RealGM

Did the league change the rules? Because if both the Jets and the Patriots win next week. The Jets finish with a 5-1 division record and the Patriots would be second with a 4-2 record. How is it that the Patriots win the division instead? I alway thought it was based on your division record first before the overall record comparison in the standings.

No thats in college. If the pats finish 11-5, and both miami and NY finish 10-6 we would be 1 game ahead of them.

Because we'd have a better record than them...

?

^Haha.

Well I understand what he is asking because in NCAA your record doesn't matter. Only the division record. So if BC were to go 11-1. And Miami went 9-3. But BC went 5-1 in the division, while miami went 6-0. Then Miami would win that division.

Then I prefer the NCAA way of things. They're correct. More emphasis should be paid to what your record is in your division. The NFL baffles me in that aspect of their rules. What's the point of compiling the most wins against the teams in your division if in the bigger picture it won't carry any weight in terms of clinching the division title. The team that has fewer division wins can simply do their best to win most of their out of division and out of conference games. Simple. I just can't accept how your overall record in the standing offsets the division record. The division record is more important, in my opinion. It's first in my objective goals before the beginning of the season, if I'm one of the AFC East teams.

I feel like if you know that division games carry a lot of weight, then these teams would fight tooth and nails to win them. That's how it should be, in my opinion.

See, that makes sense in the NBA. But, not in the NFL where you play a lot less games. Every single game can make or break your playoff aspiration.

I like it the way it is.

If the NFL were like the NCAA, high-profile teams like the Pats, Colts, Cowboys, Redskins and Packers would make the playoffs every year regardless of record and teams like Atlanta and Carolina wouldn’t merit any consideration, no matter if they went 16-0.

Well Pats did their part, it's up to the jets and jags now..