Rules: Postseason Mini-Explainer

As we head into our revamped postseason, I just wanted to take the opportunity to remind and clarify the upcoming postseason changes. Please review these two posts too, but this should serve as a mini-explainer: New Postseason 2.0 and Conferences, Re-Seeding, No Roster Lock.

Postseason Setup
• We establish Power Rankings according to regular season finish and then the top eight seeds, #1-8, are slotted into the playoffs while #9-16 are headed to the Toilet Bowl. Note that seeds are assigned irrespective of conferences.

• Every team plays three postseason games, as we will be playing for exact RD1 draft order -- aka "draft slots" -- next season. Thus all sixteen teams will be playing all the way through to consolation games in both playoffs and Toilet Bowl.

• After each postseason round, we reseed matchups accordingly. So if #4 upsets #1 seed, they will face #2 seed in next round.

• The trade deadline goes into effect at the conclusion of the regular season, but free agents and waivers remain available throughout the postseason. Roster lock is now dead!


How Will Next Year's Draft Work?
• Round 1: We play for all draft slots, with Toilet Bowl teams playing for picks *1-8 and the playoff teams playing for *9-16. [Take a look at the bottom of New Postseason 2.0 for round one draft slots image and explainer.]

• Round 2-6: After establishing Power Rankings, starting with RD2, we draft in high to low Power Ranking order, meaning #1-16 teams draft *1-16 picks. After RD2, we start snaking, starting with RD3 and continuing through to RD6.

• #9/10 seeds: Remember that seeds #9 and 10 cannot receive the *1 or *2 overall pick. So even if seeds #9 or 10 win the Toilet Bowl, they will draft *3 at best. Should this happen, the next Toilet Bowl finisher would slide up a slot (or two).

We’ll dub this the “Swamp Rule” after our esteemed Swamp Dragons' back-to-back Toilet Bowl wins with winning records both times.