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NFL Picks Week 1: Panthers Vs. Buccaneers, Experts Pick Carolina

Few experts are picking the Buccaneers to win their season opening matchup against Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers. That's likely because the two teams had polar opposite seasons in 2011, with the Panthers returning to a viable team in the NFC South, while the Bucs had the kind of season that got their coach fired.

Neither team is drastically different this year.

CBSSports.com's NFL staff gave nine picks for Week 1, including a prediction machine. It's worth noting that the Giants beating the Cowboys was a unanimous pick for this group, and then Wednesday night happened.

Josh Katzowitz and Ryan Wilson are the only ones going with the Bucs from CBSSports.

From ESPN's 12 experts who made picks, only Adam Schefter and Mark Schlereth picked Tampa. Yahoo! Sports' Les Carpenter strayed away from Mike Silver and Jason Cole's Panthers pick by going with the Bucs as well.

For updates on the game, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, head over to Tampa Bay Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation as well as Carolina Panthers blog Cat Scratch Reader. For more news, notes and analysis from around the league, visit SB Nation's NFL hub.

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.