| NFL Scheduling -- Determining Opponents
(Starting with 2002 season)
This will be revised summer 2002 after the NFL releases its full scheduling formulae for the realignment. They've already agreed on two conferences with four divisions of four teams each.
All teams will go home-and-home with each team in the division (6 games); all teams in a division in the other conference (4 games); all teams in a division within the conference (4 games); and one game against the other like-placed teams in the conference's other two divisions (2 games). An example for the last part is the first-place team will play the other first-place teams, the second-place team will play the other second-place teams, etc.
With the addition of Cleveland as a new team and another probable new team in Los Angeles or Houston within five years, the individual team matchups across the divisions hasn't been published until mid-season. (The 1999 opponent grid wasn't announces until Nov '98.)
Divisional Games | Conference Games | Interconference Games
Division (8 games)
Each team plays a home-and-home with the other four teams in its division.
Conference (4 games)
Each team plays two games against the each of the other divisions in its conference. The teams played are determined by each teams' finish in the previous year.
------AFC------ ------NFC------
East Home Odd Home Even East Home Odd Home Even
~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
1 C1,W3 W1,C2 1 W1,C3 C1,W2
2 W1,C2 W2,C4 2 C1,W2 C2,W4
3 C3,W5 C1,W3 3 W3,C5 W1,C3
4 W2,C4 W4,C5 4 C2,W4 C4,W5
5 W4,C5 C3,W5 5 C4,W5 W3,C5
Central Home Odd Home Even Central Home Odd Home Even
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
1 W1,E3 E1,W2 1 E1,W3 W1,E2
2 E1,W2 E2,W4 2 W1,E2 W2,E4
3 W3,E5 W1,E3 3 E3,W5 E1,W3
4 E2,W4 E4,W5 4 W2,E4 W4,E5
5 E4,W5 W3,E5 5 W4,E5 E3,W5
West Home Odd Home Even West Home Odd Home Even
~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
1 E1,C3 C1,E2 1 C1,E3 E1,C2
2 C1,E2 C2,E4 2 E1,C2 E2,C4
3 E3,C5 E1,C3 3 C3,E5 C1,E3
4 C2,E4 C4,E5 4 E2,C4 E4,C5
5 C4,E5 E3,C5 5 E4,C5 C3,E5
Interconference (4 games)
Each team plays four games against a selected division from the other conference. The teams played are determined by each teams' finish in the previous year.
Which division?
Year Divisions Playing Each Other
~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1996 AFC-E & NFC-E, AFC-C & NFC-W, AFC-W & NFC-C
1997 AFC-E & NFC-C, AFC-C & NFC-E, AFC-W & NFC-W
1998 AFC-E & NFC-W, AFC-C & NFC-C, AFC-W & NFC-E
1999 AFC-E & NFC-E, AFC-C & NFC-W, AFC-W & NFC-C
Which teams?
Starting with the 1998 season, the NFL now schedules these on a pure
rotation -- no longer place-based. |