Been toying around with some ideas about how to change the league to better serve the following aims: 1 - Get teams to play one another more often and with less 'rigging'. 2 - Maintain some sort of rivalry/divisions if possible. 3 - Keep divisions more balanced. Here's what I came up with: Regular Season Fixtures Option A - Priority - Balance Scheduling but maintain the current 16-game regular season.Sort teams into two conferences. With 32 teams we have 16 teams per conference. In one year each team plays every other team in the conference once. The following year each team plays every other team in the opposing conference. Rinse, repeat. Divisions are a sacrificed here in order to ensure each conference opponent is played once. Option B - Priority - Balance Scheduling but include divisions. Same conference setup but with divisions. e.g. Alpha Conference Divisions - A, B, C, D Omega Conference Divisions - A, B, C, D Season is extended to an 18-game regular season. The extra games permit each team to play every conference opponent once, but three divisional opponents twice. Divisional Matchup Options In the second year there are two possibilities for the 'divisional games'. 1 - All teams play the opposing conference's teams once and their own conference division rivals once. e.g. Omega teams play all Alpha teams once and their Omega division rivals once. (Effect: Maintain a single, regular, annual rivalry) 2 - Teams actually have two divisions - one for each conference - All teams play the opposing conference's teams once but their opposing conference division rivals twice e.g. Omega teams play all Alpha teams once but their Alpha division rivals once. (Effect: Allow more balanced competition league-wide and create two sets of rivals for each team) (Effect: Annual rivalries become bi-annual) Divisional Management There are a few ways divisions can be handled, here's two: Division Option 1 - Priority - Maintain regular, permanent rivalry. Divisions are permanently allocated by a non-performance-based factor - geography, market size, whatever - and remain fixed. (Essentially what the NFL currently has) (Effect: Perennial rivalries.) (Effect: Can lead to unbalanced divisions.) Division Option 2 - Priority - Avoid unbalanced divisions. Divisions are allocated on a two yearly basis based on performance over two years. Sort the 16 conference teams by points based off wins, allocating extra points for playoff wins. Then break them down into four tiers (top four teams in tier 1, next four teams in tier 2, and so on). Then create divisions by allocating one team from each tier into a division. (Effect: Loses perennial rivalries - although teams that don't like each other will still face off at times creating a sort of rivals derby match) (Effect: Creates balance to ensure that no team gets a too easy, or too hard, ride to the playoffs) (Effect: Rewards performance while ensuring opportunity) Qualifying for Playoffs Option 1 - Priority - Pure Performance: Make divisional placement irrelevant - top 8 teams go through based on win percentage in their conference like the NBA. (If Divisions follow Div. Option 1 then this will be exactly like the NBA and divisional games will serve only as rivalries and as an opportunity to plan ahead to win at least those games) (If Division follow Div. Option 2 then the extra balance will add reinforce a very performance rewarded regular season and playoffs) Option 2 - Priority - Rivalries and Strong Divisions: Top two from each division go through. (Effect: Very significant divisions.) (If Divisions follow Div. Option 1 - then similar to current system - possibly unbalanced divisions but that's the key - win your division) (If Divisions follow Div. Option 2 - then Divisions provide a balanced opportunity to move forward based on performance) I've ignored the current qualifying setup just because we're familiar with it and, ultimately, it tries to reinforce divisions and also performance, but create too fragmented a qualification and playoff system. Playoffs Option 1 - Standard Knock out - 4 rounds - Intra-Conference Focus Conference teams are ranked 1-8 (if through division then division winners are ranked 1-4, division runners up are ranked 5-8). Normal 1v8 etc. match-ups and play off. Home-field advantage based on overall win pct. e.g. Alpha 1-8 play off & Omega 1-8 play off and the conference winners meet in the finals. Option 2 - Standard Knock out - 4 rounds - Inter-Conference Focus Same ranking except that matches are played cross-conference, so that best of Alpha play worst of Omega and vice-versa. e.g. First Round Alpha Side A1 v O8 A2 v O7 A3 v O6 A4 v O5 Omega Side A5 v O4 A6 v O3 A7 v O2 A8 v O1 (Effect - Risk of/Chance for an all Omega or all Alpha final) (Effect - Heighten conference rivalry) (Effect - Chance for conference upsets) (Effect - Balances conferences) Right, that's enough for now. My brain is spinning. Thoughts?
