With just one game remaining on the NFL slate of games for Week 11 there are clearly four classes of franchises. There’s a gooey middle of two tiers: teams that are currently in playoff position and teams that have a chance to get their. The top tier, are teams with realistic Super Bowl dreams. Clubs such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings have separated themselves from the pack.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the fourth tier, there’s a gluttony of teams with no realistic shot of postseason glory. Those teams are in a reverse race. Not actively trying to lose, but realistically these teams’ futures are better served by having better draft positioning.

That’s the group the Dallas Cowboys sit in as they prepare to take on the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football.

Currently, after the results of Sunday’s games, Dallas is sitting with the 9th pick in the first round thanks to a 3-6 record. Depending on the results of the contest, that could all change.

With a loss, Dallas stays put at No. 9. The only team with a 3-7 record, the Carolina Panthers, have a much worse Strength of Schedule than Dallas. That’s the tiebreaker when it comes to draft order; not head to head, or conference record or any of the things that matter for playoff tiebreakers.

The Panthers’ SOS currently sits at .489 while Dallas is at .523.

If the Cowboys pull off the home upset and improve to 4-6, they will likely slide down to the No. 13 pick.

There are two teams with 4-7 records (New Orleans, Cincinnati) and another three with 4-6 records. Dallas has a better SOS than Miami (.433) and Tampa Bay (.517), and a worse one than Chicago (.557) thanks to the power of the NFC North this season.