So here is my solution - have the wild card team play the team with the best record in the league (even if in same division) in the first round. To win the series, the team with the best record need win only three games, but the wild card team must win four. Hence, a best of six series, as the maximum number of games would be six.
The other series in each league, the one without the wild card team, could be either best of six or best of seven, I could be convinced either way.
Yeah, baseball got rid of the five game series only to add it again a few years later. One of my ideas for a five game series is to let the wildcard team have one home game, game 3. That way their fans can see the final game only if it's a sweep. But I think I like yours. Make them win four. Also, I've never heard any explanation at all ever as to why the wild-card team can't play the first round in their own division, whether football or baseball.
ReplyDeleteSomebody proposed adding the a second wild card team and making them play a one-game playoff before the division series starts. The winner would get to play the division champ with the best record.
ReplyDeleteI like it because it would add some drama to the pennant races and it would actually penalize the teams that didn't win their division.