In the NFL, only one of every four teams is guaranteed a home playoff game every year. In the Arena Football League, every team will have a home playoff game in 2018.
Of course, that’s a lot easier to do, when the league has only four teams.
The AFL has announced its schedule for a season that will have only four teams: the Washington Valor, the Baltimore Brigade, the Philadelphia Soul, and the Albany Empire.
All four teams will make it to the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, the outcome will be decided by a home-and-home series. If one team wins both games, that team advances. If there’s a split, the team that scores the most total points moves on. If there’s a 1-1 outcome and the points are even, overtime will decide the winner.
Of course, this dynamic makes the entire 13-week season irrelevant, since the only thing the teams will be playing for the ability to choose whether to open the first round of the playoffs at home or on the road.
