More Title Game(s) start time(s) notes
Theoretically the conferences should alternate in having the better rated later title game.
This will mark 20 straight seasons in which that has been the case. Starting with the Bill Parcells coached New England Patriots’ home win vs the Tom Coughlin coached Jacksonville Jaguars after the 1996 regular season, the AFC has been the conference with the later title tilt in 10 consecutive even years (1996-2014) while the NFC will have ten straight odd year seasons after Sunday (1997-2015.
The other 25, (in the strike marred 1982 NFL season, there were title games played on both Saturday and Sunday) beginning with the AFC/NFC configuration in 1970 were not evenly distributed. The NFC “highlighted” by a streak of 8 (1988-1995) had 17 of the 25 later conference title games in that period. Altogether the NFC has played its same day conference title game later than the AFC, sixty percent of the time (27 of 45).
Perhaps they deserved it as in the aforementioned 8 straight seasons (1988-1995) that the NFC had the later title tilt, the NFC representative won all 8 Super Bowls later contested vs the AFC representative. That was part of a 13 game win skein in the Super Bowl by NFC teams, (1984-1996).
With far less power, the AFL, the far newer league, played its title game later than the NFL in 3 of the 4 instances before each league’s winner met in the Super Bowl (1966-1969).
Click above for a more interesting and certainly humorous look at an “interpretation” of numbers.
Sidney Fields, pictured above was also involved in the classic bit.
Andy B Sports 