This is part of an ongoing 8-part series predicting the 2015 NFL season.

Making these predictions are a headache. It’s almost futile to say who is “good” and who is “bad” at this point in the season, but I will give it a reasonable shot.

NFC South Prediction

1. Saints*
2. Panthers
3. Buccaneers
4. Falcons

The first thing I want to mention, is that this division is a mess and could still be the worst in football. I’m not sure ANY of the teams drastically improved enough to compete for a Lombardi trophy.

The Carolina Panthers lost top WR Kelvin Benjamin for the season. That begs the question of who Cam Newton will throw the ball to, considering he’s never really had great receivers. He usually has a WR1 and a band of castaways: this season he only has the castaways. 33-year-old Jerricho Cotchery figures to be Newton’s top receiver, while Greg Olsen instantly looks to shoulder most of the burden.

Thing won’t get better if Jonathan Stewart fails to play 16 games, something he hasn’t done since 2011. The team let longtime RB DeAngelo Williams leave via free agency, so 5th round choice Cameron Artis-Payne figures to be the backup.

The Panthers defense also lost Greg Hardy, but they were without him most of 2014 anyway. Luke Kuechly is an All-Pro caliber LB, and will lead the defense.

While I don’t have the Panthers winning the division, I believe it will be a tight race, as head coach Ron Rivera always seems to find a way to get his team into contention. However, I feel Sean Payton is the better coach with the better team in the South: The New Orleans Saints.

Much of what the Saints do will rely on the arm of 36-year-old Drew Brees, but considering Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are at least a couple of years older, I’d think Brees still has plenty of fuel left in the tank. Jimmy Graham was traded to the Seahawks while Kenny Stills wasn’t resigned. The team will lean on last year’s first round selection Brandin Cooks, who might’ve put up the biggest numbers of a stellar rookie WR class, had it not been for a fractured thumb that sidelined him for the second half of the year.

That considered, Brees may not have to throw the ball as much with a a solid RB committee of Mark Ingram, Khiry Robinson and free agent acquisition C.J. Spiller. Ingram will get the lion’s share of the workload while Spiller figures to fill the old Darren Sproles/Pierre Thomas passing down duties.

The Saint also added former Patriot Brandon Browner to bolster their defense. If injured players return to form, the defense may play well enough to squeak out the division title.

Tampa Bay figures to be the most intriguing team, adding Jameis Winston as their centerpiece on offense. The former Heisman Trophy winner looks to transition his game to the NFL, and has plenty of pieces around him in WRs Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins and a boatload of talented, but under-performing RBs such as Doug Martin and Charles Sims.

As I’ve said with other predictions, I’m not sure the Bucs defense is strong enough to merit any type of division title run. The same could be said for the Atlanta Falcons, who have a new head coach in former Seahawks defensive guru Dan Quinn. Quinn is famous for assembling the “Legion of Boom” but I don’t see that formation coming to fruition anytime soon in the ATL.

On the offensive side of the ball, big-money QB Matt Ryan will continue to be his usual self, putting up over 4,000 yards and around 30 TDs, but his offensive line is still a work in progress, and there are no proven RBs that he will hand off too. It could be a grueling season for the Falcons, as they struggle on both sides of the ball.

However, they could still end up in the basement and be only a game or two behind the first place team: just based on how un-sensational the teams in this division appear to be.