2016 NFL Betting Odds to Win the NFC West

The betting odds at BetAnySports suggest that the battle for the NFC West title this season will be between Seattle and Arizona with the edge right now going to the Seahawks. Much farther down the list is the Los Angeles Rams followed by San Francisco. The Cardinals are the reigning division champs after going 13-3 last season and in my eyes the team to beat again this year. Seattle took a step backwards to 10-6 in 2015 after winning the NFC West the previous two years. The Rams turned in a 7-9 record in their last season in St. Louis and the 49ers' current slide from being the top team in this division in 2012 continued with a 5-11 record last year.

The link below is my complete preview and overall prediction to win the NFC West in 2016 as part of a series for SportsBettingStats.com in which I covered the race for all eight NFL division titles this year.

LINK: NFC West Odds

Christian McCaffrey's Betting Odds to Win the 2016 Heisman Trophy

Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey was not even in the Heisman discussion heading into the 2015 college football season, but after he broke the NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards he vaulted all the way to No. 2 in the final voting results behind Alabama running back Derick Henry.

McCaffrey is no longer flying under the radar heading into his junior season with the Cardinal and he has been listed as one of the top three favorites to take home this year's award for the top college football player in the nation according the Heisman futures odds at BetAnySports.com.

As part of a series I recently completed for Doc's Sports, I broke down his chances to win the 2016 Heisman and you can find my complete player profile at the link below.

LINK:Christian McCaffrey Odds to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy with Expert Picks

2016 NFL Betting Odds to Win the AFC West

My final stop of division race previews in the AFC takes us to the AFC West. Denver has won this division the last five seasons leading up to last year's victory in Super Bowl 50. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning road off into the sunset and his backup Brock Osweiler left for greener pastures in Houston. It is very rare for any team that is coming off a Super Bowl win to not even be favored to win its division the following season, but that is the case with Denver according to the current betting odds at BetAnySports.

Kansas City has been opened as a slight favorite to win the AFC West this season and the betting public has also been high on Oakland's chances to break through this year after going 13 seasons without a winning record. Check out the link below at SportsBettingStats.com for my complete preview of the AFC West along with my top pick to finish first this year.

LINK: AFC West Odds

Deshaun Watson's Betting Odds to Win the 2016 Heisman

As part of a recent series I wrote for Doc's Sports on the top prospects to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy as college football's top player in the nation, the next stop on the tour takes us to Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. After leading the Tigers all the way to the national title game in 2015, he finished third on the Heisman ballot with 1,165 total points behind Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. Henry won the award that season and he has moved onto the NFL leaving McCaffrey and LSU running back Leonard Fournette as Watson's top Heisman competition heading into the 2016 college football season.

Clemson is one of the top favorites to win a national title this year and this should set the stage for Watson's run to the 2016 Heisman. Check out the link below get my full take on his chances to actually be the top college football player in the nation this year.

LINK: Deshaun Watson Odds to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy with Expert Picks

2016 NFL Betting Odds to Win the AFC South

The AFC South could be one of the closest and most interesting division races in the NFL this season. The Houston Texans sneaked past Indianapolis last season with Colts' quarterback Andrew Luck missing quite a bit of playing time due to injuries. Luck is back and healthy for the 2016, but there are still some major holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball in Indianapolis. The Texans have a formidable defense led by JJ Watt, but with Brock Osweiler penciled-in as the starting quarterback after signing as a free agent out of Denver, there may be more questions than answers with that move.

That leaves the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans as the second tier of contenders in this division. The Jaguars are poised for an explosive year on offense with some young studs at the skill positions and head coach Jack Del Rio could be on the verge of turning things around on defense with some positive offseason moves. This will be Tennessee's second season with Marcus Mariota as its starting quarterback and new head coach Mike Mularkey used the majority of his draft picks to address some major concerns on his defensive unit.

All-in-all, it should be a battle to the bitter end in the AFC South this season so please check out the link below at SportsBettingStats.com for my complete preview of this division as well as my "best bet" pick as to which team offers the best value to win based on BetAnySports' updated futures odds.

LINK: AFC SOUTH ODDS

2016 NFL Betting Odds to Win the AFC North

In my second stop around the eight NFL Division races on tap for the upcoming 2016 season, I have taken a closer look at the four contenders in the AFC North in terms of their betting odds at BETANYSPORTS.com to come out on top. This is probably just a two-team race between favored Pittsburgh and Cincinnati given the current state of affairs in both Baltimore and Cleveland, but it should still be one of the better battles for a title that could easily go all the way down to Week 17.

The Steelers appear to be fan favorites of the betting public given their current odds to win at BetAnySports. However, with quite a few question marks on the defensive side of the ball I happen to feel that they could be a bit overrated. The Bengals have been the most consistent team in this division over the past few seasons. All of their problems have come in the postseason with five-straight early exits in the Wildcard Round.

Last season, they handed Pittsburgh a playoff win in that round on a silver platter with a few costly mistakes late in the fourth quarter. I am counting on the memory of that game to fuel Cincinnati's motivation to avenge that loss in the two head-to-head meetings against its bitter rival this season. The result of those two games could easily be the deciding factor in this division race. Check out the link below at SportsBettingStats.com for my complete preview of the AFC North.

LINK: 2016 AFC NORTH ODDS to WIN

Leonard Fournette's Odds to Win the 2016 Heisman Trophy

The college football player at the top of the list at BetAnySports' futures list to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy is junior LSU running back Leonard Fournette. He is no stranger to the notoriety after starting his sophomore season at the top of the list to win as well.

Back-to-back poor performances in losses to Alabama and Arkansas not only sunk LSU's national title hopes, they effectively ended Fournette's chances to win the 2015 Heisman. Both the Tigers and the bruising 6-foot-1, 230 lbs junior back have high aspirations for the 2016 season, which will get underway with a nationally broadcast showdown against the Big Ten's Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 3. A strong start out of the gate in this game would go a long way toward cementing Fournette's front runner position with the Heisman voters. Check out the link below for my complete profile of his chances to win in the first of five articles for Doc's Sports breaking down the betting odds for the top Heisman hopefuls heading into the 2016 college football season.

LINK: Leonard Fournette Odds to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy with Expert Picks