Last season wasn't a year to remember for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. With the worst record (2-14) in the NFL, the Buccaneers missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season. As bad of a season as last year was, the Buccaneers could actually win the NFC South this season.

The most obvious reason is, of course, the division competition. The NFC South is widely regarded as the worst division in the league. Last season the Carolina Panthers won the NFC South with just seven victories. The Atlanta Falcons' struggling defense and running game haven't improved, the New Orleans Saints are in complete rebuilding mode, and the Panthers have question marks.

Although the Buccaneers only won two games last season, they were very much in the division race for most of the year. The Buccaneers lost both games to the Panthers by just one score. The Buccaneers lost both games to the Saints by one score as well.

Jameis Winston is the big addition to the Buccaneers, being the team's No. 1 overall draft pick. Winston has looked pretty good in preseason, and he has a great chance to win Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Winston will be taking over a 2-14 team, but this isn't the worst scenario ever. This isn't David Carr with the 2002 Houston Texans. Winston is the first quarterback in NFL history to be selected No. 1 overall to a team that had two 1,000 yard receivers the previous year.

The biggest X factor will be running back Doug Martin. When healthy, Martin is one of the most productive backs in the league. In his rookie season, Martin had 1,454 rushing yards, but the last two seasons have been riddled with injuries. With Martin sidelined much of last year, the Buccaneers rushing attack ranked just 29th in the league. If Martin can stay healthy, the Buccaneers will have a stable offense.

Just as the NFC South is the worst division in the NFC, the AFC South is the worst in the AFC. Coincidentally, they will play each other this upcoming season. The schedule is pretty favorable for the Buccaneers at the end of the season in December. The Buccaneers final five games will be against teams that had losing records last season, three of which will be played at home.

In all honestly, the winner of the NFC South probably won't go far anyway. The odds of having a wild card team from this division is extremely unlikely. The winner of the NFC South may very well finish 8-8.

The Buccaneers have a lot of work to do, but they do have a lot of potential. It will ultimately come down to divisional play. Last season the Buccaneers went 0-6 against the NFC South, which will have to improve dramatically.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1