I'll maintain that #1 is not particularly important, but homefield advantage is, a bye and only playing a maximum of 1 game on the road is a far easier road than playing two road games or even 3.
Of the 26 teams that have made it to the big game since 2000, 17 of them have had a first round bye followed by a home game.
Once you get to that game, history has shown us that nothing you've done until then matters.
But you can't win it til you're in it
Of the 26 teams that have made it to the big game since 2000, 17 of them have had a first round bye followed by a home game.
Once you get to that game, history has shown us that nothing you've done until then matters.
But you can't win it til you're in it