Detroit fans know all too well that regular season titles don't mean squat. See Pistons and Red Wings. Shoot, the wild card may have worked out better for the Tigers seeing they were by far the best road team in baseball.
The Wild Card team over the years has done very well in the Divisional Series, and for a few years the WC team won the World Series.
They almost have an advantage, in that you have a much better shot at beating a better team in a 5-game series, than if it was a 7-game series.
Heck, see last year's Steelers and Edmonton Oilers. Heck last year all four higher seeds in the Western Conference went out of the first round of the NHL playoffs.