USAFL
Tie-Breakers
TIEBREAKER
RULES
The following procedures will be used to break
standings ties for postseason playoffs and to
determine regular-season schedules. Note: Tie games
count as a half win and half loss for both clubs.
(these are official NFL Rules)
As of the 2090 USAFL season,
we updated our Tiebreaker Rules to match the recent
NFL changes to their Tiebreaker Rules. Before the
2002 NFL season, they changed their Tiebreaker
Rules. The USAFL Tiebreak Rules now match the NFL's.
To break a tie within a division
If, at the end of the regular season, two or more
clubs in the same division finish with identical
won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will
be taken until a champion is determined.
Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in
games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played
within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played
within the conference.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in
points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points
scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other
clubs are eliminated during any step, tie breaker
reverts to step 1 of the two-club format).
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in
games among the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played
within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played
within the conference.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in
points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points
scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM
If it is necessary to break ties to determine the
two Wild-Card clubs from each conference, the
following steps will be taken.
1. If the tied clubs are from the same division,
apply division tie breaker.
2. If the tied clubs are from different divisions,
apply the following steps.
Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played
within the conference.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games,
minimum of four.
4. Strength of victory.
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in
points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points
scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.
Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after third or other
clubs are eliminated, tie breaker reverts to step 1
of applicable two-club format.)
1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but
the highest ranked club in each division prior to
proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a
division upon application of the division tie
breaker remains the same for all subsequent
applications of the procedure that are necessary to
identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club
has defeated each of the others or if one club has
lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played
within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games,
minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory.
6. Strength of schedule.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in
points scored and points allowed.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points
scored and points allowed.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss
When the first Wild-Card team has been identified,
the procedure is repeated to name the second
Wild-Card, i.e., eliminate all but the
highest-ranked club in each division prior to
proceeding to step 2. In situations where three or
more teams from the same division are involved in
the procedure, the original seeding of the teams
remains the same for subsequent applications of the
tie breaker if the top-ranked team in that division
qualifies for a Wild-Card berth.
OTHER TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES
1. Only one club advances to the playoffs in any
tie-breaking step. Remaining tied clubs revert to
the first step of the applicable division or
Wild-Card tie breakers. As an example, if two clubs
remain tied in any tie-breaker step after all other
clubs have been eliminated, the procedure reverts to
step one of the two-club format to determine the
winner. When one club wins the tie breaker, all
other clubs revert to step 1 of the applicable
two-club or three-club format.
2. In comparing division and conference records or
records against common opponents among tied teams,
the best won-lost-tied percentage is the deciding
factor since teams may have played an unequal number
of games.
3. To determine home-field priority among division
titlists, apply Wild-Card tie breakers.
4. To determine home-field priority for Wild-Card
qualifiers, apply division tie breakers (if teams
are from the same division) or Wild-Card tie
breakers (if teams are from different divisions).
TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURE FOR DRAFT NIGHT
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection
order, the strength-of-schedule tie breaker is
applied, subject to the following exceptions for
playoff clubs:
1. The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl
loser next-to-last.
2. Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie
shall be assigned priority within its segment below
that of non-playoff clubs and in the order that the
playoff clubs exited from the playoffs. Thus, within
a tied segment a playoff club that loses in the
Wild-Card game will have priority over a playoff
club that loses in the Divisional playoff game,
which in turn will have priority over a club that
loses in the Conference Championship game. If two
tied clubs exited the playoffs in the same round,
the tie is broken by strength of schedule.
If any ties cannot be broken by strength of
schedule, the divisional or conference tie breakers,
whichever are applicable, are applied. Any ties that
still exist are broken by a coin flip.
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