From: gidi@Hilbert.Stanford.EDU (Gidi Avrahami)
Subject: Next Year's Schedules (no dates)
Organization: Brotherhood Of Breath
Distribution: net
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 19:26:05 GMT


The NFL has posted next year's basic schedules, i.e., the lists
of home/away opponents, but of course no dates yet.

As part of that list, it turns out that the final standings in the
NFC central is
	3. Tampa
	4. Chicago
	5. Detroit,
and in the NFC West it is
	3. Atlanta
	4. Rams.
Those who still don't know the formula for deriving next year's
opponents from this year's standings -- hey, you can figure it
out from the following!  (Okay, I'll list it at the end).

So, here we go.  Intra-divisional home-and-home games are excluded,
conference games first.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miami           Buffalo         Indianapolis    NY Jets         New England   
   @Clev            Hou            @Cin            @Hou            @Clev      
    KC              Rdrs           @Den             Cin             Cin       
    Pitt           @KC              Clev            Den             Hou       
   @SD             @Pitt            SD             @Rdrs            Sea       
                                                                   @Pitt      
    Dal             NYG             Dal            @Dal            @Sea       
    Wash            Phil            Wash            NYG
   @NYG            @Dal            @NYG             Phil            Det       
   @Phil           @Wash           @Phil           @Wash           @Phx       
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh      Houston         Cleveland       Cincinnati    
   @Den            @Buf             Den             Ind       
   @Mia             KC              Mia             Rdrs      
    Buf             NYJ             NE              Sea       
    NE              Sea            @Ind            @KC        
    SD             @NE             @Rdrs           @NE        
   @Sea            @SD             @Sea            @NYJ       

   @NO             @Atl             Atl            @Atl       
    Atl             NO              SF              NO        
    SF              Rams           @NO              Rams      
   @Rams           @SF             @Rams           @SF        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diego       Kansas City     Denver          LA Raiders      Seattle       
   @Ind            @Hou            @Clev           @Buf            @Cin       
   @Pitt            Buf             Ind            @Cin            @Hou       
    Hou             Cin             Pitt            Clev           @NE        
    Mia            @Mia            @NYJ             NYJ             Clev      
                                                                    NE        
   @Chi             Chi            @Chi            @Minn            Pitt      
   @GB              GB              Minn            Chi           
    Minn           @Minn            TB              GB             @Det       
    TB             @TB             @GB             @TB              Phx       
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dallas          Philadelphia    Washington      NY Giants       Phoenix       
   @Atl            @GB             @Rams           @Chi            @Atl       
    GB              Chi            @TB             @NO             @Det       
    SF              NO              Atl             Rams            Det       
   @Minn           @SF              Minn            TB              NO        
                                                                    Rams      
    Buf            @Buf            @Ind            @Buf            @SF        
    NYJ            @NYJ            @Mia             Ind           
   @Ind             Ind             Buf             Mia             NE        
   @Mia             Mia             NYJ            @NYJ            @Sea       
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minnesota       Green Bay       Tampa Bay       Chicago         Detroit       
    Dal            @Dal            @Atl             Atl             Atl       
    NO              Phil           @NYG             NYG             Phx       
   @SF              Rams            SF             @Phil            SF        
   @Wash           @NO              Wash           @Rams           @NO        
                                                                   @Phx       
   @Den             Den            @Den             Den            @Rams      
    KC              SD             @SD              SD            
    Rdrs           @KC              KC             @KC              Sea       
   @SD             @Rdrs            Rdrs           @Rdrs           @NE        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Francisco   New Orleans     Atlanta         LA Rams       
   @Dal            @Minn            Dal            @GB        
   @Det             Det             Phx            @NYG       
    Minn            GB              TB             @Phx       
    Phil            NYG            @Chi             Chi       
    Phx            @Phil           @Det             Det       
   @TB             @Phx            @Wash            Wash      

   @Clev           @Cin             Cin            @Cin       
   @Pitt           @Hou             Hou            @Hou       
    Cin             Clev           @Clev            Clev      
    Hou             Pitt           @Pitt            Pitt      
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's how the schedule works:

Teams that finish 1st to 4th in a FIVE team division play:
	8 divisional games
	4 games against the 1st-4th finishers in one division
		from the other conference.  This year, East plays
		East and Central plays West.
	2 games against teams from the same conference who finished
		in the same place; i.e., 1st place plays the other firsts,
		2nd plays the other 2's, etc.
	2 games against teams from the same conference who finished in
		places that are 1 and 2 removed.  Specifically:
			1st place plays a 2 and a 3
			2nd place plays a 1 and a 4
			3rd place plays a 1 and a 4
			4th place plays a 2 and a 3
		there's even a rule for which place from which division,
		but I forget what it is.
Teams that finish in FIFTH place play:
	8 divisional games
	4 games against every team in the FOUR team division of the same
		conference (AFC Central or NFC West)
	2 games (home and away) against the other fifth place finisher	
	2 games against the fifth place teams from the other conference
Teams in a FOUR team division play:
	6 divisional games
	2 games against the fifth place teams in the conference
	4 + 2 + 2 as listed above for teams who finish 1-4.


--Gidi