For those who think the 4x16 look with pods is too NFL-ish for you, keep in mind one thing. The NFL system almost guarantees 9-7 or 10-6 teams get into the playoffs.
In the 4x16 setup, only the conference champions would get in. So while they could schedule tough OOC, I assume they'll mostly schedule the same as they do now - want some gimmies mixed in with some challenges, and we'd have only 12-0, 11-1, or 10-2 type teams getting into the 4-team playoff.
Normally, in the current setup, I'm against a conference champs-only playoff, but in the 4x16 scenario, all teams are on equal footing. All have an equal chance from the start, and all will have worthwhile schedule strength.