NFL Division and Conference Re-Alignment

Being an avid Seattle Seahawks fan, i shutter every time the team has to travel to New York, Carolina or Tampa Bay. Being, without a doubt, the most travel dis-advantaged team in the league, i decided to re-structure the NFL Divisions and conferences.

The basis for this re-structuring was two fold. (1) To decrease travel time among each division and conference. (2) Decrease the maximum amount of time zones crossed between division rivals from 2 to 1.

The positives of this re-alignment i think goes as follows:

- Time Zones: teams in the AFC West remain solely in the same pacific time zone, with Oakland, San Diego, San Fransisco and Seattle greatly reducing travel costs having been separated from KC, Denver and St Louis.

- Weather: would play much less of a factor with teams like Dallas (who used to be in a division with Philly and New York) can now stay in the south with the likes of Denver, Houston and Arizona. Miami no longer has to visit Buffalo, New York and New England. I say, let the cold weather teams battle the other cold weather teams. Its not fun watching Miami come up to New England every year and get destroyed due to the -40 weather (and Tom Brady).

- Some great divisions remain (mostly) intact. The NFC north keeps three teams, losing Detroit to the blue collared AFC North and gaining Indy, adding another domed stadium to the mix.

- Detroit steps into a division with similar working-class cities like Buffalo, Cleveland and Cincinnati, creating the hard nose AFC North.

- Some great divisions are combined. The new NFC East is combination of the old NFC East and AFC East. NYJ, NYG, Philly and New England in the same divison provides som great story lines, not to mention a better rivalry between the Jets and Giants. The AFC West keeps Oakland and San Diego, while adding Seattle and San Fran. This allows the old seahawks raiders rivalry to spark back up, as well as a new Bay Area bowl twice a year.

- Midwest flavour: The new NFC West is a division comprised of almost soley midwest teams, the first division of its kind.

- New Superbowl oppertunities - Cowboys vs. Giants. Broncos vs Browns. Raiders vs Jets. Dolphins vs. Steelers. Some of the biggest and most loyal fanbases would be rewarded with the opertunity to play the most important game on earth against some of the other biggest and most loyal fan bases.

- Regional divides (The AFC solely in the west, the NFC representing the mid-west, the AFC Rustbelt) creates a social division in America like nothing else before. The oppertunities for regional hatred are amazing. A team like Pittsburgh has the ability to hate 7 of the biggest cities around it.

- Travel Costs are greatly declined: Dallas no longer has to travel to the northeast three times a year, ditto to Miami. Houston no longer has to travel to the rust belt twice a year. Seattle and San Fran get rid of the nasty two time zone trip to St Louis. St Louis avoids spending three games a year in the west.

Now, i understand that this doesnt take into accoutn the likely factor of expansion and relocation. Whether Jacksonville moves to LA is unknown. So for now, i think this is the best possible layout.

Eric?