AFC South Division opening odds: Texans favored to repeat as division champs
Fans of the Houston Texans have to be absolutely ecstatic heading into this offseason. The 2023 NFL season couldn't have gone better. C.J. Stroud won Rookie of the Year and looks like their QB of the future, they have young pieces on the defense to build around, and their first-year head coach, DeMeco Ryans, led the team to an AFC South title and a playoff win.
Now all of a sudden the Texans look like the cream of the crop in the AFC South and the odds reflect exactly that notion. Can they repeat as divisional champs in 2024?
Let's dive into the odds to win the division and then I'll break down what the Texans need to do to remain as kings of the AFC South.
2024 AFC South odds
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Texans are new Kings of the AFC South
It's a three team race to win the AFC South but it's the Houston Texans who are set as the betting favorites at +190. If you translate those odds to implied probability, the Texans have a 34.48% chance of winning the division. If you bet $100 on them to do it, you'd win a profit of $190 if they're able to successfully defend their title.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are right behind the Texans at +195 odds. They won the division in 2022 and were in position to win it again in 2023 but a late-season collapse, including a Week 18 loss to the Tennessee Titans, caused it to slip through their fingers. With Trevor Lawrence back at quarterback and plenty of offensive weapons, there's no doubt that they will be the Texans' top competition.
Third on the odds list are the Colts at +240. We didn't know it at the time, but the Week 18 matchup against the Texans and Colts ended up being for the division title. If Indianapolis had won the game, the Colts would've been crowned divisional champs after the Jaguars lost to the Titans the next afternoon. The story for the Colts next season will be the return of Anthony Richardson, who appeared in just four games in his rookie season before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Titans are a distant fourth on the odds list at +700. They moved on from head coach, Mike Vrabel, and are in the middle of a rebuild.
Of all four teams, it has to be the Texans who have the brightest future. Not only is Stroud expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL next season, but he's a legitimate MVP candidate. If he can play at an MVP level, there's no reason why the Texans won't repeat as divisional champs.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.