Because this time of year, people always wonder how their favorite teams can make it into the playoffs, and where they would be ranked.



The six postseason participants from each conference will now be seeded as follows:

1. The division champion with the best record. 2. The division champion with the second-best record. 3. The division champion with the third-best record. 4. The division champion with the fourth-best record. 5. The wild card club with the best record. 6. The wild card club with the second-best record.

The following procedures will be used to break ties for postseason playoffs and to determine regular-season schedules.


TO BREAK A TIE WITHIN A DIVISION

If two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical records, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.

Two Clubs 1. Head-to-head (games between the clubs). 2. Best won-lost percentage in games played within the division. 3. Best won-lost percentage in common games. 4. Best won-lost- percentage in games played within the conference. 5. Strength of victory. 6. Strength of schedule. 7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. 8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. 9. Best net points in common games. 10. Best net points in all games. 11. Best net touchdowns in all games.

Three or More Clubs (Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated during any step, tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format).

1. Head-to-head 2. Best won-lost percentage in games played within the division. 3. Best won-lost percentage in common games. 4. Best won-lost percentage in games played within the conference. 5. Strength of victory. 6. Strength of schedule. 7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. 8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. 9. Best net points in common games. 10. Best net points in all games. 11. Best net touchdowns in all games.

TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM

If it is necessary to break ties to determine the two Wild-Card clubs from each conference, the following steps will be taken.

1. If the tied clubs are from the same division, apply division tiebreaker. 2. If the tied clubs are from different divisions, apply the following steps.

Two Clubs 1. Head-to-head, if applicable. 2. Best won-lost percentage in games played within the conference. 3. Best won-lost percentage in common games, minimum of four. 4. Strength of victory. 5. Strength of schedule. 6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. 7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. 8. Best net points in conference games. 9. Best net points in all games. 10. Best net touchdowns in all games. 11. Coin toss.

Three or More Clubs (Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other clubs are eliminated, tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of applicable two-club format.)

1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants. 2. Head-to-head sweep. 3. Best won-lost percentage in games played within the conference. 4. Best won-lost percentage in common games, minimum of four. 5. Strength of victory. 6. Strength of schedule. 7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed. 8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed. 9. Best net points in conference games. 10. Best net points in all games. 11. Best net touchdowns in all games. 12. Coin toss

When the first Wild-Card team has been identified, the procedure is repeated to name the second Wild-Card, i.e., eliminate all but the highest-ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. In situations where three or more teams from the same division are involved in the procedure, the original seeding of the teams remains the same for subsequent applications of the tiebreaker if the top-ranked team in that division qualifies for a Wild-Card berth.

OTHER TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES

1. Only one club advances to the playoffs in any tiebreaking step. Remaining tied clubs revert to the first step of the applicable division or Wild-Card tiebreakers. As an example, if two clubs remain tied in any tiebreaker step after all other clubs have been eliminated, the procedure reverts to step one of the two-club format to determine the winner. When one club wins the tiebreaker, all other clubs revert to step 1 of the applicable two-club or three-club format.

2. In comparing division and conference records or records against common opponents among tied teams, the best won-lost percentage is the deciding factor since teams may have played an unequal number of games.

3. To determine home-field priority among division titlists, apply Wild-Card tiebreakers.

4. To determine home-field priority for Wild-Card qualifiers, apply division tiebreakers (if teams are from the same division) or Wild-Card tie breakers (if teams are from different divisions).

12/19/2006 2:30:48 PM

The Skins can knock out the Rams and the Giants with wins the next 2 weeks. That's enough for me since we're out. Go Chargers!

12/19/2006 2:35:49 PM

WWW.PLAYOFFSTATUS.COM

12/19/2006 2:36:30 PM