Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!wildbill From: wildbill@ucbvax.ARPA (William J. Laubenheimer) Newsgroups: net.sport.football Subject: Whither the USFL? Message-ID: <8994@ucbvax.ARPA> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 02:26:40 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8994 Posted: Fri Jul 12 02:26:40 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 10:42:12 EDT Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 89 Keywords: USFL, NFL, merger, realignment Recently I was kicking the future of the USFL (aka Useless Football League) around with a couple of fellow sports buffs (even though none of us are crazy enough to take the league seriously, despite living in a metropolitan area represented by one of the teams playing for the league championship). We all agreed that if the USFL actually thinks they can take on the NFL in the fall without a TV contract, the resulting bath of red ink will make the First Plague of Egypt look like a fraternity prank. Thus, it seems most realistic for the USFL to follow the lead of football conferences of the past, give up its independence, and merge a small number of teams in with the Big Boys. If done right, this would also clothe the NFL in an aura of respectability, at least in Congress, and maybe help get the antitrust guys off their backs at the same time. Thus: The USFL consolidates into four franchises, which will be accepted into the NFL. These franchises, which will use the named USFL team as their nucleus, are ARIZONA, BALTIMORE, BIRMINGHAM, and OAKLAND. These are mostly the strongest teams in the league, either in fan support or player strength, and have the additional advantage of replacing NFL teams in two cities which have recently lost NFL franchises. The original player pools from which these franchises will have first rights to consist of a roughly geographical, and approximately equivalent, grouping of USFL franchises: ARIZONA: Arizona, Houston, Memphis, San Antonio BALTIMORE: Baltimore, Jacksonville, New Jersey BIRMINGHAM: Birmingham, Orlando, Tampa Bay OAKLAND: Oakland, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland The NFL team holding the rights to a USFL player would lose those rights if the consolidated franchise signed that player to a contract, but would retain their rights if the player was not signed initially. Players signed and then cut would have to clear waivers in the same manner as a current player. Now you've got four new franchises, and they aren't all that bad. Give them an early draft choice or two, and they certainly shouldn't start off 0-16. Baltimore and Oakland join the AFC, and Arizona and Birmingham join the NFC. Everybody else stays where they are. Now reorganize each conference into four 4-team divisions. The geography is mostly very reasonable. NFC East Central South West Detroit Chicago Atlanta Arizona NY Giants Green Bay Birmingham Dallas Philadelphia Minnesota New Orleans LA Rams Washington St. Louis Tampa Bay San Francisco AFC East Central Midwest West Baltimore Cincinnati Denver LA Raiders Buffalo Cleveland Houston Oakland New England Miami Indianapolis San Diego NY Jets Pittsburgh Kansas City Seattle The regular season lends itself to a parity formula much like the current one, only better (assuming you like scheduling parity): In a 16-game season each team plays home-and-home against the other three teams in its division (6 games); the 1-4 or 2-3 finishers (same group as last year's finish) in the other three divisions in its conference (6 games); and four teams from the other conference (either another division, or perhaps one team from each division; in any case, in a four-year rotation covering the entire other conference). Playoffs work well, too. There are three reasonable possibilities: 1 (My favorite, but don't bet on it): The eight division champions play. Worst record at best record, second worst at second best in each conference. Winners play at home stadium of team with better record for conference championship. 2 (Most likely; I could live with it): The eight division champions qualify, along with the two remaining best records in each conference. Wild-card team with best record plays at division champ with worst record (if both in same division, use division champ with second-worst record). Other wild-card team plays at remaining division champ with worst record. Rest of playoffs as currently. 3 (Grotesque): The eight division champions qualify, along with the four remaining best records in each conference. First-round pairings are best champ against worst wild-card not in same division, etc. Second- round pairings are best record against worst record not in same division. Any comments? Am I out of my tree? Would the NFL sit still for this? Would the USFL buy it if they did? Bill Laubenheimer ----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science ...Killjoy thinks spring FB's silly ucbvax!wildbill