View topic - Toughness of schedule?

[Pommah Profile]

NFL seeding system is broken. What about the college system where degree of difficulty in the schedule is considered? Take a look at the stats below.

#6 seed Bengals played 7 teams with winning records, but were 1-6 against those teams.
#5 seed Steelers played 8 teams with winning records, and were 4-4, all but one of the losses occurring on the road.
#4 seed Broncos played 5 teams with winning records and were 1-4.
#3 seed Texans played 7 teams with winning records and were 4-3 against those teams, two of the losses on the road, and one without their starting QB.
#2 seed Ravens played 7 teams with winning records and were 6-1 against them, losing only to the Titans on the road. Inexplicably they lost to three .500 or worse teams, but all on the road. Home field does have meaning. 8-0 at home, 4-4 on the road.

And the team that gets the #1 seed? That gets to play all of its games at home, when clearly home field advantage matters?

That would be the 13-3 New England Patriots. Their record against teams with winning records? That would be 0-2. They only played two teams decent enough to muster up an over .500 record, and they lost them both, including one at home. They go 13-1 against loser teams, and get home field advantage as a result? Even the Bengals only lost one game when playing teams .500 or worse.

Time to rework the seeding system.

[isfry Profile]

Great point, Pommah.

The whole thing needs to be looked at. Someone pointed out on this site last week the inequities resulting when anyone from the NFC West gets a home field playoff game last year (or Denver this year) and team's with way better records (even in the current calculation) either don't make the playoffs at all or need to go on the road. That having been said, it only highlights the importance of, and increases the competitive nature of, games in one's own division. Win your division, get at least one home game. Speaking as a Steeler fan, it's a double edged sword playing in the toughest, most competitive division. 12-4 gets you a wild card and three road games. Thanks alot. Sure is nice to have all those games with playoff like atmosphere during the course of a 17 game schedule, tho.

[LenSherwood Profile]

To be honest the whole AFC sucked this year. The AFC West and South were horrible and the East was abysmal. Only Baltimore makes the North tough for the Steelers. It isn't like the Steeers played a killer schedule either. If the Steelers could have beaten that weak ass SFR team quarterbacked by Alex Smith or fukin prevented Baltimore from driving down for a touchdown with under two minutes to go, they could have had the top seed.

[PSUPERCY Profile]

The Patriots will be exposed. I do agree that the seeding needs to be changed.

[Pommah Profile]

Maybe the Patriots get exposed. Maybe not.

If they get Cincy, they face a rookie QB. If they get us, they will have had plenty of time to adjust. With Ben hobbled we aren't exactly racking up the points. We bet them but at Heinz.

If they make it past the first round, they will likely be playing the Ravens, who have not traveled well this season, e.g. Sand Diego, another team that can throw the ball.

They might actually make the super bowl. There is where they will get exposed.

[isfry Profile]

All I want for Christmas is the opportunity to repay the fucking Ratbirds and send them packing in the PS, and then repay the Fudge Packers for last year. Beating the Patsies in Boston on the way will only make it that much sweeter. Step one: beat the Donkeys. Then we'll talk.

[StillDodger Profile]

Can you imagine had the Ravens been in the AFC East and the Bills in the AFC North??

If it weren't for the rivalry (the REAL Steelers-Browns rivalry moved to Baltimore), I'd be all for it.

[StillDodger Profile]

Their record against teams with winning records? That would be 0-2.

That's HALF the number of 12 and 13 win teams the Steelers played......... And we actually won one of them.

But sometimes, life ain't fair. We move on.