New Schedule Proposal

[Barney - Vikings]

If we are going to make a drastic change in the schedule I like Matt’s idea which will maintain current rivalries and add some new ones.

[Matt-Jacksonville]

My biggest concern with going to a full round robin style is how do we do the playoffs? Rightfully, you'd take the top 8 teams, but that destroys any concept of divisions or conferences.

[Dan-Cincinnati]

Matt makes a fair point, that if we all essentially play the same schedule, how do we then justify taking any conference or division standings into account when picking playoff teams?

[Jerry-Redskins]

Sounds like the SEC/BIG wanting wanting to change the CFP...

[Mitch-Dolphins]

A round robin schedule would make the PNFL more like MLB. MLB plays a "balanced" schedule versus a "division heavy" schedule. They still have teams split into divisions.

I prefer keeping the current divisional heavy schedule since that is more like the NFL. However, instead of using the current "strength of schedule" guidelines, it would be nice to just put all "non-conference" teams on a regular rotation so we do all play each other every couple of seasons. That would keep the divisional/conference games as the most impactful for playoffs and add the fun of more "non-conference" rivals every couple of seasons.

[Matt-Jacksonville]

the biggest problem I see is the imbalance between the East and West for each conference. The East plays six division games and the West plays eight. This can lead to some issues with tie breakers and possibly give the East an advantage over the West. With my model, each team would play 16 conference games that would include their division games, but since they would play everyone in their conference it would make more sense picking the top four teams from that schedule than a full round robin. You'd still have your division standings and could say you "won" your division as you'd still play the same number of division games.

[James-Eagles]

How about you just play everyone in your conference twice and top four teams from the conference make the playoffs? This is closer to the NFL than a complete round robin and is a bit of a compromise. This gives us 16 games and you stay in your conference. You also play your division games twice.

You can't have only conference schedule there is 9 team in a conference meaning that every week there has to be one non-conference game.

[James-Eagles]

the biggest problem I see is the imbalance between the East and West for each conference. The East plays six division games and the West plays eight. This can lead to some issues with tie breakers and possibly give the East an advantage over the West. With my model, each team would play 16 conference games that would include their division games, but since they would play everyone in their conference it would make more sense picking the top four teams from that schedule than a full round robin. You'd still have your division standings and could say you "won" your division as you'd still play the same number of division games.

The division difference doesn't matter because it only effects division tie breakers. It doesn't effect conference tiebreakers because that is head to head. The beauty of the schedule is that tie breakers are almost never an issue.


Against conference only schedule isn't possible as stated above. Even if it would it would break all Draft tiebreakers because all conference teams that have the same record would have the same Strength of Schedule. The current schedule works really well. Round robin only benefits top teams because it gives them an easier schedule.

[Mitch-Dolphins]

How about you just play everyone in your conference twice and top four teams from the conference make the playoffs? This is closer to the NFL than a complete round robin and is a bit of a compromise. This gives us 16 games and you stay in your conference. You also play your division games twice.

You can't have only conference schedule there is 9 team in a conference meaning that every week there has to be one non-conference game.

There are 9 teams, which means they play the other 8 teams twice for 16 games.

[James-Eagles]

How about you just play everyone in your conference twice and top four teams from the conference make the playoffs? This is closer to the NFL than a complete round robin and is a bit of a compromise. This gives us 16 games and you stay in your conference. You also play your division games twice.

You can't have only conference schedule there is 9 team in a conference meaning that every week there has to be one non-conference game.

There are 9 teams, which means they play the other 8 teams twice for 16 games.

Yes but all teams have to play

East 1 @ West 1
East 2 @ west 2
East 3 @ West 3
East 4 @ west 4
who does West 5 play?????????