2002 National Football League Season - Expansion and Realignment

Expansion and Realignment

With the Houston Texans joining the NFL, the league's teams were realigned into eight divisions, four in each conference. In creating the new divisions, the league tried to maintain the historical rivalries from the old alignment, while at the same time attempting to organize the teams geographically. Legally, three teams from the AFC Central (Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh) were required to be in the same division as part of any realignment proposals; this was part of the NFL's settlement with the city of Cleveland in the wake of the 1995 Cleveland Browns relocation controversy.

The major changes were:

• The Seattle Seahawks were the only team to switch conferences; moving from the AFC West to the NFC West (where they originally were in their first season in the league).
• The Arizona Cardinals moved from the NFC East to the NFC West.
• The Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans were placed into the newly formed AFC South.
• The Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South.
• Both the AFC Central and the NFC Central were renamed AFC North and NFC North, respectively.

Additionally, the arrival of the Texans meant that the league could return to its pre-1999 scheduling format in which no team got a bye during the first two weeks or last seven weeks of the season. From 1999 to 2001, at least one team sat out each week (including the preseason) because of an odd number of teams in the league (this also happened in 1960, 1966, and other years wherein the league had an odd number of teams). It nearly became problematic during the previous season due to the September 11 attacks, since the San Diego Chargers had their bye week during the week following 9/11 and the league nearly outright canceling that week.

The league also introduced a new eight-year scheduling rotation designed so that all teams will play each other at least twice during those eight years, and will play in every other team's stadium at least once. Under the new scheduling formula, only two of a team's games each season are based on the previous year's record, down from four under the previous system (the previous system also used standings to determine interconference match-ups). An analysis of win percentages in 2008 showed a statistical trend upwards for top teams since this change; the top team each year then averaged 14.2 wins, versus 13.4 previously.

The playoff format was also modified: four division winners and two wild cards from each conference now advance to the playoffs (changed from three division winners and three wild cards with the top wildcard hosting a playoff game). In each conference, the division winners are now seeded 1 through 4, and the wild cards are seeded 5 and 6. In the current system the only way a wildcard team can host a playoff game is if both win out into their league's Championship Game. In that scenario the #5 seed would host the game on its field. It is impossible for the #6 seed to host a playoff game (unless the team's stadium hosts the Super Bowl that year).