoff spot.

I must admit I have a feeling that this division is going to really surprise everyone this year. Indy has been dominate in recent years putting up the likes of 14-2 seasons. The Jags have battled hard very year but usually settle for being best of the wildcards. Last year the Jags put together a very nice 11-5 season. But going unnoticed has been the improvement of both the Titans and the Texans. I think this year that improvement with make this division a regular logjam and highly competitive. There will be some really good football to be watched in this division this year as nobody has a free pass. Some of these non divisional teams are going to be surprised when they get to play any AFC South team this year.