What I've compiled below is a list of the top 10 NFL teams based on a simple average of four major power polls (NBC Sports, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and CBS Sportsline) and point differential (by rank). I would have included more polls for a better look at the poll distribution, but unfortunately many pollsters do not bother to release a poll after the season's final week. I've chosen the number 10 because that is the number of college football teams that earn bids to the BCS bowls, meaning they've qualified for the "major" bowls.
| Pt. Dif. | Pts. Rank | NBC Rank | FOX Rank | ESPN Rank | CBS Rank | Rank Ave. | Rank | ||
| Miami | 28 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 10.4 | 10 | |
| New England | 101 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 8.4 | 8 | |
| NY Jets | 49 | 12 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16.2 | ||
| Buffalo | -6 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22.6 | ||
| Pittsburgh | 124 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4.2 | 3 | |
| Baltimore | 141 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5.4 | 6 | |
| Cincinnati | -160 | 30 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 27.2 | ||
| Cleveland | -118 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29.2 | ||
| Tennessee | 141 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.4 | 1 | |
| Indianapolis | 79 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4.8 | 5 | |
| Houston | -28 | 21 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17.4 | ||
| Jacksonville | -65 | 24 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 25.0 | ||
| San Diego | 92 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 11.4 | ||
| Denver | -78 | 25 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 21.2 | ||
| Oakland | -125 | 28 | 24 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 26.6 | ||
| Kansas City | -149 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29.6 | ||
| NY Giants | 133 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.2 | 2 | |
| Philadelphia | 127 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8.6 | 9 | |
| Dallas | -3 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 16.2 | ||
| Washington | -31 | 22 | 25 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 21.8 | ||
| Minnesota | 46 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10.8 | ||
| Chicago | 25 | 17 | 22 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17.2 | ||
| Green Bay | 39 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21.0 | ||
| Detroit | -249 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32.0 | ||
| Carolina | 85 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4.6 | 4 | |
| Atlanta | 66 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7.6 | 7 | |
| Tampa Bay | 38 | 15 | 13 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 15.8 | ||
| New Orleans | 70 | 10 | 17 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 15.6 | ||
| Arizona | 1 | 17 | 15 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 15.6 | ||
| San Francisco | -42 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 20.0 | ||
| Seattle | -98 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26.6 | ||
| St. Louis | -233 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30.6 |
The table given here is broken down by division, starting with the AFC East, North, South and West then the NFC East, North, South and West. Here's a breakdown of the results (site is based on the team with better locale or domed stadium):
BCS Bowl #1: #10 Miami Dolphins vs. #9 Philadelphia Eagles
Site: Miami, FL
Note: Although there would be intrigue in the Dolphins rematching the Patriots (they split the season series and the Patriots come in at #8 on the list), the selection committee would likely look to avoid such a matchup.
BCS Bowl #2: #8 New England Patriots vs. #7 Atlanta Falcons
Site: Atlanta, GA
Note: Matty Ice vs. Matt Cassel!
BCS Bowl #3: #6 Baltimore Ravens vs. #4 Carolina Panthers
Site: Charlotte, NC
Note: Continuing the AFC vs. NFC trend, this match pits two of the top rushing attacks in football.
BCS Bowl #4: #5 Indianapolis Colts vs. #3 Pittsburgh Steelers
Site: Indianapolis, IN
Note: Rematch of the Steelers stunning AFC Championship game upset of the #1 seeded Colts in the 2006 playoffs, the year the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
BCS Super Bowl: #2 New York Giants vs. #1 Tennessee Titans
Site: Tampa, FL (site of Super Bowl XLIII)
Note: The two best teams throughout the season, both finished no worse than #3 in any poll or the point differential ranking. Most would say the BCS got it right!
Biggest Whiner(s): The Vikings finish #11 and just .4 behind the #10 Dolphins. San Diego is left out as well at #12, just 1.0 behind the Miami. The two would likely meet in San Diego for an exhibition bowl. All teams with an 8-8 record or better face off in a "postseason" game.
Best Argument for Split Title: If the Steelers defeated the Colts, and especially if the Giants defeat the Titans, Pittsburgh could make an argument. Carolina could potentially as well, but their loss to the Giants in the regular season kills their argument.
No Respect: The Arizona Cardinals (you know, the team that actually MADE THE SUPER BOWL) finished #14 in the rankings and in one poll (FOX) actually finished behind the 7-9 49ers. Only CBS had the Cardinals among the league's top 12 (good for them).
To get updates and notices each time there's a post, subscribe above. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the blog, please post below or I can be reached at chrisf884@gmail.com. Thanks for reading.
Posts
1 comment:
I could see someone making the argument that this system would be better than the playoff system because it takes into account a whole season's performances and removes the "flukey win" factor to bring the two best teams together. You eliminate (or at least reduce the effect of) momentum as a factor in choosing who plays in the championship game. In this system, the Titans would not have been penalized for having their best HB in Chris Johnson hurt for half a game, and the Giants would not have been penalized for having Eli defeated by wind. There hasn't been a Super Bowl matchup of the two number-1 seeds since the 93-94 season.
It could also be argued that this system would be better even than the BCS because there are far fewer teams involved, so there will be more separation between the teams. There are no cupcake games (except maybe against the Lions) to bring down a team's strength of schedule, and you're more likely to be able to break a tie using head-to-head than in college. Plus, the odds of ending up with 3 or more teams sharing the best record are less than in college football.
All that said, I don't think I'd get behind such a system.
Post a Comment