When 16-0 meant something more

In 1998, Mark McGwire set the sports world a-buzzin’ by hitting 70 home runs in a single season and obliterating the record set by Roger Maris way back in 1961. When it came to auction time, McGwire’s 70th home run ball was sold for more than $3 million, making it the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia in the world -- even more than the mint condition Honus Wagner rookie card that had been purchased by Wayne Gretzky. A few years later, Barry Bonds broke Big Mac’s record with 73 home runs; people were expecting big things from the 73-ball, and the auction was even broadcasted live on ESPN. However, Bonds’ record-setting ball was only sold for $450,000 -- not even a sixth of what McGwire’s ball went for.

The same phenomenon is going on in the NFL right now. The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints are both 12-0 and will play only a few more winning team the rest of the year. One or both clubs have a fantastic chance at going undefeated, yet you wouldn’t know it from the way people are treating it. Sure, people are paying attention, but compared to the focus given to the 2007 New England Patriots -- the first team to ever go 16-0 -- it’s pretty much nothing.

The reason is that in sports, there’s a saturation point just like there is in every other facet of life. When the Patriots went 16-0, it was exciting because no team had ever done it before, and no team had even had a perfect season since the ‘72 Dolphins. Two years later, if a pair of teams happen to go 16-0, what’s the big deal? Been there, done that.

It doesn’t help that neither the Colts or Saints stack up well to the 2007 Patriots. Part of the allure of that team was that they were kicking the living daylights of teams and look completely unbeatable -- you will never see the same betting lines that the Patriots got for their final games of the year. Plus, New England was going after something that hadn’t been done before and was making their case as one of the greatest teams of all time. Neither is true of the Colts or Saints, who have both had plenty of scares in the regular season, particularly New Orleans, who would have lost yesterday if not for the chokejob of the century by the Washington Redskins. As for Indianapolis, the Colts have begun the season with a perfect mark so many times lately that it doesn’t feel all that jaw-dropping -- though that could change if they actually go 16-0.

The other thing that will diminish a perfect season, should either team accomplish it, will be the state of the NFL at the moment. Never before have there been so many god-awful teams, and it’s certainly benefited the Colts and Saints. In fact the league is so top-heavy that you can make the case that had the schedulers picked tougher opponents for the Saints and Colts, neither team would be undefeated. Minnesota is 10-2 right now, but their two losses were road games against the two teams that went to the Super Bowl last year. In contrast, the Saints have played seven sub-.500 teams and haven’t had much of a challenge at all, save a road game at Philly and a home game versus the Pats.

The Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos pose the best threat to hand either team their first loss of the year. If it happens, it’ll be cool. It just won’t set the world on fire.

[Correction appended: I originally wrote that both teams had only one more winning team left on the schedule. This is not the case.]