|
| |
AFSN Playoffs
Consolation Bracket Explained
The top 4 seeds play in their own bracket. Because there are only 4 teams, that bracket is run like the NCAA tournament.
What I address below pertains to seeds 5-10 only -- the consolation bracket. If there were only 4 teams in the consolation bracket, it could be run just like the championship bracket. But there are six, and that's where the problem is. Our current system addresses that problem and calculates everyone's finish based on their 2 playoff games.
I've been using the current consolation bracket format for all of my fantasy leagues since 1995, when I played in my first online league using ESPN.com. The consolation bracket format we're using is the same format ESPN.com used in 1995. I've never found any reason to change it, but I do realize it is confusing.
Many leagues do not have a consolation bracket at all. I like it because it gives everyone an opportunity to play in the fantasy postseason.
Here's how it works...
- With 2 wins, seeds 5-8 get 5th place. Seeds 9 and 10 are punished for their poor regular season by finishing only 6th.
- Going 1-1 places you 6th-9th depending upon your seed and the order of your win and loss. The only thing a little strange about this is that if you are seeded 5, 6, 9, or 10, you're better off losing in the first round if you are going to lose one.
- With 2 losses, seeds 5 and 6 and rewarded for their good regular season by getting 9th. Everyone else gets 10th.
We could do it like the NFL does. They give the highest 2 seeds (5 and 6 in our case) first round byes. But that would take 3 playoff rounds instead of the current 2. And if you lose, you're out. A bracket like that is good for determining who wins the bracket, but not good for determining the finish of those who do not make it to the final game. For example, if I'm seed 7 and I lose my first round game to seed 10, what's my final place? And what's the final place of the other team that lost in the first round?
|
