With the first week of December football now in the books, fans can get a serious read on who's going to be competing for the Super Bowl, and who's just a fringe playoff pretender. 

Looking over the odds for winning the Super Bowl, there's some rather interesting stuff.  Here's the rundown, with my comments:

1. Chargers 7-2:  That's a little overzealous because Philip Rivers would have to win the AFC Championship against the Colts, Ravens, or Patriots.  While possible, I'll pass on the 7-2 odds. 

2. Colts 4-1: If you think the Colts are going to win the Super Bowl this year, this is the time to make the wager (unless, of course, you think that the Colts will lose next week against Jacksonville, which will cause their odds to fall off to 5-1 or 6-1).

3. Bears 9-2: With Rex Grossman starting and Lovie Smith showing no signs of making a change, the Bears will have trouble winning their home game in the Divisional Playoffs.  With those shaky wins and that super-easy division, the Bears are the most overrated team in the NFL.

4. Cowboys 6-1: Even as a Cowboy fan, I'm a bit skeptical of these odds.  I'd say it's a bit too late to be putting money on Dallas.  You should have gotten them when they were above 10-1 a week before the victory over the Colts. As for me, I already got them at around 15-1 earlier in the season.

5. Ravens 6-1: After witnessing the Ravens' complete offensive ineptitude against the Bengals' below-average defense, you have to wonder if the Ravens have the firepower to make it to another Super Bowl.  The Patriots, Colts, and Chargers have offenses that are too good for the Ravens to be able to solely depend on their defense.  Head coach Brian Billick is going to have to figure out a way to score points without relying on defense and special teams.

6. Patriots 7-1: Great odds for a team with extensive experience at winning championships.  This is probably the safest bet.  I'd take Tom Brady over Peyton Manning in a playoff game.

7. Saints 10-1: Sean Payton's overachieving Saints aren't going to win a Super Bowl this year, as the defense still needs an injection of talent in order to compete with top-flight offenses. 

8. Seahawks 12-1: QB Matt Hasselbeck looks like he's still suffering from the effects of his knee injury.  And RB Shaun Alexander just looks a step slower than he was last year.  Plus, that offensive line isn't dominating the point of attack.  Combine all that with a pretty average defense, and you have the worst 8-4 team in the league.  Seahawks will be lucky to get out of their first-round playoff matchup, assuming they're not going to be the NFC's #2 seed.

9.  Bengals 15-1: The mystique of Carson Palmer and his explosive offense are inflating these odds.  In order to validate themselves as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, the Bengals need to put a few more wins together while showing some consistency on the defensive end.  Still, if they can catch the Ravens for the division championship, watch out for the Bengals as a playoff sleeper.

10. Falcons 40-1: There's no way they can win a Super Bowl with Michael Vick's inconsistency and the lack of a big-play receiver.  Also, their secondary has been pretty bad.

11. Giants 40-1: The New York money probably inflates these odds a bit.  Can anyone see Eli leading the Giants through three rounds of the playoffs and then knocking off the AFC champ?  I didn't think so.

12.  Panthers 40-1: While they easily could have won last night's game, the fact is that they failed to make plays late in the game.  After watching the Panthers' defense let the Eagles back in the game, I concluded that they're too soft defensively even though the individual players have immense talent.  Perhaps, the Panthers could be a contender if they somehow acquire a killer instinct in the next four weeks.  But if they can't win against the Giants next Sunday, the season's pretty much over.

13. Jets 50-1: While it's a better bet than the Giants, putting any money on the Jets to win a Super Bowl is like throwing money away.  At least with the NFC teams, you can make the argument that anything can happen in the first three rounds, and then you just have to win one big game.  But in the AFC, it's going to be too difficult for a sub-elite team to get through the powerhouses.

14. Jaguars 60-1: This is the best longshot bet of them all.  The Jaguars have a great defense, and their offense features a potent running game.  If David Garrard can consistently get about 200 yards of productivity from the passing game, opposing teams will fear the Jags in the playoffs.  Why are the Jags' odds worse than the Jets?  Because the Jets are in New York.

15. Chiefs 60-1: That defense has too many holes to make a legitimate playoff run.  The offense can only carry them so far, as evidenced by Sunday's loss to the Browns.

16. Broncos 60-1: They sure fell off the face of the earth over the last three weeks.  Prior to the losing streak, the Broncos had 10-1 odds.  Now, with Jay Cutler breaking into the league on training wheels, they'll be lucky to sniff the postseason.