The number you are ranked in your conference (NFC or AFC) going into the post season.
Mustard or cress.
The number 1 ranked NBA seed not conference or division.
The top 8 teams of the Eastern Conference and the top 8 teams of the Western Conference will compete in a best of 7 series until the last 2 teams in each conference are left to battle for the conference finals. The two conference finals winners will now compete for the NBA finals. The team with the most number of wins in the regular season gains the home court advantage over the opposing team. In bracketing, the first seed battles the 8th seed; the 2nd seed battles the 7th seed; the 3rd seed battles the 6th seed and also goes with the 4th and 5th seed. The winners will advance to the 2nd round then the finals.
The Calgary Flames were the 6th seed in the Western Conference
One with the most in their conference
2012 Los Angeles Kings - 8th seed in Western Conference
Each conference has four divisions. The teams with the best regular season record in their respective divisions get an automatic bid and are ranked 1-4 accordingly. Then of the remaining teams, the two with the best records in each conference are the wild cards and they are ranked 5 and 6 accordingly. It does not matter if the wild card team's record is better than a division winner's record; they are still ranked lower. This gives a total of 12 teams, six from the AFC and six from the NFC. The 1 and 2 teams in each conference receive a bye and jump to the next round with home field advantage. In the wild card round, the 3 seed plays the 6 seed and the four seed plays the 5 seed in each conference, the higher seed getting home filed advantage. In the following round, the 1 seed plays the lowest seed remaining and the 2 seed plays the other winner from the first round. The third round are the conference championships where the final two teams from each conference play, the higher seed getting home field advantage, and the winner being crowned conference champion. Finally the two conference champions play in the Superbowl, in which home field alternates each year.
Each conference has four divisions. The teams with the best regular season record in their respective divisions get an automatic bid and are ranked 1-4 accordingly. Then of the remaining teams, the two with the best records in each conference are the wild cards and they are ranked 5 and 6 accordingly. It does not matter if the wild card team's record is better than a division winner's record; they are still ranked lower. This gives a total of 12 teams, six from the AFC and six from the NFC. The 1 and 2 teams in each conference receive a bye and jump to the next round with home field advantage. In the wild card round, the 3 seed plays the 6 seed and the four seed plays the 5 seed in each conference, the higher seed getting home filed advantage. In the following round, the 1 seed plays the lowest seed remaining and the 2 seed plays the other winner from the first round. The third round are the conference championships where the final two teams from each conference play, the higher seed getting home field advantage, and the winner being crowned conference champion. Finally the two conference champions play in the Superbowl, in which home field alternates each year.
The Los Angeles kings baby!!
The 2011 Armed Forces Bowl is scheduled to have Conference USA's 3rd seed team play against Brigham Young University on December 30 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The highest remaining seed in the conference (Eastern or Western) plays the lowest remaining seed in their respective conference. Then the next highest seed gets the next lowest possible seed, and so on. For example, if after round #1 seeds 1, 2, 4, and 6 remain; 1 plays 6, and 2 plays 4.