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Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro From: jawebb@hydra.unm.edu (James Webb) Subject: Scheduling Format

Figuring the 1992 NFL Schedule ------------------------------

As soon as the final game of the 1991 NFL regular season (Chicago at San Francisco on December 23) has been completed, it will be possible to determine the 1992 opponents of the 28 teams.

At the March, 1990, Owner's Meeting, the NFL announced it will play its 16-game schedule over 17 weeks in 1990 and 1991, and a 16-game schedule over 18 weeks in 1992 and 1993.

The 16-over-17 format provided each team one open weekend. The 16-over-18 format will provide each team with two open weekends.

Each 1992 team schedule is based on a "common opponent" formula initiated for the 1978 season and most recently modified in 1987. Under the common opponent format, the first- through fourth- place teams in a division play at least 12 of their 16 games the following season against common opponents, and the fifth-place team in the division plays at least 10 common opponent games. It is not a position scheduling format in which the strong play the strong and the weak play the weak.

For years, the NFL had been seeking a more easily understood and balanced schedule that would provide both competitive equality and a variety of opponents. Under the old rotation scheduling system in effect from 1970-77, non-division opponents were determined by a pre-set formula. This often resulted in competitive imbalances.

With common opponents as the basis for scheduling, a more competitive and equitable method of determining division champions and postseason playoff representatives has developed. Teams battling for a division title are playing at least 75 percent of their games gainst common opponents.

In 1987, NFL owners passed a bylaw proposal designed to modify the common opponent scheduling format in the hopes of creating even more equity. Since then, the pairings with non-division opponents have been:

Pairings in Prior Year's Non-Division Finish Games Within Previous Pairings in Division Conference 1978-86 ----------- ------------ ----------------- 1 1-1-2-3 1-1-4-4 2 1-2-3-4 2-2-3-3 3 1-3-3-4 2-2-3-3 4 2-3-4-4 1-1-4-4

Under the common opponent format, schedules of any NFL team are figured according to one of the following three formulas. (The reference point for the figuring is the team's final division standing. Ties for a position in divisions are broken according to the tie-breaking procedures of the NFL. The chart on the following page is included for use as you go through each step.)

A. First- through fourth-place teams in a five-team division (AFC East, AFC West, NFC East, NFC Central).

1) Home-and-home round-robin within the division (8 games).

2) One game each with the first- through fourth-place teams in a division of the other conference (4 games). In 1992, the AFC East will play the NFC West, the AFC Central will play the NFC Central, and the AFC West will play the NFC East.

3) The first-place team plays the first-place teams in the other divisions within the conference plus a second- and third-place team within the conference. The second-place team plays the second-place teams in the other divisions within the conference plus a first- and a fourth-place team within the conference. The third-place team plays the third-place teams in the other divisions within the conference plus a first- and a fourth-place team within the conference. The fourth-place team plays the fourth-place teams in the other divisions within the conference plus a second- and third-place team within the conference (4 games).

This completes the 16-game schedule.

B. First- through fourth-place teams in a four-team division (AFC Central, NFC West).

1) Home-and-home round-robin within the division (6 games).

2) One game with each of the fifth-place teams in the conference (2 games).

3) The same procedure that is listed in step A2 (4 games).

4) The same procedure that is listed in step A3 (4 games).

This completes the 16-game schedule.

C. The fifth-place teams in a division (AFC East, AFC West, NFC East, NFC Central).

1) Home-and-home round-robin within the division (8 games).

2) One game with each team in the four-team division of the conference (4 games).

3) A home-and-home with the other fifth-place team in the conference (2 games).

4) One game each with the fifth-place teams in the other conference (2 games).

This completes the 16-game schedule.

The 1992 Opponent Breakdown chart on the following page does not include the round-robin games within the division. Those are automatically scheduled on a home-and-away basis.

1992 Opponent Breakdown -----------------------

AE AC AW AFC East AFC Central AFC West Home Away Home Away Home Away ------------------------------------------------------------ AE1 AW1 AC1 AC1 AE1 AW1 AW1 AC1 AE1 AC2 AW3 AW2 AE3 AE2 AC3 -------- AW5 AE5 -------- NW2 NW1 ------- NE2 NE1 NW4 NW3 NC2 NC1 NE4 NE3 NC4 NC3

AE2 AW2 AC2 AC2 AE2 AW2 AW2 AC2 AE2 AC4 AW1 AW4 AE1 AE4 AC1 -------- AE5 AW5 -------- NW1 NW2 ------- NE1 NE2 NW3 NW4 NC1 NC2 NE3 NE4 NC3 NC4

AE3 AW3 AC3 AC3 AE3 AW3 AW3 AC3 AE3 AC1 AW4 AW1 AE4 AE1 AC4 -------- AW5 AE5 -------- NW2 NW1 ------- NE2 NE1 NW4 NW3 NC2 NC1 NE4 NE3 NC4 NC3

AE4 AW4 AC4 AC4 AE4 AW4 AW4 AC4 AE4 AC3 AW2 AW3 AE2 AE3 AC2 -------- AE5 AW5 -------- NW1 NW2 ------- NE1 NE2 NW3 NW4 NC1 NC2 NE3 NE4 NC3 NC4

AE5 AC1 AC2 AW5 AC2 AC1 AC3 AC4 AC4 AC3 AW5 AW5 AE5 AE5 -------- -------- NE5 NC5 NC5 NE5

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NE NC NW NFC East NFC Central NFC West Home Away Home Away Home Away --------------------------------------------------------------- NE1 NC1 NW1 NC1 NW1 NE1 NW1 NE1 NC1 NW2 NC3 NE2 NW3 NC2 NE3 -------- ------- NC5 NE5 AW1 AW2 AC1 AC2 -------- AW3 AW4 AC3 AC4 AE1 AE2 AE3 AE5

NE2 NC2 NW2 NC2 NW2 NE2 NW2 NE2 NC2 NW4 NC1 NE4 NW1 NC4 NE1 -------- ------- NE5 NC5 AW2 AW1 AC2 AC1 -------- AW4 AW3 AC4 AC3 AE2 AE1 AE4 AE3

NE3 NC3 NW3 NC3 NW3 NE3 NW3 NE3 NC3 NW1 NC4 NE1 NW4 NC1 NE4 -------- ------- NC5 NE5 AW1 AW2 AC1 AC2 -------- AW3 AW4 AC3 AC4 AE1 AE2 AE3 AE4

NE4 NC4 NW4 NC4 NW4 NE4 NW4 NE4 NC4 NW3 NC2 NE3 NW2 NC3 NE2 -------- ------- NE5 NC5 AW2 AW1 AC2 AC1 -------- AW4 AW3 AC4 AC3 AE2 AE1 AE4 AE3

NE5 NW1 NW2 NC5 NW2 NW1 NW3 NW4 NW4 NW3 NC5 NC5 NE5 NE5 -------- ------- AW5 AE5 AE5 AW5