The Super Bowl is becoming meaningless

[Tunescribe]

I think the league needs to seriously reevaluate its playoff formula. The imbalance between the conferences is becoming so lopsided that pitting the winners against each other hardly represents "the best vs. the best" at the end of the season.

A playoff tournament bracketing system needs to be established based on won-loss record at the end of the season. This, of course, would require a radical change in alignment, perhaps doing away altogether with the conference format. But when you really think about it, what distinguishes the conferences anyway? It's not like there's a legitimate "rivalry" between the AFC and NFC echoing the old days of the NFL and AFL.

It would be a much better league if, at the end of the season, the two best teams had a shot at facing off in the Super Bowl. I wonder if the league brass has put any thought into this.

 

[Pujo]

I wholly agree.

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

I think the league needs to seriously reevaluate its playoff formula. The imbalance between the conferences is becoming so lopsided that pitting the winners against each other hardly represents "the best vs. the best" at the end of the season.

A playoff tournament bracketing system needs to be established based on won-loss record at the end of the season. This, of course, would require a radical change in alignment, perhaps doing away altogether with the conference format. But when you really think about it, what distinguishes the conferences anyway? It's not like there's a legitimate "rivalry" between the AFC and NFC echoing the old days of the NFL and AFL.

It would be a much better league if, at the end of the season, the two best teams had a shot at facing off in the Super Bowl. I wonder if the league brass has put any thought into this.

Cross over the wildcard teams...

 

[smg93]

In the same way they seed teams now for each conference, they should just apply that to all teams who get in the playoffs instead of separating the two conferences.

I would keep the same format however where the same number of teams from each conference get into the playoffs.

 

[cavtroop]

UGH, please...just no. the NFL is two conferences. Just because one of them sucks right now is no reason to go mucking with the most popular game in the country.

Someday the AFC will suck, and the NFC will win a few. That was the case, not too long ago.

 

[ClevTrev]

Interesting proposal, and I assume it's in part a reaction to the lopsided victory by the Colts last night. A lot can happen in a season, however, and it just may be that the Saints are currently a poor representative for the NFC. Another team or teams could certainly emerge over the current popular choices of Chicago or Seattle that does make progress this season and is a worthy opponent in the Super Bowl. I believe this thing is cyclical, and it will change over time. For now and in the first week of this season, the AFC is still dominant. I like simplicity, and I'd hate to get into a weighted playoff bracket type of system that could eventually drive everyone crazy.

 

[TripleOption]

I think the league needs to seriously reevaluate its playoff formula. The imbalance between the conferences is becoming so lopsided that pitting the winners against each other hardly represents "the best vs. the best" at the end of the season.

Hilarious, they were saying that the AFC couldn't compete in the 80's.

 

[Tunescribe]

UGH, please...just no. the NFL is two conferences. Just because one of them sucks right now is no reason to go mucking with the most popular game in the country.

Someday the AFC will suck, and the NFC will win a few. That was the case, not too long ago.

Yeah, but the conferences don't mean anything anyway -- why even have them? They're not even separated from each other geographically. There's no longer any legitimate tradition to preserve between the two, it's been nearly 40 years since the AFL and NFL merged. How is it "mucking" with the most popular game in the country to ensure that the two best teams have a chance at meeting for the league championship?

 

[JoePats]

The NFC won 15 straight Super Bowls at one point, so the AFC dominance is in its infancy compared to that stretch...It's completely cyclical...The AFC teams do not have a competitive advantage over the NFC ones, it's not like the high payroll teams are in one conference and the low ones in others...It's all the same.

 

[sieglo]

Hilarious, they were saying that the AFC couldn't compete in the 80's.

Exactly.

Besides, the point differential in Super Bowls in the 2000s is probably the lowest it's ever been, what with the three close Patriot SB wins.

 

[Tunescribe]

The NFC won 15 straight Super Bowls at one point, so the AFC dominance is in its infancy compared to that stretch...It's completely cyclical...The AFC teams do not have a competitive advantage over the NFC ones, it's not like the high payroll teams are in one conference and the low ones in others...It's all the same.

This only emphasizes my point of the faulty conference format. The conferences were aligned, originally, via NFL/AFL demarcation. It's now 40 years later and the league has become more or less homogenized, especially with interconference regular-season play. I say either realign the conferences geographically or do away with them altogether.

 

[Deus Irae]

How'd this work out for the NBA this past season?

 

[desi-patsfan]

This only emphasizes my point of the faulty conference format. The conferences were aligned, originally, via NFL/AFL demarcation. It's now 40 years later and the league has become more or less homogenized, especially with interconference regular-season play. I say either realign the conferences geographically or do away with them altogether.

Orrrrr leave it exactly the way it is and lets keep the best sports league in the world going.

 

[sdaniels7114]

In a way I prefer the championship being decided the week or two before the Superbowl. My favorite little watering hole has about 8-10 regs who watch every game starting this Sunday but over 50 for the Super Bowl and over 100 if the Pats are there. Those extra people are annoying. 3rd and 3 with everyone lined up and the TE in motion is NO time to go to the bathroom, or announce the winner of the stupid door prize, or start up a meaningless conversation. I've come close to reaching over the bar and grabbing the soda gun Its really not that bad that often the over-hyped media event that seems to feature everything but the action on the field isn't the most important game of the season.

 

[letekro]

I think the league needs to seriously reevaluate its playoff formula. The imbalance between the conferences is becoming so lopsided that pitting the winners against each other hardly represents "the best vs. the best" at the end of the season.

Really? here are the results since 2001:

2001 - AFC wins by 3 over a heavily favored NFC team
2002 - NFC destroys AFC by 20+
2003 - AFC wins by 3 in an extremely competitive game
2004 - AFC wins by 3 in an extremely competitive game
2005 - AFC wins by 11 in an extremely competive game that could've gone the other way but for some terrible officiating.
2006 - AFC by 12 in a game that definitely did not feature the two best teams in the NFL.

So, only last year was there a good argument that the two best teams didn't face off in the SB. In 5 of the last 6 years, either the NFC has won, or the game has been exceedingly competitive right to the end.

Your argument that the competitive imbalance has become so great so as to warrant scrapping the playoff system of the greatest sports league of all time is misplaced to say the least.

 

[rabthepat]

Orrrrr leave it exactly the way it is and lets keep the best sports league in the world going.

Yes...and please do not add any more wild card teams.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Really? here are the results since 2001:

2001 - AFC wins by 3 over a heavily favored NFC team
2002 - NFC destroys AFC by 20+
2003 - AFC wins by 3 in an extremely competitive game
2004 - AFC wins by 3 in an extremely competitive game
2005 - AFC wins by 11 in an extremely awful game that could've gone the other way but for some terrible officiating.
2006 - AFC by 12 in a game that definitely did not feature the two best teams in the NFL.

I fixed your post for you.

Seriously, though, XLI was so bad that I refuse to say the Steelers "won" that game, though I will certainly admit they had scored more points when time expired.

 

[everlong]

I'm all for seeding all 12 teams together. Back in 90's that would have produced many great Dallas vs SF superbowls in place of Buffalo and imagine NE vs Indy last year or this coming year.

 

[letekro]

I'm all for seeding all 12 teams together. Back in 90's that would have produced many great Dallas vs SF superbowls in place of Buffalo and imagine NE vs Indy last year or this coming year.

Honestly, if the Pats aren't involved, they can have the AFC champ go against the CFL champ for all I care.

 

[smg93]

I think a lot of you are missing the point. It's not about whether one conference is more dominant than the other, it's about trying to get the seedings right during the playoffs so that the best two teams have a chance of playing each other in the superbowl. Whether that means its two afc teams, two nfc teams or one from each conference, it doesn't matter. What does is, now the two "best" teams will have a chance to play each other in the superbowl.

With that said however, I will say that saying the Superbowl is now meaningless is overboard. It's still the ultimate goal and whether the system stays as it is or is changed in the future, it'll never mean in my mind that it could become meaningless.