Major Sports Alignment and Playoff Qualifying

[Mike in Horseheads]

Good discussion in SB earlier about leagues alignment and playoff Qualifying. What you think?

Edited February 8, 2023 by Mike in Horseheads

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Just now, Mike in Horseheads said:

Good discussion in SB earlier about leagues alignment and playoff Qualifying. What you think?

Conferences

 

[US Egg]

The NFL has the best post season going, don’t see any reason to mess with it.

[Success]

I like how the NBA does it. I'm for that.

 

I'm tired of the AFC East, personally.

 

[The Wiz]

21 minutes ago, I am the egg man said:

The NFL has the best post season going, don’t see any reason to mess with it.

Honestly asking, you prefer bad teams to play because they won their division with a losing record over letting a better team in?

[May Day 10]

I'm tired of the afc east as well.  The nfl alignment as a whole is stale and has been the same for 20+ years.  

[Orlando Buffalo]

I would love to see College football expand but for the NFL I think it is built pretty well, especially since best record might come simply from playing a lesser schedule. Though a change to 2 teams in each conference getting a bye would be better.

[LeviF]

23 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

Honestly asking, you prefer bad teams to play because they won their division with a losing record over letting a better team in?

Who would you have replaced Tampa and Jacksonville with?

[Buffalo Super Fan]

I voted I am happy the way it is. But the one thing I would like to see that will never happen is the AFC and NFC go away for NFL NFC and AFL AFC. With the AFL referees wearing the red and white stripes for the AFL referees for AFL vs AFL games and black and white stripes for the NFL referee uniforms games. Again the way MLB does NL and AL in my opinion. Go Bills! Let’s Go Buffalo 

[Mikie2times]

7 minutes ago, LeviF said:

Who would you have replaced Tampa and Jacksonville with?

Jacksonville was actually pretty damn good. They closed very strong. I would have rather seen Detroit than Tampa. Detroit is a problem for the NFC long term and I'm thrilled to see it. Campbell has assembled a hell of a coaching roster. They're very aggressive and intelligent in play calling. They have another early draft pick this year. Mentally strong team.

[US Egg]

38 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

Honestly asking, you prefer bad teams to play because they won their division with a losing record over letting a better team in?

If they scrap divisions and no one played an opponent more than once a season I would prefer top winning teams in the playoffs.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by I am the egg man

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Success said:

I like how the NBA does it. I'm for that.

 

I'm tired of the AFC East, personally.

 

 

 

You like the way NBA teams just halfass it all season and how it's so easy to back into playoff spots at the end?    I enjoy the NBA for what it is but their regular season setup sucks.

 

I don't love the NFL divisions........I preferred the 3 division setup to the 4......but fairness dictates 8 four team divisions.

 

And they ultimately do create late season drama that is fairly easy for the league to guesti-schedule into existence............see the Jax/TN and Balt/Cinci matchups at the end of the year.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

I like all the old formats better.

 

NBA Playoffs

- No play in

- Top 8

- First Round was best of 5

 

NFL 

- Top 6

- Top 2 seeds get the bye

- The 7th team just waters everything down 

- OT should just be 10:00 on the clock and you play football. I hate this stupid back and forth rules. 

 

MLB

- Only the 3 Division Winners and 1 Wild Card

NHL

- I don’t pay attention because the Sabres have stunk, but Top 8, nothing fancy. 

 

[The Wiz]

13 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I like all the old formats better.

 

NBA Playoffs

- No play in

- Top 8

- First Round was best of 5

 

NFL 

- Top 6

- Top 2 seeds get the bye

- The 7th team just waters everything down 

- OT should just be 10:00 on the clock and you play football. I hate this stupid back and forth rules. 

 

MLB

- Only the 3 Division Winners and 1 Wild Card

NHL

- I don’t pay attention because the Sabres have stunk, but Top 8, nothing fancy. 

 

But with the new NFL format, they get to hang their hat on "who will be the first team to play 20 games?" And then " who will be the first team to play 20 games and win a Superbowl?"

 

Because "ohhhh, ahhhhh" storyline 

[chongli]

24 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I like all the old formats better.

 

NBA Playoffs

- No play in

- Top 8

- First Round was best of 5

 

NFL 

- Top 6

- Top 2 seeds get the bye

- The 7th team just waters everything down 

- OT should just be 10:00 on the clock and you play football. I hate this stupid back and forth rules. 

 

MLB

- Only the 3 Division Winners and 1 Wild Card

NHL

- I don’t pay attention because the Sabres have stunk, but Top 8, nothing fancy. 

 

 

I remember when only 5 teams per conference qualified for the NFL playoffs (3 division winners and 2 wild cards). A division title meant an automatic bye (but not necessarily a home game).

 

Also remember the old NBA mini-series (best of 3) in the first round.

 

In MLB, there was once only 2 division winners per league qualifying for the playoffs and no inter-league play. 20-game-win pitchers were more common. Some teams had two.

 

How things have changed.

 

As for the NHL, I liked it when there was the Adams Division, Patrick Division, Norris Division, and Smythe Division. And Prince of Wales and Clarence Campbell Conferences. Why did they have to ruin a good thing?

 

[Side note: a good mnemonic I used to remember the conferences was the Edmonton Oilers had the same name as the Houston Oilers, who had Earl Campbell. Thus, Edmonton was in the Campbell Conference.]

Edited February 8, 2023 by chongli

[reddogblitz]

There are too many teams in the NFL playoffs now.  Do we really need 9-8 WC teams in the playoffs?  As it turned out the top 2 seeds are in the SB.  Too many teams in.

 

A one game playoff round in baseball is absurd.  Too many teams there too.

 

As for the NBA, their playoffs remind me of an old Tank McNamara cartoon. NBA was proposing a new playoff format. All teams make it and the top 2 CBA teams.  Too many teams there too.

 

I don't know about hockey cuz I don't do hockey.

 

Playoffs should be just the good teams without spares.

[Doc Brown]

I like the way the schedule is set up for the most part but I'd just make two simple changes.

-Division winner gets playoff spot but seeds are decided by overall record.  Bucs would've been seventh seed this year and Cowboys would've been forth seed.

-No International games.  I hate losing a home game.  Plus, it's an insult to our ancestors who had to fight those redcoats.

[GETTOTHE50]

i preferred the 12 team playoff bracket as compared to the 14 team.

[Chicken Boo]

2 hours ago, The Wiz said:

Honestly asking, you prefer bad teams to play because they won their division with a losing record over letting a better team in?

 

With there now being 7 slots, every team that deserves to be in the playoffs is getting in.  

[Doc Brown]

24 minutes ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

i preferred the 12 team playoff bracket as compared to the 14 team.

I'd be all for going back to 12 if they reduced the divisions to two or three in each conference.  You'd have years where a 7-9 or 8-8 team made the playoffs over a 10-6 or 11-5 team.

3 hours ago, The Wiz said:

Honestly asking, you prefer bad teams to play because they won their division with a losing record over letting a better team in?

What's the point of winning your division then?