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Q: The New England Patriots went 18-1 last year and came within a whisker of being Super Bowl Champions yet they have the easiest schedule in the NFL (opponent's record 99-157). The Steelers have the league's toughest schedule (153-103 opponent's record). How could that be?

Pat Perri, Bakersfield, Calif.

BOUCHETTE: Unlike the draft, the NFL does not reward teams with poor records when it schedules games the following season except for two games. The rotation for schedules is determined years in advance whereby every team in one division plays every team in one NFC division and one AFC division -- accounting for eight opponents. Add those to the six games against each team's division foes and that amounts to 14 games. The other two games come against the other two AFC divisions that are not on the schedule that year and are determined by what place a team finishes. For example, the entire AFC North plays the entire AFC South this season. That leaves the AFC West and the AFC East. The first place finisher in '07 from the North, the Steelers, will play the first-place finishers from the West (San Diego) and the East (New England). It follows that second-place plays second-place and so on. It just so happens that the AFC North teams have the tougher schedules by luck of the draw -- they play the AFC South, which had three playoff teams last season, and the NFC East, the only other division with three playoff teams. And those two divisions also had 8-8 teams in fourth and last place. Add the Chargers and Patriots to the Steelers' schedule and you wind up with one rough card.