Tag: Conference

Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; General view of the Big 12 logo on the field at TDECU Stadium before the game between the Houston Cougars and the Texas Longhorns. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Expanded Big 12 to keep playing nine league games

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The 16-team Big 12 Conference unveiled its 2024 football schedule on Tuesday.

Like in the Big Ten, each team will continue to play nine conference games. The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference are moving to an eight-game format in 2024.

Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado joined the expanded Big 12 from the Pac-12 Conference, while Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC. The Buffaloes previously competed in the Big 12 from 1996-2010.

The Big 12 season kicks off on Sept. 14 when UCF visits TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Big 12 announced in November that the schedule would prioritize geographical and historical rivalries. Kansas plays at Kansas State on Oct. 26, BYU will visit Utah on Nov. 9, Baylor will play at Houston on Nov. 23 and Arizona will host Arizona State on Nov. 30.

The Big 12 championship game is scheduled for Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In a scheduling quirk, two contests involving new league members — Baylor at Utah (Sept. 7) and Arizona at Kansas State (weekend of Sept. 14) — are considered nonconference games because they were previously scheduled.

–Field Level Media

Chiefs' Kareem Hunt happy with whatever role in offense

NFL Week 6 Football Props: Chiefs vs. Patriots

Posted on | by Martin Chandler

The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots have both been playing exceptional football. Following a rocky 1-2 start, the Patriots have bounced back with 2 commanding victories over the Dolphins and Colts. Aided by Josh Gordon and the return of Julian Edelman, New England seems to have found it’s offensive rhythm they lacked in the first three weeks. They Currently sit atop the AFC East. There were many who considered the Jaguars’ defense to be the only thing that could slow down the dynamics Kansas City offense. The week 5 matchup started with the Chiefs taking a 20-0 lead by halftime, with Blake Bortles having thrown a couple of interceptions. Jacksonville managed to get on the board, but there was never really any hope for a second-half comeback as the Chiefs rolled to a 30-14 victory. Sunday night we’ll get to see the Chiefs head to New England to face their potentially toughest challenge of the season, although they will travel to LA to face the Rams in November. Kansas City defeated New England 42-27 in week 1 of last season. Alternate lines are very popular in Europe and allow the sportsbook provide accelerated lines at better odds. The offering of these alternate lines often come with higher bet commission, but they opportunity for big odds on a two-sided bet can be there every game.

Alternate lines are available at Sugar House Sportsbook if you live in the state of New Jersey.

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Wild Card Appearances (2002-2018)

Posted on | by Martin Chandler

Since the NFL was restructured in 2002, there are four teams that have not played in the postseason as a wild card. The Patriots, Bears, Texans and Buccaneers have either won their division or missed the playoffs completely.

In the same time frame, the Patriots have made 14 postseason appearances. Combined, the Bears, Bucs and Texans have made 10 appearances. 

Amount of wild card appearances is a good metric for the continued strength of a division as a whole. The graphic below displays each division and the number of wild card appearances since 2002. The AFC North comes out on top, boasting five consecutive seasons from 2008-2012 in which they sent at least two teams to the postseason. The AFC East and NFC West each finished with only six appearances.

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2017 Wins and Losses

Posted on | by Martin Chandler

Following a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 31st 2017, the Cleveland Browns completed their perfect 0-16 season. On the same day, the Baltimore faithful watched in anguish as the Ravens gave up a last-minute touchdown to the Bengals, essentially handing their wild card spot to the Buffalo Bills.

After starting the season with 4 consecutive losses, the Los Angeles Chargers finished the season with 9 wins (and almost nabbed themselves an AFC wild card spot). The 49ers started the season in a similar fashion, but finished on a 5-game winning streak, defeating three playoff teams.

You may not be a fan of any of the aforementioned teams, but the information probably sounded a bit familiar. That’s because wins and losses tend to be the only stats that anyone remembers. The graphic below reveals the wins and losses for each team in 2017, ranked from greatest to least. It also allows you to filter based on divisional and conference games.

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