Rules

We currently provide the following formats:

Format	NFL	NCAA Basketball	PGA Golf (Spring 2009)
1. Straight-Up Pick 'Em Pools	X *	X
2. Confidence Rank Pick 'Em Pools	X *	X
3. Survivor Pools	X
4. Playoff Bracket Pools	X	X

* Play against the point spread is an option for these formats (see below for example).

1/2.) Straight-Up/Confidence Pick 'Em

1. Leaders of pools or pool divisions will be determined by most correct picks. Most right ? wins.
   • For Confidence Ranking, the player receives the amount of points that they put on the game
2. Ties for the week will be broken by the selected total points prediction for the last game of the week.
3. The absolute difference between the players? prediction and the total combined score of the last game will determine the winner. You can be over or under the actual total, the person closest wins.
4. If the tie isn't broken after the last game then the players with the same amount of points in first place are deemed to be tied for the week.
5. Picks must be in prior to the start time of the first game of the given week. The pool manager will set the amount of time ,from a default set of choices, before first game time. If the player fails to enter his picks before that time he will be awarded 1 point less than the total right of the worst player in the pool or pool division. The pool manager can reduce or increase the 1-point penalty or may choose to implement a 'no pick = no points' option for the pool.
6. Players cannot be assigned to pool divisions manually - instead they are assigned randomly by the system.
7. NFL standings will be automatically updated after that weeks? first set of games within an hour of each set of completed games - Thursday, Saturday, Sunday afternoon and evening, and MNF.
8. Year-to-date standings will be updated after the completion of every week's MNF game. A running total of the tiebreaker guesses is also kept and can be used to determine the overall winner (at the pool manager's discretion).
9. For NHL formats, the schedule will be for every Friday, Saturday and Sunday game throughout the season. Updates will be performed every Sunday at Midnight so that standings will be available at the end of each weekend.

3.) Survivor

1. Each week players select one team that they believe will win. A team can only be chosen once within a season. (The system will show you your previous weeks? picks.)
2. For a player to ?survive? in the pool their selected team must win.If their team that they have chosen for that week has lost ? the player will be eliminated from the pool.
3. The winner of the pool will be the last one standing.If at the end of the pool there is more than one player remaining the pool administrator will determine the tie breaker or declare the season a tie.
4. All picks must be in prior to the start time of the first game of the given week. If the player fails to enter his picks before that time he will forfeit his pick and be eliminated from the pool. The pool manager has the ability to reinstate players.
5. Even if players are eliminated from the pool they are still able to log in and follow the seasons? standings.
6. NFL standings will be automatically updated after that weeks? first set of games within an hour of each set of completed games - Thursday, Saturday, Sunday afternoon and evening, and MNF.
7. Year-to-date standings will be updated after the completion of every week?s MNF game.
8. Removal of Thursday night games is not an option for Survivor pools.

4.) Bracket (Available for NFL Playoff Pools and NCAA March Madness)

1. Every pool participant picks winners for each game, filling out the bracket completely.
2. Points are won for each of the succesive rounds in the bracket.
3. Points are default set by the computer from lowest to highest by round. (ex. First round = 1 pt, Second round = 2 points)
4. Pool owners may change the points awarded per round.
5. A guess for the combined total score of the championship game is used as a tie-breaker

Note for NFL bracket pools : The first round of the playoffs is dubbed the Wild Card Playoffs. In this round, the 3rd-seeded division winner hosts the 6th seed wild card, and the 4th seed hosts the 5th. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference receive a bye in the first round, which entitles these teams to automatic advancement to the second round, the Divisional Playoffs, where they face the Wild Card Weekend survivors. Unlike most tournaments, with a predetermined bracket, the second round of the playoffs is "re-seeded"; the top seed always hosts the lowest surviving seed, while the other two teams pair off. The two surviving teams from the Divisional Playoff games meet in Conference Championship games, with the winners of those contests going on to face one another in the Super Bowl.

Click below to view playoff bracket entry form:

Sample Playoff Bracket Entry

Point Spreads

For Straight Up and Confidence Rank pick 'em formats, you have the option of playing against the spread. This means that for a win to count, the person must've picked the winning team and if the team is favored, the team must have won by more than the number of points indicated (the "spread"). ex. Patriots are listed as a 4.5 point favorite. They must win by 5 or more points for a win to be given to the pick. You will also be credited for a win if you pick the loser and the favorite does not cover the spread. The point spread will be established on Tuesday morning after Monday Night Football. The point spread will not change during the week-it will stay the same as created on Tuesday morning.

The point spread pick sheet looks similar to a regular pick sheet, only the spread is indicated beside the favored team: