New Scheduling Format for the 17 and 18-Week NFL Season

The NFL is discussing adding an additional game or two regular season games to the schedule.

Currently in the NFL, at the conclusion of the regular season, you will know the opponents you will face the following year.

You don't know the order in which you will play, but you can plan your rivalry parties ahead of time.

As a Steelers fan, I know that we are going to play everyone from our division twice.  Once at home, once on the road. That makes up six games. 10 to go.

As the division champion, I know we are going to play the Titans, Chargers, and Dolphins, each of the other division winners. That's nine.

We also play the AFC West this year. I know that because we played the South last year and the East the year before. The Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs. That makes 12.

Then we have our NFC schedule. This year it is against the NFC North. The Bears, Vikings, Packers, and Lions. That makes 16.

But what formula can be used to fill out the last two games of the season? 

Some talk centers around "old" time rivalries. Like having Pittsburgh play Dallas every year. I would love that, it just isn't going to happen.

Because every time it came the year where Pittsburgh would play the NFC East, then there would have to be a replacement.

Here is how it should work. Throw away the old way of doing it.

For a 17-game season

Every team plays each team from their respective division once. The Steelers would play the Browns, Bengals and Ravens only once each year. You alternate home game each year, like they do in college.

That's three.

Then you play each team that finished in the same spot as you from the conference. If you won your division, you play the other division winners. If you came in last, you play the other last place teams.

That's six.

Then you play the teams that finished in the same position in the other conference. So, this year Pittsburgh would play Arizona, NY Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers, because they won their division.

That's 10.

A lot of people at this point would say this is not very fair.  You are making it WAY too hard for the division winners, and WAY to easy on the last place teams.

Every first place team will also play every last place team in both conferences. First place teams from the AFC would play all of the last place teams, and all of the second place teams would play the third place teams.

Pittsburgh would play Kansas City, Jacksonville and Buffalo. While Cleveland would have to play Tennessee, Miami, and San Diego, in the AFC.

In the NFC, Cleveland would have to play Arizona, NY Giants, and Minnesota Vikings, while Pittsburgh would play the Redskins, the Lions and the Rams.

That makes 17.

If the NFL decides to go to an 18 game season, it would go like this:

Every team will play the other three teams in their own division, once. That's three games.

Every team will play every other team that finishes in the same place they did. First place will play all seven other first place teams, last place would play all of the last place teams. That's 10 games.

Every conference first place teams will play conference last place teams. And second and third place teams will play each other. That makes 13 games.

Every AFC division will play one NFC division, currently like they do now. Having a game already scheduled against the team that finished in the same place as you, this makes 16 games.

Each team will also play one other division in the same conference. Since we already have games scheduled against two different teams from each division, this brings the total to 18 games.

Some opponents will say there are too many outside division games? There are actually three more. But this way, people are more likely to see a Steelers/Cowboys game more than once every four years.

Think it could work? Think I'm nuts? Let me know what you think every body!