Schedule-maker doesn't play fair

The first thing you have to understand about strength-of-schedule ratings is pretty much everything you already know about them is bogus.

Think about it: We're being told the Panthers will have the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2009. Why? Because their opponents next season had the best cumulative record in 2008.

In other words, since every team will be just as good (or bad) as last season, we can accurately judge the quality of everyone's opponents in 2009.

Uh, no.

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