Each game has their own little quirks and focuses. From what I remember sc3000 is best to start in a corner. You only get half the pollution from buildings on the edge, which is pretty big in the early game. You also get easier access to trade partners which is a good source of income later. Public transportation is also important, and very expensive, so you need to aggressively maintain a strong budget surplus to keep expanding.

There’s also some magic numbers to know as you get more familiar with the game. Airports, farms, ports, and subways all have sizes you need to keep in mind when planning.

Fixing late season games is going to require more than playoff seeding to change. You need a way to discourage tanking by teams that know they are on the outside.

It may also just be a fluke that entire divisions were just garbage.