NBA: Fixing the Scheduling, Conference, and Seeding Issues

The NBA currently has 2 conferences, each with 3 divisions of 5 teams, for a total of 30 teams. For the schedule, each team plays its 4 divisional opponents 4 times each (16 total games), 6 intra-conference teams 4 times each (24 total games), the other 4 intra-conference teams 3 times each (12 total games), and the 15 inter-conference opponents 2 times each (30 total games). This yields an 82-game schedule, with 41 home and 41 away games. For the playoffs, the 3 division champions and 5 next-best teams in each conference qualify.

However, there is a large problem: the Western Conference has dominated the Eastern Conference so much in inter-conference play for the better part of the past decade that playing in the East is an unfair advantage; several Western Conference teams could've qualified for the playoffs in the other conference, but missed it in the West, while every season there are Eastern conference teams with sub-.500 records qualifying for the playoffs. How could this be fixed?

First of all, I suggest eliminating the 2 conferences altogether. That would yield a single 30-team conference.

Now for the schedule. Since an 82-game schedule isn't evenly divisible by 29 teams, the NBA would need to get creative with its scheduling formula. Playing every team home-and-home is of utmost importance, so we have 58 of the 82 games accounted for. One thing the NFL does to really help out its struggling franchises is give the worst teams the easiest schedules. Since the NBA has more teams that consistently struggle than the NFL, this would be a good addition for the Association. For this, we take the past season's results, then place the 30 teams into 3 even tiers. Teams in each tier then play the 9 other teams 2 additional times each (18 total games). That brings the total up to 76 games accounted for. Also important in nearly every sport is the regional rivalries. To preserve these, every team would then play their 3 biggest rivals 2 additional times each (6 total games) to reach the desired 82-game tally.

So for a single team, you will play your closest rivals at least 4 times each, everyone else at least 2 times each, then 2 additional times for the 9 teams in the respective tier. This increases high-profile match-ups and gives more even match-ups across the board, which will help ratings and ticket sales.

The Regional Rivalries: 
Atlanta: Charlotte, Miami, Orlando
Boston: New York, Philadelphia, Toronto
Brooklyn: Miami, New York, Washington
Charlotte: Atlanta, Orlando, Washington
Chicago: Milwaukee, Minnesota, Indiana
Cleveland: Detroit, Indiana, Toronto
Dallas: Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio
Denver: Portland, Phoenix, Utah
Detroit: Cleveland, Indiana, Toronto
Golden State: LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Sacramento
Houston: Dallas, New Orleans, San Antonio
Indiana: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit
LA Clippers: Golden State, LA Lakers, Sacramento
LA Lakers: Golden State, LA Clippers, Phoenix
Miami: Atlanta, Brooklyn, Orlando
Memphis: Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City
Milwaukee: Chicago, Memphis, Minnesota
Minnesota: Chicago, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City
New Orleans: Houston, Memphis, San Antonio
New York: Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
Oklahoma City: Dallas, Memphis, Minnesota
Orlando: Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami
Philadelphia: Boston, New York, Washington
Phoenix: Denver, LA Lakers, Utah
Portland: Denver, Sacramento, Utah
Sacramento: Golden State, LA Clippers, Portland
San Antonio: Dallas, Houston, New Orleans
Toronto: Boston, Cleveland, Detroit
Utah: Arizona, Denver, Portland
Washington: Brooklyn, Charlotte, Philadelphia

Playoff Seedings:
Take the top 16 seeds. That eliminates sub-.500 teams from entering the playoffs in most seasons, and ensures that the best make it.

For the All-Star Game:
Follow the NHL and have the fans vote for 2 captains that draft their teams.

An Example for the Dallas Mavericks Based off of the 2012-13 Standings:
Adjusted 2013 Playoff Seeding:
-17th overall -- No playoffs (#15 Utah would've gotten in over #18 Milwaukee)
2014 Schedule:
-Houston (6 games)
-Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, LA Lakers, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah (4 games each, 40 total)
-All other teams (2 games each, 36 total)

NFL Draft 2014 – What Should the Cowboys Do?

Let’s face it: the Dallas Cowboys are going nowhere. Offensively there is a lot of talent, but there isn’t much on defense. There is a ton of age on both sides of the ball, with high salaries to go with it. However, going 24-24 in the past three seasons is not a good sign. Most great franchises get better through the draft, which Dallas really hasn’t done since the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, leading to 3 Super Bowl titles. The Herschel Walker trade and a #1 overall pick are what really set up the Dallas Dynasty, and the current incarnation of the Cowboys is just average enough to never grab a game-changer by “earning” a top-5 pick. Tony Romo has his doubters, but he has largely carried the entire Cowboys’ team for the past few years, and, despite injury, is still better than a quarter of the league’s other QBs. With that in mind, here is my suggestion: target the Cleveland Browns. Trade Tony Romo to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for their two 2014 1^st-rounders (#4 and #26).

Why would the Cowboys be interested?

With the loss of Romo, Dallas would need to rely on former NFL starter and 31-year-old Kyle Orton for a year or two. Romo will lend an $11.7M cap hit in 2014 with his newly restructured contract, but Orton will be owed much less. Ridding the team of Romo’s cap hit will allow room to sign the draft picks and possibly have room to add to the front of some of the bigger contracts (DeMarcus Ware?). With the addition of 2 extra 1^st-round picks, Dallas would be able to get younger and better in at least 3 areas of need, while gaining the ever-important 5^th year option on the rookie contracts (which applies only to 1^st round picks).

Houston is likely to choose a QB, but DE JaDeveon Clowney or a trade could be in play. St. Louis is likely to draft an OT, but trading down is still an option. Jacksonville will most likely grab a QB, but could surprise by grabbing Clowney.

With the 4^th overall pick, Dallas would be in the running for a stud lineman. The ideal choice would be 4-3 DE Jadeveon Clowney to pair with DeMarcus Ware, at least for a season or two. Of course, if Clowney is gone, the most obvious choice to grab with this pick would then be either the best available of OT, DE, or LB. Why not grab a QB? Well, the candidates aren’t very intriguing and Dallas needs more help on defense and the OL (you can never be too good there) than anywhere else. Manziel surely won’t be on the board, but is a risk in his own right. Teddy Bridgewater is good, but will he be great? He’s not a sure thing. Blake Bortles has a ton of potential, but what if he doesn’t realize it? That’s why OLB/DE (Anthony Barr or Khalil Mack) or OT (Jake Matthews or Greg Robinson) would be much better, safer picks at this spot.

With pick #16/17 (due to a coin flip with the Ravens), Dallas could then select the best available prospect, namely a DB or DL. There are a ton of options here, but the best scenario would probably be a S (Calvin Pryor or Ha-Ha Clinton Dix) or CB (Justin Gilbert or Darqueze Denard), allowing a DT to be taken with pick #26. However, there seems to be a nice field of good DTs and DBs to choose from in the top 40 picks, so listening to the scouts would be key, taking the best available guy.

As for the QB woes, there are plenty of less-risky options out there. Personally, I am an adamant fan of AJ McCarron and believe he would be a great get in round 2. Derek Carr, David Fales, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray are a few other likeable QBs that could be drafted in the 2^nd to 5^th rounds. Whichever way the draft fell, Dallas could get its QB of the future and let him sit behind Orton for at least 1-2 years. If they missed on this QB, it still wouldn’t be as bad as missing in the early 1^st round.

The Cowboys would definitely get younger by this move, and allow themselves to get better players with more team-friendly contracts for the next 4 years. If Orton couldn’t get the job done at QB, then Dallas would have a chance to grab some more good young guys. If Orton did work out, then the sky is the limit for this team (especially if Dallas landed 3 1^st round guys on defense). More than likely, the Cowboys would at least float around the average mark where it has been since the late 1990’s.

Why would the Browns be interested?

The Browns have had a top ten defense for the past 3 seasons or so. The only problem has been a lack of offense. Colt McCoy didn’t have anything at all to work with in 2010 and 2011, then Brandon Weeden (a wasted 1^st rounder) and the other guys on the roster just weren’t very good in 2012 and 2013. Now, however, the Browns have a top 5 receiver in Josh Gordon, a nice OL, and limited talent elsewhere on offense. Even with two 1^st round picks, it is unlikely the Browns will be a contender next season. However, with the right QB things could be much different. Insert Tony Romo.

More than likely, Romo would be able to carry this offense to new heights. He would have a great #1 WR and an OL about the same as he had in Dallas. While the Browns’ RB situation isn’t as good as the Cowboys’, at least Chris Ogbonnaya can catch well out of the backfield and the Browns surely can’t run much less than the Cowboys have in recent years. The AFC North has been known for great defenses (with all 4 being in the top 10 overall just a couple seasons ago), but they mainstays in Baltimore and Pittsburgh are getting old all-around and hurting in the secondary. An offense similar to what the Cowboys have had, coupled with the Browns’ defense, would bolt Cleveland past Cincinnati as the AFC North favorite.

While Romo has had recent injury problems and is already 34-years-old, he is still better than any QB this incarnation of the Cleveland Browns has ever had. 6 years are left on his contract; while he may only be really good for 2 more years, he will likely still be a solid QB for the next 4. Now he won’t be cheap, with $80+M still being owed in the 6 years, but it would be completely worth it for this franchise if he can get them to the playoffs and leave the team in a better place than when he took over. Plus, they can always re-work the deal or cut him after the $40M of guaranteed money has been met.

In the end, though, Tony Romo would put the Cleveland Browns in a much better position than any QB on the Draft Board. While he would be an expensive grab, the deal would be completely worth it if the Browns could have any sort of success and get a little bit of traction for the future. Also, the fans deserve a winning team, and that is what he would give them.

CFB: 2013 Final Top 40

2013 Final Top 40:

1 Florida St (14-0)
2 Michigan St (13-1)
3 South Carolina (11-2)
4 UCF (11-1)
5 Oklahoma (10-2)
6 Auburn (12-2)
7 Missouri (12-2)
8 Baylor (11-2)
9 Louisville (12-1)
10 Alabama (11-2)
11 Stanford (11-3)
12 Oregon (11-2)
13 Clemson (11-2)
14 Ohio St (12-2)
15 Oklahoma St (10-3)
16 UCLA (10-3)
17 LSU (10-3)
18 Notre Dame (9-4)
19 Arizona St (10-4)
20 USC (10-4)
21 Wisconsin (9-4)
22 Texas A&M (9-4)
23 Washington (9-4)
24 Nebraska (9-4)
25 Duke (10-4)
26 Vanderbilt (9-4)
27 Miami (9-4)
28 BYU (8-5)
29 Mississippi (8-5)
30 Texas (8-5)
31 Kansas St (8-5)
32 Georgia (8-5)
33 Texas Tech (8-5)
34 Arizona (8-5)
35 Northern Illinois (12-2)
36 Iowa (8-5)
37 Minnesota (8-5)
38 Fresno St (11-2)
39 Virginia Tech (8-5)
40 Penn St (7-5)

CFB: Week 15 Top 25/Bowl Projections/Heisman Rankings

Top 25:

1 Florida St

2 Auburn
3 Alabama
4 Baylor
5 Michigan St
6 Stanford
7 South Carolina

8 Missouri

9 Oklahoma
10 Oklahoma St
11 Ohio St

12 UCF

13 Louisville
14 Oregon
15 Clemson
16 Arizona St
17 Clemson
18 UCLA
19 LSU
20 Wisconsin
21 Miami
22 USC
23 Texas
24 Texas A&M
25 Vanderbilt

Bowl Projections:

These use what I think will happen, not based off of the current BCS rankings or my rankings.

BCS-

NCG: Florida St vs Auburn

Rose: Stanford vs Michigan St

Orange: Ohio St vs Clemson

Sugar: Alabama vs Oregon

Fiesta: Baylor vs UCF

American-

Russell: Louisville

Belk: Cincinnati

Pinstripe: Houston

Compass: Rutgers

Brady's: *Florida Atlantic

ACC-

Peach: Miami

Russell: Duke

Sun: Virginia Tech

Belk: Georgia Tech

Music City: Maryland

Independence: Boston College

Military: North Carolina
Syracuse (Dallas)

Pittsburgh (Pizza)

Big 12-

Cotton: Oklahoma St

Alamo: Oklahoma

BWW: Texas

Holiday: Kansas St

Texas: Texas Tech

Pinstripe: *Notre Dame

Big Ten-

Capitol One: Wisconsin

Outback: Iowa

BWW: Nebraska

Gator: Michigan

Texas: Minnesota

Dallas: *Syracuse

Pizza: *Pittsburgh

C-USA-

Liberty: Rice

Hawaii: UTSA

Armed Forces: North Texas

Dallas: Tulane

Brady's: East Carolina

Military: Marshall

Mid Tenn St (Independence)

Florida Atlantic (Brasy's)

MAC-

Mobile: Bowling Green

Pizza: Ball St

Potato: Northern Illinois
Buffalo (None)

Toledo (None)

Ohio (None)

Central Michigan (None)

MWC-

Vegas: Fresno St

Poinsettia: Boise St

Armed Forces: Utah St

New Mexico: UNLV

Hawaii: San Diego St

Potato: Colorado St
San Jose St (None)

Pac-12-

Alamo: Arizona St

Holiday: UCLA

Sun: Washington

Vegas: USC

Kraft: Washington St vs BYU

NM: Oregon St

Arizona (Poinsettia)

SEC-

Capitol One: South Carolina

Cotton: LSU

Outback: Missouri

Peach: Texas A&M

Gator: Vanderbilt

Music City: Georgia

Liberty: Mississippi St

Compass: Mississippi

Independence: *Mid Tenn St

Sun Belt-

New Orleans: Louisiana

Mobile: Arkansas St

Western Kentucky (None)
Troy (None)
ULM (None)

Texas St (None)

Heisman Rankings:
1. Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
2. AJ McCarron, QB, Bama
3. Andre Williams, RB, BC
4. Bryce Petty, QB, BU
5. Carlos Hyde, RB, tOSU

CFB: Week 14 Top 25/Bowl Projections/Heisman Rankings

Top 25:

1 Florida St

2 Ohio St

3 Northern Illinois

4 Auburn

5 Missouri

6 Oklahoma St

7 Baylor
8 Alabama

9 Michigan St

10 UCF

11 Louisville
12 Stanford
13 Arizona St
14 Oregon
15 South Carolina
16 Duke
17 Clemson
18 Oklahoma
19 UCLA
20 LSU
21 Texas
22 Wisconsin
23 Miami
24 USC
25 Texas A&M

Bowl Projections:

These use what I think will happen, not based off of the current BCS rankings or my rankings.

BCS-

NCG: Florida St vs Ohio St

Rose: Arizona St vs Alabama

Orange: Clemson vs Baylor

Sugar: Mizzou vs UCF

Fiesta: Oklahoma St vs Northern Illinois

American-

Russell: Louisville

Belk: Cincinnati

Pinstripe: Houston

Compass: Rutgers

Brady's: *Florida Atlantic

ACC-

Peach: Duke

Russell: Miami

Sun: Virginia Tech

Belk: Georgia Tech

Music City: Maryland

Independence: Boston College

Military: North Carolina
Syracuse (Pinstripe)

Pittsburgh (Pizza)

Big 12-

Cotton: Texas

Alamo: Oklahoma

BWW: Kansas St

Holiday: Texas Tech

Texas: *Notre Dame

Pinstripe: *Syracuse

Big Ten-

Capitol One: Michigan St

Outback: Wisconsin

BWW: Iowa

Gator: Nebraska

Texas: Michigan

Dallas: Minnesota

Pizza: *Pittsburgh

C-USA-

Liberty: Rice

Hawaii: Marshall

Armed Forces: North Texas

Dallas: UTSA

Brady's: East Carolina

Military: Mid Tenn St

Tulane (None)

Florida Atlantic (Brady's)

MAC-

Mobile: Ball St

Pizza: Bowling Green

Potato: Buffalo

Toledo (None)

Ohio (None)

Central Michigan (None)

MWC-

Vegas: Fresno St

Poinsettia: Boise St

Armed Forces: Utah St

New Mexico: UNLV

Hawaii: San Diego St

Potato: Colorado St
San Jose St (None)

Pac-12-

Alamo: Oregon

Holiday: Stanford

Sun: UCLA

Vegas: USC

Kraft: Washington vs BYU

NM: Washington St

Arizona (Independence)

Oregon St (Poinsettia)

SEC-

Capitol One: South 

Cotton: Auburn

Outback: LSU

Peach: Texas A&M

Gator: Vanderbilt

Music City: Georgia

Liberty: Mississippi

Compass: Mississippi St

Independence: *Arizona

Sun Belt-

New Orleans: Louisiana

Mobile: Arkansas St

Western Kentucky (None)
Troy (None)
ULM (None)

Texas St (None)

Heisman Rankings:
1. Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
2. Jordan Lynch, QB, NIU
3. Andre Williams, RB, BC
4. Carlos Hyde, RB, tOSU
5. Bryce Petty, QB, BU
6. AJ McCarron, QB, Bama
7. Clint Chelf, QB, OSU
8. Johnny Manziel, QB, A&M

CFB: Week 13 Top 25/Bowl Projections/Heisman Rankings

Top 25:

1 Florida St

2 Alabama

3 Ohio St

4 Northern Illinois

5 Fresno St

6 Missouri

7 Auburn
8 Oklahoma St

9 Clemson

10 Baylor

11 MSU

12 UCF

13 UL

14 Wisconsin

15 Stanford

16 Oregon

17 S Carolina

18 ASU

19 OU

20 Duke

21 ECU

22 UCLA

23 LSU

24 USC

25 Texas
Just outside: Cincinnati, Louisiana, Ball St, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Nebraska

Bowl Projections:

These use what I think will happen, not based off of the current BCS rankings or my rankings.

BCS-

NCG: Florida St vs Alabama

Rose: Arizona St vs Ohio St

Orange: Clemson vs UCF

Sugar: Mizzou vs Baylor

Fiesta: Oklahoma St vs Fresno St

American-

Russell: Louisville

Belk: Cincinnati

Pinstripe: Houston

Compass: Rutgers

Brady's: *Ohio

ACC-

Peach: Duke

Russell: Miami

Sun: Virginia Tech

Belk: Georgia Tech

Music City: Boston College

Independence: Maryland

Military: North Carolina

Pittsburgh (Pinstripe)

Big 12-

Cotton: Texas

Alamo: Oklahoma

BWW: Kansas St

Holiday: Texas Tech

Texas: *Notre Dame

Pinstripe: *Pittsburgh

Big Ten-

Capitol One: Wisconsin

Outback: Michigan St

BWW: Iowa

Gator: Minnesota

Texas: Minnesota

Dallas: Michigan

Pizza: *Toledo

C-USA-

Liberty: East Carolina

Hawaii: Marshall

Armed Forces: North Texas

Dallas: UTSA

Brady's: Rice

Military: Tulane

Mid Tenn St (Potato)

Florida Atlantic (None)

MAC-

Mobile: Ball St

Pizza: Buffalo

Potato: Bowling Green

Toledo (Pizza)

Ohio (Brady's)

Central Michigan (None)

MWC-

Vegas: Utah St

Poinsettia: Boise St

Armed Forces: San Diego St

New Mexico: Colorado St

Hawaii: UNLV

Potato: *Mid Tenn St

Pac-12-

Alamo: Oregon

Holiday: Stanford

Sun: UCLA

Vegas: USC

Kraft: Washington St vs BYU

NM: Washington

Arizona (Compass)

Oregon St (Independence)

SEC-

Capitol One: Auburn

Cotton: LSU

Outback: A&M

Peach: South Carolina

Gator: Mississippi

Music City: Georgia

Liberty: Vanderbilt

Compass: *Arizona

Independence: *Oregon St

Sun Belt-

New Orleans: Louisiana

Mobile: Arkansas St

Western Kentucky (None)

Texas St (None)

Heisman Rankings:
1. Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
2. Jordan Lynch, QB, NIU
3. Andre Williams, RB, BC
4. Carlos Hyde, RB, tOSU
5. AJ McCarron, QB, Bama
6. Derek Carr, QB, FS
7. Bryce Petty, QB, BU
8. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
9. Johnny Manziel, QB, A&M
10. Clint Chelf, QB, OSU

HS-CFB-NFL Picks: Week 2

Welcome to the second week of my football picks! Last week I didn't do so hot, so I'm out to correct that this week.

High School

District 13-4A:
Denison (0-2) over Frisco Liberty (0-2)
Highland Park (1-1) over Sherman (1-1)
Mesquite Poteet (2-0) over Wylie (1-1)
Denton Ryan (2-0) over Wylie East (1-1)
Lovejoy (2-0) over Frisco (1-1)
Frisco Centennial (1-1) over McKinney North (1-1)
Plano Prestonwood (1-1) over Royse City (0-2)
Frisco Heritage (0-2) over Greenville (0-2)
Last Week: 4-4

District 12-3A:
Van Alstyne (1-1) over Anna (1-1)
Melissa (1-1) over Gunter (2-0)
Bonham (2-0) over Pottsboro (1-1)
Princeton (2-0) over Commerce (1-1)
Carrollton Ranchview (1-1) over Community (1-1)
Last Week: 4-1

College

American:
Last Week: 7-1

ACC:
Virginia Tech (1-1) over East Carolina
Wake Forest (1-1) over Louisiana Monroe
Pittsburgh (0-1) over New Mexico
USC over Boston College (2-0)
Florida St (1-0) over Nevada
Maryland (2-0) over UConn
Georgia Tech (1-0) over Duke (2-0)
Last Week: 9-1

Big 12:
TCU (1-1) over Texas Tech (2-0)
Oklahoma (2-0) over Tulsa
Iowa St (1-1) over Iowa
Kansas St (1-1) over UMass
Kansas (1-0) over Rice
Texas (1-1) over Ole Miss
Last Week: 7-1

Big Ten:
Indiana (1-1) over Bowling Green
UCLA over Nebraska (2-0)
Michigan (2-0) over Akron
Iowa St over Iowa (1-1)
Central Florida over Penn St (2-0)
Washington over Illinois (2-0)
Ohio St (2-0) over Cal
Notre Dame over Purdue (1-1)
Northwestern (2-0) over Western Michigan
Arizona St over Wisconsin (2-0)
Last Week: 10-2

Pac-12:
Stanford (1-0) over Army
Fresno St over Colorado (2-0)
Oregon (2-0) over Tennessee
Ohio St over Cal (1-1)
Arizona St (1-0) over Wisconsin
Utah (2-0) over Oregon St (1-1)
Arizona (2-0) over UTSA
UCLA (1-0) over Nebraska
Washington (2-0) over Illinois
Last Week: 9-0

SEC:
Arkansas (2-0) over Southern Miss
Louisville over Kentucky (1-1)
Oregon over Tennessee (2-0)
LSU (2-0) over Kent St
Auburn (2-0) over Mississippi St (1-1)
South Carolina (1-1) over Vanderbilt (1-1)
Texas over Ole Miss (2-0)
Texas A&M (2-0) over Alabama (1-0)
Last Week: 8-3

NFL

New England (1-0) over New York Jets (1-0)
Dallas (1-0) over Kansas City (1-0)
Baltimore (0-1) over Cleveland (0-1)
Houston (1-0) over Tennessee (1-0)
St. Louis (1-0) over Atlanta (0-1)
Carolina (0-1) over Buffalo (0-1)
Chicago (1-0) over Minnesota (0-1)
Washington (0-1) over Green Bay (0-1)
Indianapolis (1-0) over Miami (1-0)
Philadelphia (1-0) over San Diego (0-1)
Detroit (1-0) over Arizona (0-1)
New Orleans (1-0) over Tampa Bay (0-1)
Oakland (0-1) over Jacksonville (0-1)
Denver (1-0) over New York Giants (0-1)
Seattle (1-0) over San Francisco (1-0)
Cincinnati (0-1) over Pittsburgh (0-1)
Last Week: 10-6