Battle Red Blog
This is one of those rants that always has to come before something happens. Sour grapes never taste good and they don’t taste good as commentary. Usually, in this spot we would talk about something related to the Texans, but this is the week where these kinds of discussions pop up and everyone complains. Yet, nothing ever seems to be done about the problem.
Divisions exist in every sport as a practical matter. In almost every sport there are more games played within the division. MLB has moved to a balanced schedule, but I’m not sure that was the best move. Of course, we aren’t here to talk about baseball today. They play two games in the NFL within the division and they play more games in the division in the NBA than outside the division. As a practical matter, teams within the division are usually close geographically. We can pick on obvious exceptions to that rule, but when realignment occurs, it almost always moves teams closer together.
Therefore, most of the rivalries in the NFL are divisional rivalries. You play them twice a year and there is usually more at stake. That’s how it should be. However, the NBA has figured out that fans do not want to see inferior teams getting preferential treatment. Playoff seeding occurs based on overall record and overall record alone. Division winners automatically are allowed into the playoffs, but with five team divisions, it usually is not a consideration or a problem.
The counterpoint in the NFL is that basing the playoffs completely on won-loss record would minimize divisional games and divisional rivalries. I absolutely want every division represented in the playoffs and most fans do. We just don’t want a crappy team to get a fourth seed because it plays in a crappy division. I echo this even though the Texans have benefitted from this arrangement in most of the years that they have gone to the playoffs.
Continuing to do it the old way creates two unique situations that are extremely problematic. First, it pits a road team with a superior record against a home team with an inferior record. This makes absolutely zero sense. In each of the past two seasons, we have had a 17th game decide the difference between the one seed and the fifth seed. This is pure silliness. That of course spills us over into the second problem. You will always have a matchup between mismatched teams and those matchups will not generate fan interest, eyeballs, and ultimately cold hard cash for the league.
Obviously, detractors will come back with the idea that we should not change something for a once in a lifetime circumstance. How often do 8-9 teams win the division anyway? Aren’t we overreacting to something that is an anomaly? Perhaps, but then I would want to put that to the test. How often does a bad team wind up as a fourth seed in the conference?
2025- Carolina Panthers 8-9
2023- Tampa Bay...
