[quote:f00bc9f097="jugslavin"]Would certainly like to hear input from owners on the topic of division alignment, etc.
It would be nice for rivals to be in the same division. On the other hand, how would you manipulate the divisional setup? My lack of franchise league expertise is showing here!
Also, we could up the cap to $100M, however, it seems almost certain to help the top teams and be yet another handicap for the rest. I'm inclined to stay @ $80M.[/quote:f00bc9f097]
The most fair way to align the divisions would be the same as the draft order. First 4 in the east, etc. The last teams to be selected are going to have a very difficult time competing, and if they are in a division with one of the first teams drafted, the season is probably already over for them.
As for a $100M cap, that would be insanely ridiculous for all but the top teams, and would render the whole league pointless in my opinion. By the 10th or so pick, there probably won't be teams left that you could spend $80M on, much less $100M. A $60M cap would make the league fair and competitive, and everyone would have an nearly equal chance. The higher the cap, the more unbalanced this will be.
Another way to balance things would be to let the later teams in the draft pick an extra player or two from the free agent pool after the draft. For example:
Team 1 through 12 get 2 players from the player draft based on team record as we discussed.
Teams 5 through 8 would get one extra free agent pick in addition
Teams 9 -12 would get 2 extra free agent picks
If we did this, I think it would level the playing field and it would then be fair to allow the divisions to align in whatever way we want.