Doug Van Pelt’s NFL Solution

Or “How to Pick a Fight in 16 easy steps”

The NFL schedules are good, but they’re missing out on some built-in regional rivalries that would make the game even better. The way it’s scheduled now, teams like Dallas and Houston or Pittsburgh and Philadelphia only play each other once every four years. What if they played once a year? Imagine the rivalries that these regions would bring. Better ratings, more revenue, more excitement.

Right now, the 16 games go like this:

Each team plays its divisional opponent twice (once at home, once away) – 6 games. Then each team plays all four teams of a rotating division in the opposite conference – 4 games. Then each team plays all four teams of a rotating division within its conference – 4 games. The final 2 games are based upon rankings within the conference (first place teams from last year play 2 other first place teams) – 2 games.

I propose that one of these final two “ranking” matchups get reduced to one and the final game left being a regional rivalry game.

To make it simple, I’ve devised who these rivals will be:

Dallas vs. Houston

Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh

Washington vs. Baltimore

Kansas City vs. St. Louis

New Orleans vs. Jacksonville

Miami vs. Tampa Bay

San Francisco vs. Oakland

San Diego vs. Arizona

Seattle vs. Denver

Minnesota vs. Indianapolis

Green Bay vs. Cleveland

Detroit vs. Buffalo

NY Giants vs. NY Jets

Cincinnati vs. Carolina

Tennessee vs. Atlanta

New England vs. Chicago

Okay, that last one – NE vs Chicago – that’s not so close regionally. We could switch that to NE vs. Baltimore, maybe, and then have Washington play Cincinatti and Tennessee play Atlanta and Chicago play Indianapolis and Minnesota play Cleveland and Green Bay play Carolina. That improves a couple, but takes away what is a close Baltimore vs. Washington. I say make NE and Chicago miss out in favor of the other 30 teams winning big. What do you think? Just for grins, I’ve listed my PLAN B below.

Dallas vs. Houston

Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh

Washington vs. Cincinnati

Kansas City vs. St. Louis

New Orleans vs. Jacksonville

Miami vs. Tampa Bay

San Francisco vs. Oakland

San Diego vs. Arizona

Seattle vs. Denver

Chicago vs. Indianapolis

Minnesota vs. Cleveland

Detroit vs. Buffalo

NY Giants vs. NY Jets

Tennessee vs. vs. Atlanta

New England vs. Baltimore

Green Bay vs. Carolina