Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

[Oaf]

No a few decimal points equate to terms being unfair, but... really? The easiest SOS in the league? For the 20-draft-picks-a-year, yearly AFCE crown Patriots?

• Miami Dolphins, .496 opponent win percentage, No. 18
• New York Jets, .492 opponent win percentage, No. 20
• Buffalo Bills, .473 opponent win percentage, No. 29
• New England Patriots, .453 opponent win percentage, No. 32

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/po...th-of-schedule


It's ironic to see NYG at top and NE on bottom. Someone really doesn't want to see SB pt. 3 go down.



Or let's put it this way. If Welker makes that catch, and Pats win, are they still #32 on this list?

[stuckincincy]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

No a few decimal points equate to terms being unfair, but... really? The easiest SOS in the league? For the 20-draft-picks-a-year, yearly AFCE crown Patriots?

• Miami Dolphins, .496 opponent win percentage, No. 18
• New York Jets, .492 opponent win percentage, No. 20
• Buffalo Bills, .473 opponent win percentage, No. 29
• New England Patriots, .453 opponent win percentage, No. 32

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/po...th-of-schedule


It's ironic to see NYG at top and NE on bottom. Someone really doesn't want to see SB pt. 3 go down.



Or let's put it this way. If Welker makes that catch, and Pats win, are they still #32 on this list?

Don't forget, SS has a dependency on the division you play in. CLE faces a tough one in 2012, for example.

But their 3 division opponents made the playoffs, and CLE has to play 6 games against them.

[PTI]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

If you understand math, even a little bit, you would know this is a really skewed number, you must include the teams in your division.

Everyone in a division has the same schedule except 2 games.

[BLeonard]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

No a few decimal points equate to terms being unfair, but... really? The easiest SOS in the league? For the 20-draft-picks-a-year, yearly AFCE crown Patriots?

• Miami Dolphins, .496 opponent win percentage, No. 18
• New York Jets, .492 opponent win percentage, No. 20
• Buffalo Bills, .473 opponent win percentage, No. 29
• New England Patriots, .453 opponent win percentage, No. 32

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/po...th-of-schedule


It's ironic to see NYG at top and NE on bottom. Someone really doesn't want to see SB pt. 3 go down.



Or let's put it this way. If Welker makes that catch, and Pats win, are they still #32 on this list?

Yes, they would be... The schedule is determined by results of regular season games... Post Season has no bearing on scheduling.

New England has the easiest schedule (percentage-wise) because they went 5-1 in their division, while the second best in-division record was 3-3.

The Giants, meanwhile, won their division with a 9-7 record, but only had a 3-3 record within their division... But, by finishing first, they have to play the other first place teams, Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco, who went a combined 41-7 (.854 winning %).

As much as I hate the Pats, there's no conspiracy here...

-Bill

[stuckincincy]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

If you understand math, even a little bit, you would know this is a really skewed number, you must include the teams in your division.

Everyone in a division has the same schedule except 2 games.

Just as I said. Would it hurt you to quote me?

[CleveSteve]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

as the above poster mentioned, the opponents are completely determined by end of season records.

You play your divisional opponents twice (6 games)
You play a rotating division within your conference (4 games)
You play a rotating division in the other conference (4 games)
You play 2 games against the other two intra-conference divisions which finished with the same divisional standing as you (2 games)

[bflojohn]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

The Bills are just going to have to beat them TWICE!! Problem solved.....

[PTI]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

Yes, they would be... The schedule is determined by results of regular season games... Post Season has no bearing on scheduling.

New England has the easiest schedule (percentage-wise) because they went 5-1 in their division, while the second best in-division record was 3-3.

The Giants, meanwhile, won their division with a 9-7 record, but only had a 3-3 record within their division... But, by finishing first, they have to play the other first place teams, Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco, who went a combined 41-7 (.854 winning %).

As much as I hate the Pats, there's no conspiracy here...

-Bill

I believe what your record was in your division last year has no bearing at all in the SOS calculation. A few years ago Oakland was 6-0 in the division, and 8-8 overall and did not win their division. You use the total record. New England could have been 10-6, lost all 6 division games, and if the Bills, Jets, and finished 5-11, New England still has the easiest schedule because have 6 games against teams that were 5-11, while the other 3 teams play 2 games against a 10-6 team.

[BLeonard]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

I believe what your record was in your division last year has no bearing at all in the SOS calculation. A few years ago Oakland was 6-0 in the division, and 8-8 overall and did not win their division. You use the total record. New England could have been 10-6, lost all 6 division games, and if the Bills, Jets, and finished 5-11, New England still has the easiest schedule because have 6 games against teams that were 5-11, while the other 3 teams play 2 games against a 10-6 team.

I think you misunderstood the point. Divison record doesn't count extra or anything, but it certainly does count... What I'm saying is the NFC East was a lot closer than the AFC East was, which means the Giants played a tougher division schedule than the Pats did. Also, as I said, with the Giants winning their division, they now have to play all of the other division winners in their conference:

SF: 13-3
NO: 13-3
GB: 15-1

Total: 41-7 (.854)

The Pats have to play the Divison winners in the AFC:

BLT: 12-4
HOU: 10-6
DEN: 8-8

Total: 30-18 (.625)

MAJOR difference right there, and that's not even counting the division games (which are played twice).

While a team that finishes with a better division record won't get a lower SOS, per se, a team that dominates their division, as opposed to just barely winning it will get a lower SOS on the division games, simply because the other teams in the division are weaker. Hope that makes sense.

-Bill

[Bert102176]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

of course the pats have the Easiest the NFL will make sure of that

[Mike]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

No a few decimal points equate to terms being unfair, but... really? The easiest SOS in the league? For the 20-draft-picks-a-year, yearly AFCE crown Patriots?
Miami Dolphins, .496 opponent win percentage, No. 18
New York Jets, .492 opponent win percentage, No. 20
Buffalo Bills, .473 opponent win percentage, No. 29
New England Patriots, .453 opponent win percentage, No. 32

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/po...th-of-schedule

It's ironic to see NYG at top and NE on bottom. Someone really doesn't want to see SB pt. 3 go down.



Or let's put it this way. If Welker makes that catch, and Pats win, are they still #32 on this list?

I guess you don't know how the scheduling works.
The NFL schedule is very fair & simple to understand.
1) Each division plays one division from AFC & one from NFC on a rotational basis (every four years: for example last time bills played cardinals it was 4 years ago & in another 4 years we will play them again)
2) you play the other 3 teams in your division 2x
3) this leaves 2 games= these two games will be vs same conference teams that finished their division in same place as you (eg: Pats vs Baltimore or Denver or Houston -all Div winners. Conversely bills will draw 2 of the bottom teams)
These 2 games are the only difference.

* The main reason why Great teams end up having an 'easier' schedule then their divisional foes is because they are the great team - they don't have to play themselves instead they beat on woefull division rivals!
Co

[Mike]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

It's so patterned that I could tell you 14/16 teams the Bills (or any team) will face next year, the year after, and so on.

[Oaf]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

Soon after I posted this thread I realized the division teams logic to the weak SOS.

That said, tell me straight-faced. If Patriots won the Super Bowl, they still would have had the easiest schedule in the league for '12.

[TigerJ]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

With a few exceptions teams in the same division play the same schedule. As far as non-divisional games are concerned, I believe the team in the division with the best record plays the strongest non-division schedule and the team in the division with the worst record plays the weakest non-division schedule. So what skews the schedule to make it look like the Patriots are getting a pass? We play each other. Every divison opponent Buffalo plays, and we play them all twice, has a better record than Buffalo, and every division opponent New England plays will have a worse record from 2011 than New England does. It's that simple.

[BLeonard]

Re: Pats have easiest 2012 sched.

Soon after I posted this thread I realized the division teams logic to the weak SOS.

That said, tell me straight-faced. If Patriots won the Super Bowl, they still would have had the easiest schedule in the league for '12.

If Patriots won the Super Bowl, they still would have had the easiest schedule in the league for 2012... Post Season games don't count in SOS.

It's really not a difficult concept.

-Bill