And Then There Were Four

A pretty disappointing Divisional Round weekend for my tastes. Of the four contests, only the Colts' game went my way.

Of course, the disappointment of losing 3-out-of-4 this weekend is small potatoes compared to the pain that followed that one particular loss the weekend before.

On the bright side, "Mike & Mike" (ESPN Radio) shared an interesting observation this morning about the NFL's version of the 'Final Four.' During the past 3 seasons, the NFL's Final Four (i.e., the four teams competing in the Conference Championship games) has featured a total of 12 different teams -- the maximum possible. In other words, not a single team in the NFL has repeated an appearance in a Conference Championship game during the past three years. That's quite an achievement of parity.

(By contrast, the MLB had 9 out of 12 different teams, and the NBA had 8 out of 12.)

This is, in my judgment, the best sort of parity. Obviously, the kind of parity in which all teams end with 8-8 records is not desirable. We don't need all the teams to be equally average every single season. But to have a major sport that does not feature some perennial winner is, I think, best for the game and for fan interest.

Well, in terms of my personal preferences... We've got 4 teams left out of the original 12 playoff teams: two of them come from the 'top half' of my preference list, and two come from the 'bottom half.' It makes this coming Sunday pretty straightforward for me: I'm pulling for the two home teams -- the Saints and the Colts -- to hold serve and advance to the Super Bowl.

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. San Diego Chargers
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. New York Jets
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New Engalnd Patriots
12. Minneosta Vikings