In the SFL, nothing matters more than competing within your division or conference. You play 6 division games a year as well as 12 games within conference. Furthermore, winning your division guarantees you a spot in the playoffs, even if you do so with a losing record. There's also nothing more compelling than a super competitive division where playoff spots come down to the wire, as we are currently seeing with the AFC East, NFC East, and NFC West. As we wrap up the 5th regular season in SFL history, let's take a look at some of the best and worst divisions and conferences we've seen to date. Then we can see what we've witnessed this season has a chance to fit into that overall picture.
Best Divisions5. 2004 NFC South (38-26-0) 
(12-4) 
(11-5) 
(8-8 ) 
(7-9)We kick things off with the 2004 NFC South. This division was heralded as one of the best of all time in the moment, and it turns out it's true. They are tied for the 4th highest combined win total of all time, but are ranked 5th because only one team actually made the playoffs after the Atlanta Falcons were robbed of a playoff berth at 11-5. It's no coincidence that this happened in the most winning conference of all time, the 2004 NFC, as will be shown later on. It's a shame too, as while the Panthers earned a 1st round bye and then dispatched the Panthers, they lost to the Redskins in the NFC Championship game and did not represent their division in the Superbowl. This division also narrowly missed the distinction of having all teams at or above .500, with the Saints falling one game short at 7-9. Still, due to the Falcons missing the playoffs at 11-5 this division will likely live on in infamy and not be forgotten anytime soon. Who knows if we will ever see that happen again - I doubt we will ever see the "record" broken.
4. 2005 AFC East (38-26-0) 
(14-2) 
(11-5) 
(7-9) 
(6-10)The 2005 AFC East also finished with 38 wins, but got the nod in a "tiebreaker" because it featured two playoff teams. You could make the argument the NFC South division should be higher because it featured more teams with .500 or better records, but really, they are tied on this list no matter how you want to slice it. The Patriots were the real powerhouse of this division, but the Jets 11-5 record was nothing to sneeze at. We will see shortly that this wasn't this groupings best year on record, but it was still a great season for them. They were also represented by the New England Patriots in the Superbowl, although they ultimately lost a close game to the Arizona Cardinals.
3. 2002 AFC West (39-25-0) 
(11-5) 
(10-6) 
(9-7) 
(9-7)It's hard to imagine at this point in time that the AFC West would be featured on this list, but it's true they at one point were the best division in the league when it first kicked off. It most likely is quite remarkably the only time that every team in the division finished at 9-7 or better, although this year's version of the NFC East could have something to say about that. However, this year's NFC East would still be 3 wins short of the 2002 AFC West's win total in that scenario. Unfortunately only two of these teams - the Raiders and the Chargers - were able to advance to the post-season, and even worse they had to face each other in the opening round! The Raiders moved on before being vanquished by the eventual AFC champions the Indianapolis Colts. The division has been on the decline ever since, and who knows when we will see them reach these heights again.
2. 2004 NFC North (40-24-0) 
(13-3) 
(12-4) 
(12-4) 
(3-13)#2 on this list is the 2004 NFC North division. The thing that immediately stands out about this division is that it featured three 12 win teams, which is quite a feat. If the Lions did not finish with only three wins it had the potential to be the best of all time, although their 0-6 division record no doubt contributed to the win totals for the other teams in the division. Unlike the NFC South division from this same year that was also featured here, three of these teams - the Packers, Vikings, and Bears - all made it to the post-season. The Bears lost in the wildcard round, while the Vikings and Packers were both ousted in the divisional round. As the one team from the NFC South made it further than all three teams from the NFC North some might argue that division was superior, but three 12 win teams still says otherwise. In fact the NFC North was a huge reason the Falcons were on the outside looking in come playoff time. Either way, both divisions combined to help form the best conference we have seen to date - and possibly the best we will ever see.
1. 2003 AFC East (42-21-1) (13-3) (13-3) (10-5-1) (6-10)Is it any surprise that the AFC East sits atop these rankings? With Kevin, Travis, Daren, and now Brandon and the rising Bills all in the same division, it shouldn't. Their 42 win season in 2003 is the winningest division of all time, and the second iteration of the AFC East to make this list. While the 2004 NFC North was the only division to ever have three 12 win teams, I think it's safe to say this is the only division to ever feature two 13 win teams. They also had a tie, so it's worth noting they had three less losses than the runner up. As has been a common theme here - none of these teams were able to go on to win the Superbowl. The Jets and Dolphins won their wildcard match-ups, which put all three squads in the divisional round. After the Jets lost to the Ravens and the Patriots and Dolphins were forced to play each other, only the Dolphins made it to the conference championship game where they faced the same fate as the Jets at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, who would go on to eventually win the Superbowl. As clear winners in these rankings, it's fair to wonder when we will see a division that can compete with the strength of this one. Averaging just barely over 5 losses per team, the answer could be never, although I think it's far from out of reach.
Worst Division 2003 AFC South (22-42-0) 
(12-4) 
(4-12) 
(4-12) 
(3-13)While we won't get too far into the worst divisions as I don't think it's too compelling, I do think it's worth giving a shoutout to the least winningest division of all time - the 2003 AFC South. This is almost a mirror image of the 2004 NFC North which featured a team with 13 wins and two teams with 12 losses, as this division produced two 12 loss teams as well as a 13 loss team. Meanwhile, the Colts dominated the proceedings here with a 12-4 record. In hindsight, after reeling off 7 straight wins to start the season, they could have stopped playing after Week 5 and
still won this division. As a hardly battle tested team, it's not too surprising that they were ousted in the wildcard round by the Jets. Also unsurprisingly, this division had three teams all picking in the top 5 of the draft, with the Titans infamously tanking to earn the first overall pick which they used to select QB Phillip Rivers. The 2004 AFC South is also tied for the second-worst division of all time with 25 wins.
All-Time Division Leaders
Here we can see the all-time win totals for each division. With two top-five finishes in the above rankings it is no surprise that the AFC East absolutely dominates this table. With 149 wins and 1 tie to their name, they are head and shoulders above the next best division. The NFC South lays claim to that title with 137 all-time wins, while the AFC West actually ranks third with 132 wins and a tie. No surprise the AFC South is the least winningest division of all time with only 109 wins, while the NFC West is actually second-worst with 119 wins. It can also be seen that the AFC has historically been the stronger division, with 506 all-time losses compared to 515 for the AFC. With 4 years of records, that is actually pretty remarkably close however.
Conference Wars
At the top of this list is the 2004 NFC conference. With 135 wins they are clearly the best conference of all time, as only the 2002 AFC has come within 5 wins of that mark, although the 2003 AFC and their 3 ties are within just 2 losses. Other than that one season, however, the AFC has somewhat dominated. Their 2002, 2003, and 2005 seasons are all better than any other season the NFC has had, and it hasn't really been close. While the AFC has had 3 seasons with 130 wins or more, the NFC has only one with more than 125 wins. The 2002, 2003, and 2005 iterations of the conference finished with 123, 124, and 125 wins, respectively. While the AFC has been more consistent though, they do hold claim to the worst conference of all time during the 2004 season, which only makes sense considering that the 2004 NFC was the best. In that year the AFC finished with just 121 wins.
How does 2006 Fit In?None of this year's divisions figure to be particularly noteworthy, although a couple do have the potential to make some noise in the Top 5. The NFC West currently sits atop the season rankings with 36 wins, while the AFC East and NFC East both have 34 wins. The AFC South has been the worst division again this year, with only 24 wins to date. The NFC has one inter-division battle in Week 17, so while that will give them a guaranteed win, it means they don't have a chance to get to the 38 win mark to tie one of the top 5 all-time divisions. If all of the AFC East teams win this week, they will tie their 2005 season record of 38 wins, and perhaps push this ranking to a top 6 list. The NFC West can actually the tie the 2004 NFC North division for second-best all time if all of their teams win and they pick up 4 Week 17 victories. That would put the Seahawks at 12-4, the Rams and Cardinals at 10-6, and the 49ers at 8-8. They also still can feature three teams in the playoff race. While the NFC East has the potential for all 4 of their teams to make it, it is only possible for any 2 of them to make it in the same scenario. If the AFC South does not pick up a win this week, which is possible with no inter-division games, they would be the new clear second-worst division of all time.
This year's NFC conference currently holds an 8 win advantage over the AFC, which would give the NFC one more win but one more loss given the AFCs 4 all-time ties. There are only 2 intra-conference games remaining this season - the 49ers vs the Broncos and the Cardinals vs the Chargers. These contests could determine a new all-time leader in the conference wars if the NFC is able to go 2-0 in these games.
As for the best conferences of all time, the NFC has the potential to get anywhere from 131 to 133 wins this season, while the AFC will get between 123 and 125 wins. This means the NFC will have their second best year of all time - second to only the remarkable 2004 season - and the chance to match the AFCs best-ever effort. Meanwhile, the AFC is guaranteed to put together their second-worst season of all time, and will either tie for second-worst of all time or put themselves in the middle of the pack with 125 wins. This will balance things out a bit, as before this year the AFC had three seasons that were better than the NFCs second-best campaign.
