Here are 10 questions and answers about this upcoming NFL season, with a betting twist of course.

1. Which long shot is legitimate?
The Jacksonville Jaguars at 25-1. Byron Leftwich is healthy, the team is motivated after missing the playoffs, special teams are upgraded and the schedule lays out with five easy opponents in their first seven games. Respected Las Vegas professional gambler Steve Fezzik says his strongest regular season ‘over/under’ win total opinion is on Jacksonville to go ‘over’ nine victories.

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2. Which team did the oddsmakers make the biggest mistake on in their opening ‘over/under’ regular season win total?
The Minnesota Vikings opening at seven wins. Money has poured in on the ‘under,’ dropping the Vikings to 6 ½ at some books. The Vikings have the bottom, or at best second-worst, quarterback in the NFC in Tarvaris Jackson, an overrated offensive line, a terrible group of wideouts and in their last 12 games face the Bears twice, Cowboys, Eagles, Chargers, Giants and Broncos along with what looks to be the improved 49ers and Redskins.

3. Are the New Orleans Saints worth fading?
Not necessarily. Yes, they caught teams by surprise last year and won’t be able to sneak up on teams, and, yes, they avoided injuries and had nearly everything break right. But their offense only is going to get better as the players fully grasp astute coach Sean Payton’s playbook. Reggie Bush is going to be a monster this season.

4. Who wins the NFC North Division?
It’s probably the Bears, but who wants to lay a ‘chalk’ price. The intriguing wager is taking 10-1 on Detroit. The Lions’ passing game really could take off now that the team has a year to assimilate Mike Martz’s offensive style and with stud rookie Calvin Johnson joining the mix. The defense has good speed rushers, who play faster on artificial turf, plus the division is weak.

5. Did the Baltimore Ravens miss their window of opportunity last season?
They did. Don’t look for the Ravens to come anywhere close to duplicating last year’s 13-3 mark. They avoided injuries, were an NFL-best plus 17 in turnover ratio met only two playoff teams. The schedule is more difficult this time around where in a six-week period they meet the Steelers, Bengals, Chargers, Patriots and Colts. Steve McNair is another year older and the offensive line is in a transition period.

6. What’s the difference between the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals aside from playing in different conferences?
There isn’t any, except every year some people believe the Cardinals can finish above .500 by betting their regular season win total up, while nobody is delusional enough to believe the Browns can accomplish that.

7. Which division should be nicknamed the 8-8 division?
The NFC West. The Rams, 49ers and even Cardinals, by getting rid of Dennis Green, have cut the gap so much from Seattle that the division is wide open.

8. Will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be improved?
No. They lost nine games by double-digits last year, which is extremely difficult to do in today’s parity-filled NFL. They have six starters over 30 and their best quarterback is 37-year-old Jeff Garcia, who won’t last the season playing behind such a wretched offensive line.

9. Which team is the most likely to lose their home team mystique?
The Kansas City Chiefs. Arrowhead Stadium always is going to be a tough venue for visitors, but the Chiefs aren’t going to scare anyone with their feeble passing attack, crumbling offensive line that keeps losing stalwarts, old secondary and conservative coach in Herm Edwards.

10. Which team is the top candidate for a major meltdown late in the season?
The New York Giants. There’s bad chemistry on this club, coach Tom Coughlin isn’t popular with his players and the team closes at Chicago, at Philadelphia, hosting Washington, at Buffalo and hosting New England.