You know what's worse than barely missing the playoffs? Missing the playoffs when you thought you were in. It sounds silly, but owners get burned every year because they misjudged how their league handles the playoffs and tiebreakers.
This is the time of year when teams will be eliminated or clinch spots in each remaining week. Every win or loss could end a season, guarantee a post-season berth or keep hope alive. And the difference might not be a touchdown run or goal-line stand. It might just be a quirk in the rule book.
In one of my leagues, the tiebreaker had always been total points. It was a 13-week season, and each playoff round was actually two weeks long. But people didn't like that format and wanted each round to be just one week. So the commissioner changed it, and now it's a 15-week season and two rounds of playoffs. So far so good.
But here's the thing: When they changed the season length and playoff format, the tiebreakers also changed. Now it's head-to-head record instead of total points. So even though my team is ahead of everyone by more than 100 points, if I'm tied with the wrong team I'll miss the playoffs.
I doubt it was done on purpose. It was probably the default website position, and the commissioner just went in and reset the format to make the changes people wanted. It's a casual league, so there isn't a giant rule book and we don't vote on every possible discrepancy. They don't even have decimal scoring! Barbarians, I know.
But the winner also gets enough money to pay off a Black Friday bill or two, so it's worth winning. Only now the path is a little different. I recently found out about the tiebreaker change, even though it was right there on the league's rules page. I didn't think it had changed. It doesn't affect the way I play, but it definitely affects the different playoff scenarios with just a few weeks left.
You probably know the playoff format and tiebreakers in your league. But you know what? Just to be safe, I suggest you go and check anyway. You might play in multiple leagues, and didn't realize one is a little different than the others. You might have switched league websites, and something got lost in the transfer. Or maybe you're new to the league, or didn't have any reason to worry about tiebreakers before this season.
Let's be honest: Leagues can be quirky. Some have weird scoring formats, ways of drafting players and methods for handling disputes. And yes, they might have unusual ways to determine who's in and who's out for the playoffs. Now is the time to find out.
But keep in mind that now is not the time to complain or whine if it's not to your liking. Along with the pressure to qualify for the playoffs comes a tendency to make excuses if things don't go our way. Try to avoid that temptation, even if you thought things were supposed to be different. Rare is the league that would consider changes at this point in the season.
The truth is that the exact same team could be in the playoffs in one league, but out in another. What seems like a common sense way to handle tiebreakers might be off the table, and what seems to be ridiculous could be the rule. In reality, no one way is right. But it's imperative that you know the intricacies of each league. At least you won't be surprised if your team is on the outside despite having more points or a better head-to-head record against a team that got in.
Whatever the tiebreakers are, I hope they serve your team well, and crush the dreams of your opponents. Good luck this week.
Does your league have weird or traditional tiebreakers? Ever have a league conflict over them? Share your thoughts below.
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