1. Why did they keep the AFC and NFC? Why not realign geographically and fully integrate the 10 newcomers.

2. Why didn’t they keep the crossover teams together? The Colts, Steelers, and Browns all made the jump over but were split up. They could have kept them together and added the relatively new Bengals (who geographically made no sense in the AFL WEST) to the AFC Central and left the other 2 AFC divisions as they were?

3. The NFC divisions don’t make much sense either. 5 Midwestern teams = NFC Central. Atlanta made more sense than Dallas in the East. Dallas makes more sense with New Orleans and the 2 West Coast teams.

Here’s how it would have looked with me in charge:

AFC East: NE Patriots, BUF Bills, NY Jets, MIA Dolphins, HOU Oilers
AFC Central: BAL Colts, PIT Steelers, CLE Browns, CIN Bengals
AFC West: OAK Raiders, SD Chargers, DEN Broncos, KC Chiefs

NFC East: NY Giants, PHI Eagles, WAS Redskins, ATL Falcons
NFC Central: DET Lions, CHI Bears, GB Packers, MIN Vikings, STL Cardinals
NFC West: NO Saints, DAL Cowboys, LA Rams, SF 49ers

The TB Buccaneers join the NFC East and the SEA Seahawks still join the AFC West.

Jaguars still join the AFC Central but the Panthers are stuck in the NFC West unless the Arizona Cardinals agree to switch to the NFC West and give the Panthers their spot in the NFC Central.

The realignment to 8 divisions still ends up virtually the same except the Ravens are in the AFC South and the Colts are in the North. The Cowboys and Falcons are also swapped.

A part of me wonders if the NFL expands to 36, potentially with 4 international teams (Canada, Mexico, and/or Europe), merge the corresponding AFC and NFC geographic divisions into 4 divisions and give each division an international team. If Europe is out of the question, then maybe 2 US teams with a Canadian team and Mexican team as I don't there's appetite to expand with 4 US cities. Maybe you could swap a few teams around to alignment better geographically, but I don't think it would be necessary.

As for scheduling, I think it would beneficial to play teams more often so how I would do scheduling is you play your division annually (just once per season) and either rotate 3 teams from the 3 divisions or rotate playing divisions once every 3 years with a 17 game season. If they go to 18 games, then that 18th game could be based on standings from the previous season with a team from a different division. I also think playing division opponents just once could boost NFL rivalries.

(11-26-2025 06:39 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Here’s how it would have looked with me in charge:

AFC East: NE Patriots, BUF Bills, NY Jets, MIA Dolphins, HOU Oilers
AFC Central: BAL Colts, PIT Steelers, CLE Browns, CIN Bengals
AFC West: OAK Raiders, SD Chargers, DEN Broncos, KC Chiefs

NFC East: NY Giants, PHI Eagles, WAS Redskins, ATL Falcons
NFC Central: DET Lions, CHI Bears, GB Packers, MIN Vikings, STL Cardinals
NFC West: NO Saints, DAL Cowboys, LA Rams, SF 49ers

You prevented Dallas from being placed in an East Division and put Houston in an East Division instead?

(11-27-2025 01:00 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(11-26-2025 06:39 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Here’s how it would have looked with me in charge:

AFC East: NE Patriots, BUF Bills, NY Jets, MIA Dolphins, HOU Oilers
AFC Central: BAL Colts, PIT Steelers, CLE Browns, CIN Bengals
AFC West: OAK Raiders, SD Chargers, DEN Broncos, KC Chiefs

NFC East: NY Giants, PHI Eagles, WAS Redskins, ATL Falcons
NFC Central: DET Lions, CHI Bears, GB Packers, MIN Vikings, STL Cardinals
NFC West: NO Saints, DAL Cowboys, LA Rams, SF 49ers

You prevented Dallas from being placed in an East Division and put Houston in an East Division instead?

The Cowboys rivalry with the NFC East teams was a product of the wonky post-merger decision to put them (and the St Louis Cardinals) in that division. The Houston Oilers on the other hand were in the AFL East from the very beginning. Putting Dallas in the West today would be unspeakable but in 1970 it was far more acceptable.

(11-27-2025 12:12 AM)GoBuckeyes1047 Wrote:  A part of me wonders if the NFL expands to 36, potentially with 4 international teams (Canada, Mexico, and/or Europe), merge the corresponding AFC and NFC geographic divisions into 4 divisions and give each division an international team. If Europe is out of the question, then maybe 2 US teams with a Canadian team and Mexican team as I don't there's appetite to expand with 4 US cities. Maybe you could swap a few teams around to alignment better geographically, but I don't think it would be necessary.

As for scheduling, I think it would beneficial to play teams more often so how I would do scheduling is you play your division annually (just once per season) and either rotate 3 teams from the 3 divisions or rotate playing divisions once every 3 years with a 17 game season. If they go to 18 games, then that 18th game could be based on standings from the previous season with a team from a different division. I also think playing division opponents just once could boost NFL rivalries.

In don’t think permanent international teams will work. What I think makes more sense and would be easier logistically would be for each team to play 8 home games, 8 road games, and 1 neutral site international game.

That gives the league 16 games a year to spread the game abroad. If they go to 18 regular season games, you can double that to 32.

I’d let each team pick a city abroad to be their secondary international market. i.e. Jacksonville plays in London and Dallas plays in Mexico City.

I like the idea of putting the Steelers, Browns and Colts in the same division, assuming those are the 3 teams that move over. After that I might tweak it a little.

AFC East: NYJ, Boston Patriots, Buf, Miami
AFC Central: Balt, Pitt, Cle, Cincy, Hou
AFC west: SD, Oakland, Den, KC

NFC east: NYG, Philly, Wash, Dal, Atl
NFC Central: Minn, GB, Chi, Det
NFC West: LA Rams, SF, NO, StL

Of course if you follow the goal of geographic balance, you should try to have an equal number of teams from each conference in the same state, same city and/or same time zone. So let's look at this one by one.

number in each time zone
2 NFC teams in MTN/Pac - LA Rams, SF
3 AFC teams in MTN/Pac - SD, Oakland, Den
6 NFC teams in Central - Minn, GB, CHI, StL, Dal, NO
2 AFC teams in Central - KC, Hou
5 NFC Teams in east - NYG, Philly, Wash, Atl, Det,
8 AFC teams in east - NYJ, Boston, Buf, Mia, Balt, Pitt, Cle, Cincy

So there should be 4 central time zone teams in each conference. 2 Central time zone teams should switch from NFC to AFC.
There should be 6 or 7 east time zone teams in each conference. 1 or 2 AFC East time zone teams should switch to the NFC

Next: teams that are geographically close to each other that should be put in different conferences

SD-LA Rams
Dal- Hou
KC-StL
Cle-Cincy
Pitt-Philly
Balt-Wash

Ok let's cut to the chase:

NFC West: LA Rams, SF, StL, Dal
NFC Central: Chi, GB, Det, Cle
NFC East : NYG, Philly, Wash, Atl, Miami

AFC west: SD, Oakland, Den, KC
AFC Central: Hou, Minn, NO, Cincy
AFC east: NYJ, Boston, Buf, Balt, Pitt

Here would be my starting point:

AFC

AFC East

Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets

AFC Central

Baltimore Colts
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC West

Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers

NFC

NFC East

Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins

NFC Central

Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
St. Louis Cardinals

NFC West

Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams
New Orelans Saints
San Francisco 49ers

Now, some things to consider:

Where do the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Panthers and Seahawks fit in this scenario?

Do the Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Oilers, Raiders and Rams still relocate?

Do Indianapolis, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Nashville get a professional football team?

Does Los Angeles get a second football team?

Do Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston and St. Louis get a second chance at a team?

(11-27-2025 12:12 AM)GoBuckeyes1047 Wrote:  A part of me wonders if the NFL expands to 36, potentially with 4 international teams (Canada, Mexico, and/or Europe), merge the corresponding AFC and NFC geographic divisions into 4 divisions and give each division an international team. If Europe is out of the question, then maybe 2 US teams with a Canadian team and Mexican team as I don't there's appetite to expand with 4 US cities. Maybe you could swap a few teams around to alignment better geographically, but I don't think it would be necessary.

As for scheduling, I think it would beneficial to play teams more often so how I would do scheduling is you play your division annually (just once per season) and either rotate 3 teams from the 3 divisions or rotate playing divisions once every 3 years with a 17 game season. If they go to 18 games, then that 18th game could be based on standings from the previous season with a team from a different division. I also think playing division opponents just once could boost NFL rivalries.

If expansion to 36 happens, the four European teams will be together. I also wouldn't rule out Brazil happening first, some of the logistical issues with playing there are easier.

Teams would play 6 division games and then one game each against teams in three different divisions for a total of 18 games. In 16 years teams not in the same division would face each other 6 times.

The only thing that would be weird would be the playoffs, as the nine division champions get a home game in the first round, but the two lowest-rated teams who win in the first round play an extra game before the quarterfinals. This format could scale up to 15 divisions, and obviously with 16 divisions every first round winner would play in the second round. TV would be a bit of an issue for the first round as there are only effectively 7 slots (3 on Saturday, 3 on Sunday, and 1 on Monday), which means the NFL might have to give up on exclusivity, or we could have Tuesday or even Wednesday Night Football. It may be easier to deal with fixed bracket instead of reseeding, as you could have schedule the 8/11 and 9/10 games earlier, and then let the winners play the lone game the following Sunday.

(11-27-2025 02:26 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  Here would be my starting point:

AFC

AFC East

Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets

AFC Central

Baltimore Colts
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC West

Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers

NFC

NFC East

Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins

NFC Central

Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
St. Louis Cardinals

NFC West

Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams
New Orelans Saints
San Francisco 49ers

Now, some things to consider:

Where do the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Panthers and Seahawks fit in this scenario?

Do the Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Oilers, Raiders and Rams still relocate?

Do Phoenix, Las Vegas and Nashville get a professional football team?

Does Los Angeles get a second football team?

Do Cleveland and Houston get a second chance at a team?

Regarding your expansion questions—the TB/SEA expansion hinges on Houston’s willingness to move to the AFC East or Central. I’m inclined to say that they want to be in the East because when the AFL began they were in the east. This would permit SEA to join the AFC East and TB joins the NFC East.

In the 90s, provided no one else is dissatisfied with their spot and volunteers to move, JAX joins the AFC Central and CAR finds themselves as an ill-fitting NFC West member.

(11-27-2025 09:17 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(11-27-2025 02:26 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  Here would be my starting point:

AFC

AFC East

Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Jets

AFC Central

Baltimore Colts
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC West

Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers

NFC

NFC East

Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins

NFC Central

Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
St. Louis Cardinals

NFC West

Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams
New Orelans Saints
San Francisco 49ers

Now, some things to consider:

Where do the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Panthers and Seahawks fit in this scenario?

Do the Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Oilers, Raiders and Rams still relocate?

Do Phoenix, Las Vegas and Nashville get a professional football team?

Does Los Angeles get a second football team?

Do Cleveland and Houston get a second chance at a team?

Regarding your expansion questions—the TB/SEA expansion hinges on Houston’s willingness to move to the AFC East or Central. I’m inclined to say that they want to be in the East because when the AFL began they were in the east. This would permit SEA to join the AFC East and TB joins the NFC East.

In the 90s, provided no one else is dissatisfied with their spot and volunteers to move, JAX joins the AFC Central and CAR finds themselves as an ill-fitting NFC West member.

Seattle to the AFC East? I'm assuming you meant the AFC West, and just typed out the wrong division.

I don't know if Houston would move to the AFC East. Maybe there was a reason they played in the AFC Central until the expansion and realignment of 2002, especially when they relocated to Tennessee and renamed themselves the Titans. Perhaps it was their rivalry with the Steelers, oil vs. steel.

What if the divisions looked like this if the NFL didn't have alot of movement, and stopped at 30 teams after the Jaguars and Panthers are brought in?

AFC

AFC East

Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots.
New York Jets

AFC Central

Baltimore Colts
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Oilers
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC West

Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
Seattle Seahawks

NFC

NFC East

Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Redskins

NFC Central

Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings

NFC West

Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Cardinals

I put the Jaguars in the AFC East. In the NFC, I moved the Cardinals to the NFC West, and put the Panthers in the NFC Central.

If a complete reorganization based on geography and time zones had been on the table, we might have seen something like this:

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, DEN
Plains—KC, STL, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—MIN, GB, CHI, DET

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN

With the additions of TB and SEA—

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, SEA
Plains—DEN, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—KC, STL, MIN, GB, CHI

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA, TB
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN, DET

(11-30-2025 10:10 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If a complete reorganization based on geography and time zones had been on the table, we might have seen something like this:

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, DEN
Plains—KC, STL, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—MIN, GB, CHI, DET

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN

With the additions of TB and SEA—

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, SEA
Plains—DEN, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—KC, STL, MIN, GB, CHI

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA, TB
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN, DET

And with the additions of the Jaguars and Panthers:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Giants New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

Metropolitan: Baltimore Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

Southeast: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Western Conference

Midwest: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals

Pacific: Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Southwest: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints

(11-30-2025 06:33 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 10:10 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If a complete reorganization based on geography and time zones had been on the table, we might have seen something like this:

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, DEN
Plains—KC, STL, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—MIN, GB, CHI, DET

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN

With the additions of TB and SEA—

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, SEA
Plains—DEN, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—KC, STL, MIN, GB, CHI

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA, TB
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN, DET

And with the additions of the Jaguars and Panthers:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Giants New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

Metropolitan: Baltimore Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

Southeast: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Western Conference

Midwest: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals

Pacific: Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Southwest: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints

A couple things—

The Colts were in Indianapolis in 1995–that division still works though.
The Cardinals had moved to Arizona and the Rams just moved to St Louis— the Rams and Cardinals probably need to be swapped.

The Browns inactivation and birth of the Baltimore Ravens actually works well for that division — no changes there.

The Oilers move to Tennessee also wouldn’t require any changes and frankly, they could have brought the Houston Texans back into that division and forewent the move to 8 divisions of 4

(12-01-2025 08:08 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 06:33 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 10:10 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If a complete reorganization based on geography and time zones had been on the table, we might have seen something like this:

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, DEN
Plains—KC, STL, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—MIN, GB, CHI, DET

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN

With the additions of TB and SEA—

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, SEA
Plains—DEN, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—KC, STL, MIN, GB, CHI

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA, TB
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN, DET

And with the additions of the Jaguars and Panthers:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Giants New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

Metropolitan: Baltimore Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

Southeast: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Western Conference

Midwest: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals

Pacific: Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Southwest: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints

A couple things—

The Colts were in Indianapolis in 1995–that division still works though.
The Cardinals had moved to Arizona and the Rams just moved to St Louis— the Rams and Cardinals probably need to be swapped.

The Browns inactivation and birth of the Baltimore Ravens actually works well for that division — no changes there.

The Oilers move to Tennessee also wouldn’t require any changes and frankly, they could have brought the Houston Texans back into that division and forewent the move to 8 divisions of 4

I was under the impression that nobody relocated in the 1980's and 1990's That's my bad.

(12-02-2025 02:21 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(12-01-2025 08:08 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 06:33 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 10:10 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If a complete reorganization based on geography and time zones had been on the table, we might have seen something like this:

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, DEN
Plains—KC, STL, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—MIN, GB, CHI, DET

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN

With the additions of TB and SEA—

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, SEA
Plains—DEN, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—KC, STL, MIN, GB, CHI

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA, TB
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN, DET

And with the additions of the Jaguars and Panthers:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Giants New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

Metropolitan: Baltimore Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

Southeast: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Western Conference

Midwest: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals

Pacific: Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Southwest: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints

A couple things—

The Colts were in Indianapolis in 1995–that division still works though.
The Cardinals had moved to Arizona and the Rams just moved to St Louis— the Rams and Cardinals probably need to be swapped.

The Browns inactivation and birth of the Baltimore Ravens actually works well for that division — no changes there.

The Oilers move to Tennessee also wouldn’t require any changes and frankly, they could have brought the Houston Texans back into that division and forewent the move to 8 divisions of 4

I was under the impression that nobody relocated in the 1980's and 1990's That's my bad.

Would Cleveland get a second incarnation of the Browns in this scenario?

(12-01-2025 08:08 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 06:33 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(11-30-2025 10:10 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If a complete reorganization based on geography and time zones had been on the table, we might have seen something like this:

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, DEN
Plains—KC, STL, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—MIN, GB, CHI, DET

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN

With the additions of TB and SEA—

Western Conference:
Pacific—OAK, SF, LA, SD, SEA
Plains—DEN, HOU, DAL, NO
Midwest—KC, STL, MIN, GB, CHI

Eastern Conference:
Northeast: NYJ, BUF, NE, MIA, TB
Atlantic: NYG, PHI, WAS, ATL
Mideast: BAL, PIT, CLE, CIN, DET

And with the additions of the Jaguars and Panthers:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Giants New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

Metropolitan: Baltimore Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

Southeast: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Western Conference

Midwest: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals

Pacific: Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Southwest: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints

A couple things—

The Colts were in Indianapolis in 1995–that division still works though.
The Cardinals had moved to Arizona and the Rams just moved to St Louis— the Rams and Cardinals probably need to be swapped.

The Browns inactivation and birth of the Baltimore Ravens actually works well for that division — no changes there.

The Oilers move to Tennessee also wouldn’t require any changes and frankly, they could have brought the Houston Texans back into that division and forewent the move to 8 divisions of 4

Here's what the divisions would look like with the changes you mentioned:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Giants New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles

Metropolitan: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

Southeast: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Western Conference

Midwest: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams

Pacific: Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks

Southwest: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans

(11-26-2025 06:39 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  1. Why did they keep the AFC and NFC? Why not realign geographically and fully integrate the 10 newcomers.

2. Why didn’t they keep the crossover teams together? The Colts, Steelers, and Browns all made the jump over but were split up. They could have kept them together and added the relatively new Bengals (who geographically made no sense in the AFL WEST) to the AFC Central and left the other 2 AFC divisions as they were?

3. The NFC divisions don’t make much sense either. 5 Midwestern teams = NFC Central. Atlanta made more sense than Dallas in the East. Dallas makes more sense with New Orleans and the 2 West Coast teams.

Here’s how it would have looked with me in charge:

AFC East: NE Patriots, BUF Bills, NY Jets, MIA Dolphins, HOU Oilers
AFC Central: BAL Colts, PIT Steelers, CLE Browns, CIN Bengals
AFC West: OAK Raiders, SD Chargers, DEN Broncos, KC Chiefs

NFC East: NY Giants, PHI Eagles, WAS Redskins, ATL Falcons
NFC Central: DET Lions, CHI Bears, GB Packers, MIN Vikings, STL Cardinals
NFC West: NO Saints, DAL Cowboys, LA Rams, SF 49ers

The TB Buccaneers join the NFC East and the SEA Seahawks still join the AFC West.

Jaguars still join the AFC Central but the Panthers are stuck in the NFC West unless the Arizona Cardinals agree to switch to the NFC West and give the Panthers their spot in the NFC Central.

The realignment to 8 divisions still ends up virtually the same except the Ravens are in the AFC South and the Colts are in the North. The Cowboys and Falcons are also swapped.

Well the Colts were in the West, Steelers and Browns in the Century division. The Colts and Browns had their roots in the AAFC, so that may have been part of the reason they were selected. The 49ers were the other surviving member of the AAFC (whose survivors merged with the NFL in 1950).

(11-26-2025 06:39 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  1. Why did they keep the AFC and NFC? Why not realign geographically and fully integrate the 10 newcomers.

It was a mix of the AFL teams not wanting to lose their identity, trying to keep the AFL from being seen as a junior league, teams from both leagues wanting to preserve certain rivalries, and even the AFL's TV contract. The over-the-air contracts being predominantly by conference continues to this day.

Had the NFL gone strictly geographic for 1970: (*former AFL team)

Coastal - LA Rams, SF 49ers, Oakland Raiders*, San Diego Chargers*
Southwest - Denver*, Kansas City*, Houston Oilers*, Dallas, New Orleans
Central - Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, St. Louis Cardinals

Central - Detroit, Cincinnati*, Cleveland, Pittsburgh
Northeast - Philadelphia, Washington, NY Giants, Baltimore Colts
Coastal - Buffalo*, NY Jets*, Boston Patriots*, Miami*, Atlanta

In 1976, Seattle joins the Western Coastal. Tampa Bay joins the Eastern Coastal with the now-New England Patriots joining the Northeast.

In 1982, the Oakland Raiders move to Los Angeles, with no alignment changes.

In 1984, the Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis, swapping divisions with Pittsburgh.

In 1988, the St. Louis Cardinals move to Phoenix, swapping divisions with Kansas City.

In 1995, Carolina and Jacksonville are added, the Raiders move back to Oakland, and the Rams move to St. Louis, causing divisions shifts with Denver and Kansas City. Pittsburgh and Buffalo move to the Central. Carolina plays its first two seasons in the Western Central, before Detroit becomes the permanent member of the division. In 1996, the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore and become the Ravens, without changing divisions. In 1997, the Houston Oilers move to Tennessee, with St Louis again moving to the Southwest.

Coastal - Denver*, SF 49ers, Oakland Raiders*, San Diego Chargers*, Seattle
Southwest - Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Dallas, New Orleans, Kansas City*
Central - Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Tennessee*

Central - Cincinnati*, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh, Buffalo*
Northeast - Philadelphia, Washington, NY Giants, NY Jets*, New England*
Coastal - Carolina, Miami*, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville

In 1999, the Cleveland Browns are reinstated and join the Eastern Central.

In 2002, the Houston Texans are enfranchised, and the NFL goes to four divisions:

Coastal - SF 49ers, Oakland Raiders*, San Diego Chargers*, Arizona Cardinals
Southwest - Dallas, New Orleans, Houston Texans, Tennessee
Central - Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit
Northwest - Denver*, Seattle, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City*

Central - Cincinnati*, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh, Cleveland
Northeast - NY Giants, NY Jets*, New England*, Buffalo*
Coastal - Carolina, Baltimore Ravens, Washington, Philadelphia
Southeast - Miami*, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville

The Rams returning to Los Angeles in 2016 causes them doesn't make for any great division swaps, so they stay out in the Northwest until the Raiders move to Las Vegas, causing San Francisco to be the odd one out:

Coastal - LA Rams, Las Vegas Raiders*, LA Chargers*, Arizona Cardinals
Southwest - Dallas, New Orleans, Houston Texans, Tennessee
Central - Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit
Northwest - Denver*, Seattle, Kansas City*, San Francisco