This week, with the extended 2001 regular season completed, the National Football League announced who will be playing whom and where next fall.  The NFL will have a new layout next year, with new divisions in each of the two conferences, with the addition of the Houston Texans.

Each team will play 16 games. Six of those games will see a particular team face its three division opponents home and away.

Four games will see the team meet teams from another division in the same conference. This part of the schedule will rotate every three years.

Another four games will involve the team facing four teams from a division in the other conference. This part will rotate every four years.

Here is where it gets complicated. There will be two intraconference games based on the standings of the preceding year.  For instance, the first-place teams will meet the other first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. Likewise for the second-place, third place teams, etc.

Maybe if you draw yourself a grid, things will fall into place.

What it means for the Cleveland Browns’ schedule it this. Their division opponents in the American Football Conference North are Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati. They’ll play them home and away.

The Browns will have other home games against Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Atlanta and Carolina.

Non-Division away games will be at Jacksonville, Tennessee, the New York Jets, New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

For Pittsburgh fans, besides their division rivals, the Steelers will host Houston, Indianapolis, Oakland, Atlanta and Carolina.  They will be away at Jacksonville, Tennessee, New England, New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

The Bengals will step outside the division to host Jacksonville, Tennessee, San Diego, New Orleans and Tampa Bay.  They will travel to Houston, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Atlanta and Carolina.

Baltimore will be at home to Jacksonville, Tennessee, Denver, New Orleans and Tampa Bay and will be on the road at Houston, Indianpolis, Miami, Atlanta and Carolina.

Actual dates of the games will be announced later. The season will begin September Eighth and close December 30th, with the Superbowl set for January 26th, 2003.

The Detroit Lions are part of the National Football Conference North, along with Chicago, Green Bay and Minnesota. The Lions’ other home games will be against New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Dallas, New England and the Jets. They will be away at Atlanta, Carolina, Arizona, Buffalo and Miami.

The season is less than 240 days off.

The 2002 Winter Olympics is just around the corner, starting next month in Salt Lake City. It’s interesting to note that one of the marquee events, which is new this Olympics, has started generating some negative publicity.

This is the first year for Women’s Bobsled and promoters have for the past several weeks been trotting out two darlings of the sport, the two-person team of Jean Racine, the driver, and Jennifer Davidson, the brakeman.

They were best friends for a long time, good looking, and fast enough to offer hope of a good placing against others female bobsledders from around the world. They won the past two World Cup Championships.

Big time ad buyers like General Motors and Kellogg’s were interested in having them promote their products.

But last weekend they split. In World Cup races this year, they had only one bronze medal to show and were regularly being beaten by the Germans, who had taken all six World Cup Golds this season.

Just as the Olympic trials were getting started last weekend, Racine announced that she was dumping Davidson in favor of Gea Johnson, a former NCAA heptathlon champion.

Racine was not unmindful of the loss of a friendship and expressed her regrets about that, but said she felt that the new combination was working better. She seems to have been right.

In the trials, Racine and Johnson were the top American pair and set a track record on their first run on the course which will be used for the Olympics.

Davidson tried to get another ride, but the one likely deal fell through.

Johnson comes with some baggage of her own which could well limit the promotional potential of the pair, even if they win Olympic gold.

She is a former body builder who just last year finished a four-year suspension from track for using anabolic steroids. Not only that, but in joining Racine, she bailed out of the sled driven by Bonny Warner, who had brought her into the sport.

Macchiavelli could also have titled his book “The Princess.”