Matchmaking Question

I frequently see opponents entire divisions above me (Gold 1+). I'm kind of getting used to being the only Silver in my games, or being the team with Silvers against Golds (which is thankfully starting to fill out with more Silvers with 6 straight losses! :D). It occurred to me.

Since every game has an opponent that is an entire division above me, why am I not seeing entire divisions below me? Does match making take Bronze rank into special consideration to prevent them from pitting Bronze 1's vs Silver 1's?

Then again, I'm not sure if the skill diff between Silver 1 and Bronze 1 is the same as Silver 1 and Plat 5.