*Division Dominance and playoffs

[IceBear32]

DSFL Division Dominance and playoffs:

In my short career of the DSFL I have first had been a victim to the division dominance and missing out on the playoffs because of this. In my first simulation football experience, we ended 3rd in the division and 4th in the division missing and watched a worse record team make the playoffs. As that season was winding down, I pushed for answer of how the playoffs were decided and if it was top 2 in each division or if it was the 2 division winners and 2 wild cards. You can put together which of those I was pushing for at the time. So, when learning it was top two in the division I wanted to go back and see how many times this situation had happened over the existence of the DSFL.

I then started this search with looking back over the last 5 seasons to see if our situation was an outlier or if the system does have a flaw in not including the top teams in the playoffs.

Season 28:

South:
1. Tijuana Luchadores 8-6
2. Bondi Beach Buccaneers 6-8
3. Dallas Birddogs 5-9

North
1. London Royals 11-3
2. Portland Pythons 11-3
3. Minnesota Grey Ducks 7-7

Did it happen? YES

Benefitted: Bondi Beach Buccaneers

Watched playoffs from home: Minnesota Grey Ducks

*Losing record in playoffs

Season 27:

South:
1. Dallas Birddogs 11-3
2. Tijuana Luchadores 6-8
3. Bondi Beach Buccaneers 5-9

North
1. London Royals 11-3
2. Kansas City Coyotes 7-7
3. Minnesota Grey Ducks 6-8

Did it happen? Sorta… There would have been a tie for the 4 seed and Minnesota would have the head-2-head tiebreaker beating Tijuana both games that season.

Benefitted: Tijuana Luchadores

Watched playoffs from home: Minnesota Greyducks

*Losing record in playoffs

Season 26:

South:
1. Bondi Beach Buccaneers 8-6
2. Norfolk Seawolves 7-7
3. Dallas Birddogs 7-7

North
1. Portland Pythons 13-1
2. London Royals 9-5
3. Minnesota 7-7

Did it happen? NO

The top four teams in season 26 also happened to be the top 2 teams in each division. This was also a super close one as there was a technically a 3 way tie for the 4 seed but Norfolk won the tiebreakers and would have ended up in the playoffs either way.

Season 25:

South:
1. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers 11-3
2. Tijuana Luchadores 6-8
3. Dallas Birddogs 4-10

North
1. London Royals 11-3
2. Minnesota 8-6
3. Portland Pythons 7-7

Did it happen? YES

Benefitted:  Tijuana Luchadores 

Watched playoffs from home: Portland Pythons

*Losing Record in Playoffs

The top four teams in season 26 also happened to be the top 2 teams in each division. This was also a super close one as there was a technically a 3 way tie for the 4 seed but Norfolk won the tiebreaks and would have ended up in the playoffs either way.

Season 24:

South:
1. Tijuana Luchadores 10-4
2. Norfolk Seawolves 8-6
3. Myrtle Beach Buccaneers 7-7

North
1. London Royals 8-6
2. Portland Pythons 6-8
3. Kansas City Coyotes 6-8

Did it happen? YES

Benefitted: Portland Pythons

Watched playoffs from home: Myrtle Beach Buccaneers

*Losing record in playoffs

So, over the last 5 seasons, 4 of them had teams with better records sitting at home watching a weaker division’s 2 seed compete for the championship. Going back even further I wanted to see what teams have benefited from this but then quickly got to where the league was only 6 teams. I’m unsure how playoffs were ran then. Season 21 was the first season with the current 8 team format. Below you can see how the following few years were affected.

Season 23:

• Did it happen? No 

Season 22:

• Did it happen? Yes 

• Benefitted: London Royals

• Watched playoffs from home: Dallas AND Myrtle Beach Buccaneers

• *Losing team in playoffs

Season 21:

• Did it happen? No 

My data from season 21 through season 28 show that 5 of the 8 years a better team did not make the playoffs because of the division they were in. In all these cases it also led to a team with a losing record making the playoffs.

Tijuana has benefited from this the most making the playoffs twice when they had a losing record and Minnesota would have benefitted the most if doing a different system. Twice Minnesota missed the playoffs when having a better record than one of the playoff teams. This also happens to be the past 2 seasons. Bondi / Myrtle Beach is also in the same boat, missing out on 2 different playoffs because of divisions.

My pitch or suggestion to the committees would to be to adjust the playoffs to be the division winners get the bids and then 2 wildcard seeds after that. Better record division winner would face the lower of the 2 wildcard seeds. I do understand the logistics of this might not be entirely possible.

***I will note that in season 25 Tijuana benefitted and capitalized on their opportunity by making the playoffs with a losing record and then going on to win the Ultimini. 42-16 over the top ranked London Royals. So maybe the guys down south will disagree with my article but the truth must be set free!

[mithrandir]

Historically the South has completely dominated. It's only recently the North has started fighting back.

[IceBear32]

Historically the South has completely dominated. It's only recently the North has started fighting back.

It was more that it seemed like 1 division (south or north) has dominated that season and had 3 of the top 4 teams. They current setup makes it so one of those teams are getting screwed and that a team in the weaker division benefits from it.

[Jimi64]

Icebear media goes hard

[Painted]

PREACH