New NFL Division Format Proposal

 The NFL should have two divisions in each conference to help make things fairer. In the NFC, the South and East would be a division and the North and West would be another. In the AFC, the North and East would be one and the South and West would be another. Teams would play teams in their current division (now called subdivision) twice and every other team in their new division (teams from the other subdivision) once, alternating home games each season.

The NFL has added a 7th team to the playoffs in each conference (hopefully for this year only. Nothing like hurting a playoff brand like adding mediocrity). That helps the current system because the 3rd Wild Card team often has a better record than the 4th division winner. But it solves the only major problem of my new format, which is that the worse division winner in a conference could have a worse record that the 2nd place team in the other division, and yet still get the bye. Now only the top seed gets the bye.

AFC
Current format
1. KC 12-1
2. Pit 11-2
3. Buf 10-3
4. Ten 9-4
5. Cle 9-4
6. Ind 9-4
7. Mia 8-5

New format
1. KC 12-1
2. Pit 11-2
3. Buf 10-3
4. Cle 9-4
5. Ind 9-4
6. Ten 9-4
7. Mia 8-5

The landings look similar except in the new format, everything would be wide open. Currently, Ten or Ind will finish in at least 4th place. Cle is really only competing with Pit for a spot 4th or better. The tie-breaker would change in the new format because three teams would be tied and not for the division lead.

NFC
Current formant
1. GB 10-3
2. NO 10-3
3. LAR 9-4
4. Was 6-7
5. Sea 9-4
6. TB 8-5
7. Ari 7-6

New format
1. GB 10-3
2. NO 10-3
3 LAR 9-4
4. Sea 9-4
5. TB 8-5
6. Ari 7-6
7. Min 6-7

See a problem with the current format? The NFC East is particularly bad this season. It happens with at least one division just about every year. At worst, that division winner has a worse record than teams missing the playoffs. At best, that division's winner gets an undeserved home game in the playoffs.

Not only does the new format rectify that perennial injustice, but it would make the division and playoff races more exciting. Right now, the NFC North is over. But in the new format, GB would only be a game ahead of Sea and LAR for the NorthWest Division lead. In the current format, two teams are a game behind the lone team in 7th place. In the new format, 3 teams would be tied for 7th place, which is much more exciting.