O only mentioned Playpass as it was random and I thought we would want to go with random to keep it completely open and fair for the first season. However, if, as Wagner seems to suggest, randomness is not essential, then yes, I'm sure you could generate a schedule using excel.
I'm just trying to say that there are pros and cons in both options, and like I tried to open the complicated nature of keeping the fair balance for all teams
if we'd change the match schedule/order manually.
Like I mentioned, every movement (moving one match from one week to another) affects other teams, so it's a complicated process to keep the match order optimally fair
for all teams.
So instead of considering randomness non-essential, I'm pondering which is the most realistically fair option for all, and with this knowledge I suppose randomness would actually be the way to go.
So in other words I was just trying to say that given that we probably couldn't be sure that someone who'd create match schedule manually would be able to take account all factors. By doing it by hand (and with 14 teams, which I think is more difficult than with 7 teams) you'd need to consider so many things, like at which part of the season which teams face each other, and everything affects everything... because if we'd want to most best teams to face each other (and worst each other) at the end of regular season for instance, then we'd have to make best teams face worst teams at the beginning of the regular season and that would lead to best teams confirming playoff spots early on and cause worst ones to be dropped out of playoffs early on, etc., so it's a complicated process to do it manually and fairly to all.
Randomness is cruel to some teams in a one given season (some say that it's always fair though), as we can see in cup competitions. ;) Plus if we use random generator for schedule, then after creation of schedule if someone is willing to take a look at the schedule while keeping an eye on team rankings simultaneously, perhaps it would be possible to verify that no "justice murder" is taking place for one team (like my previous example: worst team would face teams in this order; rankings 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th team, etc. etc.).
Also, I don't have any knowledge whether or not you can choose any different kind of options in Playpass when you create a schedule with it, or is it always random? And does it let you add team strength (or only team name) which it then takes into account when creating sensibly arranged schedule?
Rather than us continuing to debate the pros and cons of every detail indefinitely...I think we need to make a decision:
Random schedule or not?
So with this knowledge and understanding I might go with random order (and possibly, if there are willing managers to do that, to verify that there's nothing hugely wrong with the schedule in terms of fairness - I realize it could be too arduous/very hard task, and it's not required of anyone).