Ryan Bautista | News Editor
May 22, 2025
Is it football season yet? No.
Now? No.
…Now? NO!
But just to tie you over until the games start, we do have a sneak peek of the season in the form of all the teams’ released schedules. Why is this such a big deal? I don’t really know, but it’s sports news and I’m going to report on it.
First, a little background on how the schedule is chosen. Every year, six NFL executives from the broadcasting department sit down and see how they can make the most money–I mean, see how they can create intense match ups between teams while having a great season. With this, there are some must-haves. All teams have to play the other teams in their division twice, have one bye week, play other teams from their conference a couple of times, and have an even number of home and away games. Sounds fair, right? Not to some teams. Sophomore Erik Troester described how his favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, “have it rough” because they are in the “best division in football.” They have to play “the Lions, Vikings, and the Bears” twice every year, making it “hard for them to succeed” with their current scheduling format. Senior Ian Moore added to that by saying the NFL “has certain narratives they want to keep up…and they give popular teams more of a chance.” The Dallas Cowboys have something to say about that, and this is also coming from a Chicago Bears fan reeling from more disappointment.
In my opinion, all the tough schedules are just unfortunate luck. However, it will make certain teams stronger and more prepared for playoff games against tougher teams. Along with meeting these requirements, the scheduling committee favors games like a Super Bowl rematch, big rivalries, and other important traditions like making some teams’ schedules impossible.
Exhibit A for impossible schedules: The New York Giants. They were the third-worst team in the league last year, have four quarterbacks, and honestly are still not good. Sounds like a case for the easiest schedule, right? Wrong. They have the hardest schedule in the league, which, like the Packers, is largely thanks to them being in one of the toughest divisions in the league.
Speaking of the NFC East, do the executives hate the Cowboys? Am I biased because I’m a Cowboys fan, yes, but that’s not the point. The Cowboys’ schedule after Week 11 is the hardest in football, with four Thursday games for the first time in history. That just means a lot of short weeks that tire players out quickly. And it’s not just the Cowboys, the Eagles also have a very difficult schedule with no back-to-back home games the entire season. In other words, frequent-flier miles galore! Thankfully, they have the Giants in their division, so they are guaranteed at least two wins. Junior Jonathan Gardner argued that this “automatic advantage” is largely based on “locations and divisions,” and that it can be “tough” on certain teams who are perpetually at the bottom of the standings.
Moving on to the other side of the coin, congratulations San Francisco 49ers! You guys got the easiest schedule since everyone felt bad for you! Ok, ok…forget it, everyone feels bad for you. After finishing last season with a disappointing 6-11 record, the executives felt really bad for them and gave them wins on a silver platter.
Another team with a gift from the executives is the Buffalo Bills. With the reigning MVP at their helm in Josh Allen, the Bills are a perennial favorite to win the Super Bowl. Surely they must have a schedule that reflects their talent…or not. The Bills leave the Eastern Time zone once throughout the season, meaning they can rest easy and honestly just take a bus to some of their games. The other top easiest schedules go to teams that deserve it, like the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. But once again, their division has a large role in that since they share the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers. That division just doesn’t impose the same fear as the NFC North or AFC West, but at least its crown is completely up for grabs.
Look, the football season doesn’t start until September 4th. That is a very long time, and lots of game-changing events can happen during that time. However, at least we know whether we can look forward to an easy path to the playoffs or a very high draft pick.
Leave a Reply