Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

5-at-10: NFL power poll, SEC listings, jersey talk, Describe UT football in one word

New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leaves the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. Garoppolo did not return to the game. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leaves the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. Garoppolo did not return to the game. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

NFL power poll

OK, the league’s No. 1 goal for its teams and its regular season is parity.

Balance across all divisions gives every franchise a fighting chance, at least in the wide-eyed optimism that is the preseason and into the first few weeks of September. But know this: If your team is 0-2 they have a 12 percent chance of making the playoffs since the league went to the two-wildcard system.

Twelve percent.

In this balance of power the numbers are pretty staggering considering there are eight 0-2 teams, 16 1-1 teams and eight 2-0 teams. That’s a perfectly symmetrical bell curve that would even make your physics professor smile.