At Juiced Sports we’re always digging up random, obscure facts so that you, the sports fan can be the most well informed you can possibly be.  Here’s an analysis of the NFL from 2002-2009, and some trends to look for come playoff time.  Rearrange your predictions accordingly.

SCOTT JACOBS

We went through every NFL season since the league realigned to eight 4 team divisions and broke down some interesting patterns.  Starting with the NFC:

* What division has owned the NFC’s top spot since 2002?  Not surprisingly the East.  You would think with teams constantly beating up on one another that it would hurt a team’s ability to ascend to the top spot, but nope.  In fact, since 2002 the East has been at the top (where the air is crisp) 5 times.  No other division has been represented more than once during that time.

* Despite St. Louis and Seattle’s strongholds on the West earlier in the decade, the NFC West is the division least likely to get it’s winner a bye.  Since 2002 only twice has the West gotten some extra rest (that being 2003 and 2005).  With Kurt Warner retiring don’t expect that trend to change in 2010.

*  The East is one wild division.  With the lone exception of 2004 the East is practically a lock year in and year out to nab the 5th or 6th spot. This should surprise no one.  As for the West and the North, well they’ve sent just 2 teams a piece, outside their division winner to the post-season since the Texans joined the league.

*  The difference between the 1 seed and 2 seed is very little.  One seeds have been 6-2 since 2002 in getting to at least the NFC Championship game.  Two seeds are 5-3.  Either way, getting byes doesn’t make you a lock to go far, though at 11-5 it’s still a pretty good regular season record.

*  The West doesn’t win much, but when they make it to they Championship game they have the best mark amongst any division (2-0).  The South surprisingly has brought the most teams to the NFC Championship, including all four at one point or another in the last 8 years.  In fact, chances are when push comes to shove, that the NFC South is going to be represented in the final four.  Just two years out of the last 8 have they been shut out.

* If you ain’t third, you practically last.  Teams that finished 4th, 5th, and 6th in the NFC are not likely to get very far.  Since 2002, just one 4 seed, 5 seed, and 6 seed have made it to the NFC’s biggest stage.

* The South is most likely to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.  And why not?  With the parity in that division it seems like every year some team comes out of nowhere to make a run.  That’s not an illusion.  With Carolina, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans making it in the last 8 years to the Big Game, only Atlanta is left from making the NFC South an incredible 4 for 4.

Photo: AP

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