NFL should realign to Conference play.

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Ras

Ras

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It is time for the NFL to realign the conferences and no longer have divisions. They should go to conference play which would award teams with the best records a playoff spot. This would eliminate a 8-8 team winning the division and getting a playoff spot over a 10-6 team who finishes out of the playoffs for being 2nd or 3rd in a division.

It would also require the top 8 teams play each other in a home an home series (14 games) and have the #1 and #2 teams play their counterparts in the other conference.

With the top team in the conference getting a first round playoff bye, you can add another team to the playoffs by having the #2 host the #7, #3 host #6 and #4 host #5.

I firmly believe this would generate more interest and create new rivalries. Yes, the old rivalries would go away, but this achieves a more competitive league.

The standings as listed are based on the 2014 records and tie-breakers and was directly taken from the NFL website. The schedules posted would be based on the 2014 standings. The playoff games are based on the 2014 standings.
 
There is a lot to be critical of when looking at the NFL. One thing that may not be perfect but works as well as anything in sports is the division alignments and races.

In my view, no changes needed.
 
Other Options

subroc said:
There is a lot to be critical of when looking at the NFL. One thing that may not be perfect but works as well as anything in sports is the division alignments and races.

In my view, no changes needed.
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I'd keep the divisions and schedules as they are, but if the division champion doesn't have a winning record, let that division send no one into the playoffs. Bring in another wild card team instead.

Don't feel terribly strongly about the above, but I'd like to see it.

The other idea I've considered from time to time is sending the AFC wild cards to play in the NFC playoff tree and vice versa. If the two strongest teams are in the same division, let them meet in the Super Bowl. Let's have fewer repeats in the playoffs of games seen all too often. If one conference is weak, don't give them a place at the table.
 
With that proposal, teams in the bottom half of the 1st tier get screwed having to play mostly teams above them, especially the 7-8 teams.
 
Ras said:
It is time for the NFL to realign the conferences and no longer have divisions. They should go to conference play which would award teams with the best records a playoff spot. This would eliminate a 8-8 team winning the division and getting a playoff spot over a 10-6 team who finishes out of the playoffs for being 2nd or 3rd in a division.

It would also require the top 8 teams play each other in a home an home series (14 games) and have the #1 and #2 teams play their counterparts in the other conference.

With the top team in the conference getting a first round playoff bye, you can add another team to the playoffs by having the #2 host the #7, #3 host #6 and #4 host #5.

I firmly believe this would generate more interest and create new rivalries. Yes, the old rivalries would go away, but this achieves a more competitive league.

The standings as listed are based on the 2014 records and tie-breakers and was directly taken from the NFL website. The schedules posted would be based on the 2014 standings. The playoff games are based on the 2014 standings.
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Not sure I'm reading this right. Are saying the best 8 teams spend the entire next season beating the crap out of each other leaving the can o corn's to never challenge the best.

Sounds like a plan that might finally get Roger his parity. :shrug:

Cheers, BostonTim
 
BostonTim said:
Not sure I'm reading this right. Are saying the best 8 teams spend the entire next season beating the crap out of each other leaving the can o corn's to never challenge the best.

Sounds like a plan that might finally get Roger his parity. :shrug:

Cheers, BostonTim
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Looks like maybe Roger hacked Ras' account.
 
The other piece to consider is that it will be very difficult to break ties among teams in the different tiers. Since they'll have no common opponents (1-8 and 9-16 cannot have common opponents in this setup), they'll have to go to the strength of victory or strength of schedule.

There's just not enough intermixing of the schedule.
 
I am perfectly fine with the NFL playoff format. Always have been since they went to the 4 divisions.
 
As a small change, they could grant each division winner a playoff spot but playoff seeding is determined by record.

So basically all 4 division winners get into the playoffs, but home field goes to the 4 teams with the best records.
 
Why not just have a March Madness tournament, but conference based?

In each conference:

1 vs. 16
2 vs. 15

...

7 vs. 10
8 vs. 9


Everyone makes the playoffs. Home field is determined by initial seed.



After four rounds, we'll have AFC and NFC champions, who then meet in the SuperBowl.

More games and a longer season means more money for the players. Longer season means players can bargain for expanded rosters.

More playoff games means more TV revenue for owners.
 
Ewww, no. Horrible idea, Ras.

I love the divisions. I'd stop watching if they did it your way.

Still love ya man, but no way.
 
Ras said:
It would also require the top 8 teams play each other in a home an home series (14 games) and have the #1 and #2 teams play their counterparts in the other conference.
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All this will do is to swap out most playoff teams every year. With NEP, PIT, GBP, DEN, et al going close to .500, there won't be many top teams in the playoffs.

This will be a boon to the Clevelands, Jags, Titans, etc bottom feeder teams who will now longer play the top 8 teams in their conference.

getting rid of conference champs is a terrible idea; the above is lunacy
 
The rules I'd change is that you can't be in the playoffs with a loosing record. Winning a bad division with a losing record should not reward you with a playoff spot. 8-8 gets you in but does not guarantee you a home game. You need a winning record to be rewarded with a home playoff game.
At most schedule wise I'd take away inter-conference play and translate that into 4 conference games. Instead of having a rotating schedule of divisions that play each other you get a rotating schedule of which one you don't play in a particular year. For example. This year AFCE played AFCS. In my scenario AFCE would play AFCW and AFCN this year and only play 1 game against a AFCS opponent. Next year they'd play AFCS and AFCN and only one game against AFCW and so on.
 
Ras said:
It is time for the NFL to realign the conferences and no longer have divisions. They should go to conference play which would award teams with the best records a playoff spot. This would eliminate a 8-8 team winning the division and getting a playoff spot over a 10-6 team who finishes out of the playoffs for being 2nd or 3rd in a division.

It would also require the top 8 teams play each other in a home an home series (14 games) and have the #1 and #2 teams play their counterparts in the other conference.

With the top team in the conference getting a first round playoff bye, you can add another team to the playoffs by having the #2 host the #7, #3 host #6 and #4 host #5.

I firmly believe this would generate more interest and create new rivalries. Yes, the old rivalries would go away, but this achieves a more competitive league.

The standings as listed are based on the 2014 records and tie-breakers and was directly taken from the NFL website. The schedules posted would be based on the 2014 standings. The playoff games are based on the 2014 standings.
Click to expand...
I don't agree. I love the divisional rivalries. I also think 6 teams per conference is enough teams for the playoffs.

The one change I would be in favor of, would be if a division winner had a losing record (or maybe even didn't have a winning record), then they would not get a home playoff game. Then instead, add another wild card team in the conference.
 
No change please.

Every once in a while you get things just right.

No need to keep fvcking with stuff cuz you can.

Further expsnsion? No.

Mexico? No.

Europe? No.

They've got it right now.
 
Dwight Schrute said:
No change please.

Every once in a while you get things just right.

No need to keep fvcking with stuff cuz you can.

Further expsnsion? No.

Mexico? No.

Europe? No.

They've got it right now.
Click to expand...
This^

But

Dreams of <strike>Grandeur</strike> (FMOP) more bazillions. They just can't help themselves.

Cheers, BostonTim
 
Major A$$hole* said:
The rules I'd change is that you can't be in the playoffs with a loosing record. Winning a bad division with a losing record should not reward you with a playoff spot. 8-8 gets you in but does not guarantee you a home game. You need a winning record to be rewarded with a home playoff game.
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Silly. If you're going to use records to eliminate NFL divisions, why have conferences?

Just have the teams with the two best records in the league play in the superbowl, or even better, give the Lombardi to the team with the best record, end of story.

The NFL is composed of conferences which have divisions. That works very well. The system of scheduling games works VERY well. It allowed the Pats to have rivalries not only with the Jets, Bills and Fins, but also Steelers, Broncos, and Colts.

If you think it isn't fair that there are some marginally better teams in a conference aren't getting into the playoffs because they are in a division with a strong team, that's what wild cards are for.

If you can't win a division, and aren't good enough to be a wild card, go play golf in January. Or better yet, players should study film and work a Juggs Machine, and staff should learn to draft better and spend money on FAs more wisely.

If a team can't win a division, and isn't one of the two best teams in the conference not counting division winners, then they have no beef. Play better. No team has ever missed the playoffs at 12-4 and only two or three at 11-5.
 
No thanks. Winning your division means something. So a team gets in with a losing record once in a while. There are factors for that, usually a tough schedule combined with teams in transition.

1) The Divisions don't stay bad for more than a year or two.
2) If you're 10-6, 9-7 and you miss out on a playoff spot, I mean, win more games, and win your division.

10 wins guarantees nothing in the NFL. That's why their playoffs are the best.

Also, fun fact, every team that's made the playoffs with a losing record has won their first playoff game.
 
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