Pittsburgh fans shouldn’t sweat strength of schedule

By Kyle Chrise  |   Wednesday, July 16, 2008  |  Comments( 7 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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Upon first glance at this year’s schedule, it seems the Pittsburgh Steelers will have quite an uphill battle when it comes to keeping the AFC North crown. But don’t fret, Steelers fans; here’s why the predicted strength of schedule joins trigonometry and calculus as the type of number crunching that doesn’t apply to normal life.

The Steelers -- whose upcoming opponents had a .598 winning percentage in 2007, combining for 153 total wins -- appear to have the NFL's toughest schedule entering this season. Only the Colts are in the same league as Pittsburgh, with their opponents flaunting a .594 winning percentage.

It looks scary, but all you have to do is study last year’s strength of schedule to realize that it doesn’t reveal much about how a team will perform. In 2007, only one team predicted to have among the toughest schedules actually did.

Predicted strength of schedule for '07:

Raiders - .539
Bills - .539
Patriots - .535
Titans - .520
Colts - .516
Chiefs - .516
Jets - .516

Actual strength of schedule for '07:

Eagles - .563
Redskins - .555
Bears - .543
Lions - .543
Dolphins - .539
Jets - .523
Panthers - .523

In some cases teams believed to have it tough really had it easy. The Patriots came into last season with the third-toughest schedule and ended up having the seventh-easiest slate. The converse was also true for a few teams. The Bears and Panthers were believed to have two of the easiest schedules in the league before the campaign started, but they ended up having two of the most difficult.

So what does this all mean for the 2008 Steelers? Here are the facts: Six games will be against division opponents, and anything can happen in those matchups. Eight games will be against teams that made the playoffs last year. That seems daunting, but division rivals the Bengals, Browns and Ravens will each also face eight playoff teams from last season.

Make no mistake, the Steelers have a hard road ahead of them. Besides the tough division, they'll take on the Jaguars, Giants, Colts, Chargers, Patriots and Cowboys this year. But forget about preseason predictions. Instead, fans, trade the crystal ball for a Terrible Towel and let the number crunching happen when the jerseys collide at the line of scrimmage.
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About Kyle Chrise

Like a modern-day Moses, Kyle was found drifting down the Monongahela River, wrapped in a Terrible Towel, next to what was then Three Rivers Stadium. Found and raised by the stadium's grounds crew, Chrise lived and breathed Steelers football. As a youngster, he earned the trust of new head coach ...
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