2013 Record: 13-3

2014 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 11.0

2014 Season Win Total Pick: 'Under'

Almost everything about being the champion is awesome. You're the best. You are on top of the world. You have total bragging rights and are treated as a king at every turn. Winning a Super Bowl, as Seattle did last year, is the pinnacle of the profession and the ultimate high.

The one drawback: there's nowhere to go but down.

Seattle punctuated a season in which they won 16 of 19 games with a devastating performance against Denver in Super Bowl 49. The Seahawks have actually won 24 of their past 29 games and enter the 2014 season as one of the two favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Only six teams in NFL history have ever won back-to-back titles, and none since 2004. And a good rule of thumb in gambling is that when everyone is jumping on one team's bandwagon that's usually a good time to jump off. This is no exception.

Seattle has one of the deepest, most athletic, most talented rosters in the NFL. But several teams have poached key contributors this offseason. Several offensive and defensive linemen have moved on, as did corners Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond along with wideout Golden Tate.

Further, Seattle has a bevy of statistical indicators - including their amazing plus-20 turnover differential - that suggest a regression this season.

Finally, despite outscoring opponents by 189 points in the regular season and 49 in three postseason games the Seahawks may not have been as dominant as they seemed. They only faced four 2013 playoff teams and went 3-2 in those games. They needed comebacks and last second plays to beat lowly teams like the Texans, Rams, and Buccaneers.

This year they open with three difficult games and the schedule, which features several short weeks and East Coast trips, doesn't offer many soft spots. The preseason spreads from the Las Vegas Hilton show Seattle is favored in all but one game (at San Francisco in Week 13) and the expectation is that they match last year's success. There's no value with playing Seattle to repeat. So we'll take the 'under' with this one as an against-the-grain pick.

Seahawks Regular Season Schedule (All times Eastern)

Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 4, Green Bay, 8:30 p.m.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, at San Diego, 4:05 p.m.

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, Denver, 4:25 p.m.

Week 4: BYE

Week 5: Monday, Oct. 6, at Washington, 8:30 p.m.

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12, Dallas, 4:25 p.m.

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19, at St. Louis, 1 p.m.

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26, at Carolina, 1 p.m.

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, Oakland, 4:25 p.m.

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, NY Giants, 4:25 p.m.

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, at Kansas City, 1 p.m.

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, Arizona, 4:05 p.m.

Week 13: Thursday, Nov. 27, at San Francisco, 8:30 p.m.

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, at Philadelphia, 4:25 p.m.

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, at Arizona, 8:30 p.m.

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 28, St. Louis, 4:25 p.m.

Robert will be releasing his 2014 NFL Futures Picks on Thursday, Aug. 14. Last year's top two picks (8-Unit Play on Arizona 'over' 5.5 wins and 6-Unit Play on Kansas City over 7.0 wins) both won easily and he has hit his top NFL Futures Play (rated 7.0 or higher) in four straight seasons. For more information visit his Insider's Page HERE.

Robert Ferringo is one of the best NFL handicappers in the world and is coming off one of the best football betting seasons in the 43-year history of Doc's Sports. Robert banked nearly $8,000 in profit for his football clients and won a stunning 62.1 percent of his NFL plays (95-58). Robert has won over 70 percent of his last 58 NFL side plays (41-17) and has posted six of seven winning NFL seasons. He has banked $17,400 in football profit, college and pro, over the last 20 months and he is excited about building on his staggering resume. Take advantage of our free, no-strings-attached $60 credit to use toward a purchase of Robert's football selections. You cannot afford to miss out on this great offer - click here.

Read more articles by Robert Ferringo