Fensalk
Footballguy
I see a lot of problems with the 18 game season with regards to creating a schedule.
Option 1. 6 divisional games, 1 home and 1 away with each team in your division. 12 nondivisional games. - If they do this, it makes it VERY easy for every team in a division to finish the season under .500. The NFL could start regularly having teams finish 8-10 and crowned division champs.
Option 2: 12 divisional games, 2 home and 2 away with each team in your division. 6 nondivisional games. - This schedule makes it pretty much impossible to win your division with a losing record. But it also creates large strength of schedule issues. Being in a tough division can be even more brutal for some franchises. Variety is also lost. I imagine the 6 nondivisional games would include
1. 3 games with the 3 other conference teams that finished in the same spot in the division standings as you did (meaning if you finished in 1st place, you play the 3 other first place teams the next season)
2. games against 3 of the 4 teams in one of the nonconference divisions on a rotating basis.
Option 3: 9 divisional games, 1 or 2 home and 1 or 2 away with each team in your division. 9 nondivisional games. - An attempt to strike a balance between avoiding division champs with losing records as well as avoiding large strength of schedule issues. A new problem is created though. An unbalanced and unfair divisional schedule. 9 divisional games means 3 games with each division opponent, and that means one team will be the home team twice in a given year. They could rotate who got the second home game on an annual basis to try to make it a little more fair.
Option 4: Realignment. Scrap the 8 division format. Go back to 3 divisions per conference. Two divisions have 5 teams. One division has 6. - 1 home and away with each team in your division. Either 6 or 8 nondivisional games depending on what division you are in. Makes it less likely a division can be won with a losing record compared to option 1. Strength of schedule is less of an issue than in option 2. Divisional schedule is fair, avoiding the problem with option 3. Nonconference schedule may be slightly unfair, but it was slightly unfair in the past when the old AFC Central and NFC West had only 4 teams and nobody complained.
Option 1. 6 divisional games, 1 home and 1 away with each team in your division. 12 nondivisional games. - If they do this, it makes it VERY easy for every team in a division to finish the season under .500. The NFL could start regularly having teams finish 8-10 and crowned division champs.
Option 2: 12 divisional games, 2 home and 2 away with each team in your division. 6 nondivisional games. - This schedule makes it pretty much impossible to win your division with a losing record. But it also creates large strength of schedule issues. Being in a tough division can be even more brutal for some franchises. Variety is also lost. I imagine the 6 nondivisional games would include
1. 3 games with the 3 other conference teams that finished in the same spot in the division standings as you did (meaning if you finished in 1st place, you play the 3 other first place teams the next season)
2. games against 3 of the 4 teams in one of the nonconference divisions on a rotating basis.
Option 3: 9 divisional games, 1 or 2 home and 1 or 2 away with each team in your division. 9 nondivisional games. - An attempt to strike a balance between avoiding division champs with losing records as well as avoiding large strength of schedule issues. A new problem is created though. An unbalanced and unfair divisional schedule. 9 divisional games means 3 games with each division opponent, and that means one team will be the home team twice in a given year. They could rotate who got the second home game on an annual basis to try to make it a little more fair.
Option 4: Realignment. Scrap the 8 division format. Go back to 3 divisions per conference. Two divisions have 5 teams. One division has 6. - 1 home and away with each team in your division. Either 6 or 8 nondivisional games depending on what division you are in. Makes it less likely a division can be won with a losing record compared to option 1. Strength of schedule is less of an issue than in option 2. Divisional schedule is fair, avoiding the problem with option 3. Nonconference schedule may be slightly unfair, but it was slightly unfair in the past when the old AFC Central and NFC West had only 4 teams and nobody complained.
