The Follies Of The Playoffs

This goes for all sports. Not I am not advocating having no playoffs in any sports, because then we get the shitty BCS. I am all for a playoff system (in all sports) but I am against how teams are chosen to go into this playoff system. Based after a decent ESPN.com article I read recently, I have to agree. Divisions to choose which teams go into the playoffs are a bad idea. This system allows teams that have pretty good records to miss the playoffs and teams with not so good records to enter the playoffs.

Let's look at the 2008 baseball season. Without division winners, the playoffs would look like this:

NL
1) Cubs (97-64)
2) Phillies (92-70)
3) Brewers (90-72)
4) Mets (89-73)

Instead, the Dodgers (84-78) went into the playoffs. Here are teams that had a better record than the LA Dodgers: NY Mets, Houston Astros (86-75), St. Louis Cardinals (86-76), and Florida Marlins (84-77). Four teams had a better record than the Dodgers yet they were still able to make playoffs

AL
1) Angels (100-62)
2) Rays (97-65)
3) Red Sox (95-67)
4) Yankees (89-73)

Here it wasn't AS bas considering the Twins (88-75) and White Sox (89-74) only were a game behind the Yankees but still, the Yankees won the same amount of games and lost less games than my ChiSox.

Now let's look at football. And while the season is not over yet, let's look at what would happen assuming the playoff teams had the best record possible and the teams that didn't make the playoffs and the worse record possible (i.e. let's say Miami won and therefore they would make the playoffs so since the Patriots would NOT make the playoffs, they will "lose" this Sunday)

AFC
1) Tennessee Titans (14-2)
2) Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
3) Miami Dolphins (11-5)
4) Denver Broncos (9-7)
5) Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
6) Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

Teams that will miss the playoffs: New England Patriots (10-6), New York Jets (9-7)

NFC
1) New York Giants (12-4)
2) Carolina Panthers (12-4)
3) Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
4) Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
5) Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
6) Dallas Cowboys (10-6)

Teams that would miss the playoffs: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7), Chicago Bears (9-7), Philedelphia Eagles (8-7-1)

Now this doesn't seem TOO bad. But again, this is the BEST SCENARIO POSSIBLE. What if San Diego, New England, Minnesota, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Philedelphia, Washington, and Seattle win? Then the scenario turns out like this:

AFC
1) Tennessee Titans (14-2)
2) Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
3) Miami Dolphins (11-5)
4) San Diego Chargers (8-8)
5) Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
6) Baltimore Ravens (11-5)

Teams that miss: New England Patriots (11-5), New York Jets (9-7), Denver Broncos (8-8)

NFC
1) New York Giants (12-4)
2) Carolina Panthers (12-4)
3) Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
4) Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
5) Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)

Teams that miss the playoffs: Chicago Bears (10-6), Dallas Cowboys (9-7), Philedelphia Eagles (9-6-1), Washington Redskins (9-7)

This doesn't seem fair does it? an 11-5 team (New England) and a 10-6 team (Chicago) misses the playoffs and two 8-8 teams (Arizona and San Diego) make the playoffs. That's bullshit.

Divisions are fine for determining who plays who during the regular season but the teams that have the best record overall should be rewarded for making the playoffs. Especially in football, if you go AT LEAST 10-6, you deserve to make the playoffs. It isn't such a bad idea to change the playoff system is it? Nope.