The St. Louis Rams will attempt to take another step toward respectability this upcoming season. Sam Bradford returns from injury to a team that appears to be moving in the right direction but must face the reality of playing in the toughest division in football and playing the third toughest schedule of any team heading into the 2014 season.
The defending champs return as the hunted rather than the hunter this season – lofty expectations and the talk of a possible dynasty will follow the Seahawks into the season.
The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2014-2015 season as one of the Super Bowl favorites again – and rightfully so! This is a team that has reached the NFC Championship game three straight seasons – as balanced and as dangerous as any team in the league.
Buffalo had a nice 8-5 season last year, but things will get much tougher this season. The Bulls lost what might be the two best players in their program’s history in one offseason.
Kent State took a large step backward last year. The Golden Flashes had three straight 5-7 seasons from 2009 through 2011. Then they jumped to 2012 in a magical season under Darrell Hazell.
Up in DeKalb the Huskies have been one of the best programs in college football over the last few seasons. It starts with domination in the MAC but they have also challenged teams from the power conference, earning a BCS spot in the process a couple of years ago.
The dynamic of the Pac-12 was turned on its head when one clever pundit tabbed the UCLA Bruins as the top team in the nation. The conference figures to be quite strong this season, so whichever team is able to come away as champions will have some work to do.
The NFC East was once one of the elite divisions in football, but it has fallen on some hard times of late. That isn’t to say that the division hasn’t offered some exciting football, with the division winner settled in a head-to-head matchup on the final day of the regular season four of the last five times.
The AFC East has belonged to the New England Patriots ever since Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of a game against the New York Jets and replaced by a young Tom Brady. Since then, the Patriots have failed to win the division only once in a span of 11 seasons from 2003 through 2013.
The Big Ten has officially expanded to 14 teams (go figure…) and with the first annual College Football Playoff on the horizon, it’s time to look at who the favorites are in this particular conference in 2014.
The Carolina Panthers enjoyed a breakout season in 2013. All the talk of head coach Ron Rivera being on the hot seat entering the season was quickly put to rest with the team putting together a 12-win season, good enough to win the NFC South.
The Buffalo Bills finished last season at the bottom of the AFC East, but there was a lot to like from the team, including some flashes from quarterback EJ Manuel, and a defense that wound up as one of the surprise units in the league.
The Chicago Bears’ offense got a much needed kick in the pants last season with Marc Trestman coming to town. The perennially underachieving unit finally got it all together and came up with a big season.
The Green Bay Packers endured the nightmare of every team that rosters a franchise quarterback this past season when Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury and missed an extended period of time.
The Baltimore Ravens took a big step backward in 2013 after winning the Super Bowl following the 2012 season. Following an eventful offseason, the Ravens look to bounce back with a reloaded roster, hoping that they can put off the field distractions behind them and focus on what’s happening between the lines.
The Cincinnati Bengals broke through a year, winning the AFC North on the back of an 11-5 record, enjoying major improvements on both sides of the football.
