Steelers Really Haven't Clinched or Broken Playoff Machine?

I was playing with the ESPN Playoff Machine and found a scenario where the Steelers don't make it. So either the reporting is way off, or the algorithm used in the Playoff Machine is wrong. Man, I hope its ESPN.

Here is the link for my picks. Hopefully I missed something.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/mac...0554412~2~400554437~1~400554411~1~400554439~2

 

don't worry WE ARE IN
they just like to try to ruin our christmas

 

I saw the same thing also earlier but I have heard that the espn machine is not accurate

 

Not sure. Here is the tiebreaker info from that machine

• 5th Seed - San Diego
  Wins tie break over Baltimore based on head-to-head win percentage. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Pittsburgh (Baltimore wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on best win percentage in common games).
• 6th Seed - Baltimore
  Wins tie break over Pittsburgh based on best win percentage in common games

 

we have better division record vs balt

anyway everywhere say we clinched .. only that stupid machine say that

 

Welcome to the board Stillers n 'at. We don't like your playoff machine.

 

looks like they fixed it for your scenario

• 5th Seed - Pittsburgh
  Wins tie break over San Diego based on best win percentage in conference games. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Baltimore (Pittsburgh wins tie break over Baltimore based on best win percentage in conference games).
• 6th Seed - San Diego
  Wins tie break over Baltimore based on head-to-head win percentage.

 

Steelers have 10 wins. There are 4 teams with the potential for 10 wins competing for 3 positions. Regardless of San Diego, the best the Ravens can do is 10 wins, the Steelers have a better div record than they do. So, they are definitely in. But, I believe they have the tie breaker over the Chargers which is why Beating KC clinched a spot regardless of the outcome of the other games.

With the Colts loss, Steelers can be the 3 seed by winning next week. They will be listed as such tomorrow night if the Bengals lose. Win in the Wildcard round and go to Denver. I see them as being more vulnerable than NE.

 

I saw that too. The problem is they hadn't updated the common opponents yet.

If Baltimore wins vs Cleveland next week and the Steelers lose to Cincy, the Baltimore and Pittsburgh's record in the common 14 games would be 9-5 each, meaning the tiebreaker would go to AFC record, where the Steelers would advance.

 

yes the fact we have losses to NO and TB actually helps us

 

I see that now.

I did not understand that common opponents thing and wonder why it is ahead of the conference record in the division tie breakers but is after the conference records in the wild card tie breakers. This is the reason for this confusion I think.

Now if you are breaking a 10-6 tie between Pit-Bal you got 1-1 head to head [out] both 3-3 in division [out]like you said both 9-5 vs common opponents [out] then no contest in the conference records Pit 8-4 Bal 6-6.

First of all I absolutely despise the [I think] recent change in div tb's putting the common games ahead of conference record.

Now if this is the way the winner was decided then it SUCKS even more than I originally thought.

The Steelers [TS] got in because they lost to the JETS and beat KC 1-1. While Bal lost to SD and beat MIA 1-1. So then obviously the other 14 games were common so we get the 9-5.

Am I to understand that if TS had beaten the JETS and lost to any other team they would be 8-6 vs CO's. Therefore out???

In other words then the league has two faced the concept of fairness when they came up with those 2 games vs conference teams from the other two AFC divisions not played. Technically those two games would not ordinarily figure in the tie breaker. Assume Cinci ended up 10-6 then their 2 losses vs div champs DEN and NE would not have been counted and more than likely they would end up the champion. How fair would that have been?? The conference tie breaker should be ahead of the common games crap.

However in this case there is a 3rd team involved. And the Wild Card tb's are not the same as the div tb's. The conference records are ahead of the common games crap.

I simply figured since head to head was out - Pit did not play SD, div records was out, SD is in the West, then the logical tie breaker was the conference record which all 3 teams were in the same one. If that is not how this was done then this NFL is FOS. One more thing. Okay say that those 3 were tied and before SD comes into play the team from the North is decided. Then why would the team from the North not still be alive for the second wild card? In this case PIT easily knocks out SD. But since SD beat BAl they would eliminate them.

Okay! I do think I am wrong on this because well step 1 clearly says it.

[h=1]TO BREAK A TIE FOR THE WILD-CARD TEAM[/h]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.

I guess this is how it was done. Had Bal eliminated Pit then Pit being better than SD would not have mattered.

But it would have been equally unfair if assuming PIT lost to KC and SD and KC were involved. Then if SD eliminated KC which would have eliminated PIT if only two teams were involved then PIT eliminated SD that would be just as unfair. Think about it. If say 5 teams are all tied record wise. And your team is better than all the others except the one in your own division. You are out! Does that make any sense.