Power Rankings: A year later, Saints don't come up short

Updated Feb. 9

In 2008, I picked the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts to reach the Super Bowl.

You can look it up. I was just a year too early.

Do I get any credit for that? Didn't think so.

For some reason, I didn't think the Saints would get there this season. I didn't even pick them to win the division. I picked Atlanta.

Oh, well.

Sean Payton and Drew Brees proved a lot of people wrong. The Saints' upset of the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday night puts them in the top spot of our last CBSSports.com Power Rankings of the season.

These rankings are kind of a look back with a little lean to 2010. It's hard to imagine the top teams from 2009 not being in the playoff mix come next season. Most of them were there for a reason, and that's because of the quarterback play.

Brees had a fourth consecutive great passing season for the Saints, and there's no reason to think he won't have another. That will keep the Saints in the mix.

But now they are the target. As the Pittsburgh Steelers found out this past season, that makes it tougher to play every Sunday.

Those folks at Bodog have already made the Colts the Super Bowl favorite for the 2010 season. The Saints are the NFC favorite.

It's way too early for that. So much can happen. There's free agency, the draft, the offseason, training camp and the potential for important injuries.

When I picked the Saints to win the NFC title in 2008, Payton told me I gave them the kiss of death. Maybe he was on to something. I picked New England and the New York Giants to make it this season, and we know they didn't live up to the hype.

Which team out there doesn't want me picking them in 2010?

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RANK	TEAM		MOVE (LW)