Welcome to the 2024 version of the Football Pool. You do not need to know anything about football to enjoy this--or to win. All entry of selections and display of results is done on line so you can participate from anywhere in the world where you have access to the Internet.
You can join as a weekly player or as a weekly and season player. There are weekly prizes for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers (approximately 65%, 25%, and 10%). For those who have also joined as season players, there will be end-of-season prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd (approximately 60%, 20%, and 10%), as well as a prize for the highest total of the Bonus game selections (approximately 10%), and a Booby prize for the last place finisher ($10). Weekly players that do not submit selections for a particular week do not participate for that week. Their entry fee will be applied to a later week or refunded and they can resume play the following week. If a season player does not submit selections for a particular week, they are not eligible for the weekly prizes that week. Their entry fee for that week is forfeited.
It's simple to play. Just pick the team that you think will win each game. (The point spread is not a factor, only the actual winner based on the final score of the game counts.) Then order the selections from your most favored pick to your least favored pick. (You may want to use point spreads here to help you select the order of your picks.) If your first pick wins, you get 16 points. If your second pick wins, you get 15 points, and so on. (No points are awarded for tie games.) Then access the online entry form, enter your screen name and password and your selections. Click on the submit button and you are done. That's all there is to it. If you wish, you may enter selections more than once each week. This allows you to change your mind up to the deadline for selection entry. In the case where multiple entries are received, the latest one will become the official entry. A separate 'Verify Selections' link is provided to allow you to check whether you (or any other player) has made their submission. You won't be able to see what your selections are, that you have to remember - just that you have actually submitted picks for the week.
Each week the Pool Administrator will arbitrarily pick one game and designate it as the Bonus game. The Bonus game selection will be indicated by highlighting on the entry sheet and in bold on the results page. The points awarded for successfully picking the winner of the Bonus game will be included in the weekly results just as any other game. The points will also be summed separately each week for the season Bonus prize. Bonus designation has no effect on the weekly standings and does not affect weekly-only participants.
Each week a sheet will be posted. As soon as all of the weeks entries are in, the sheet will show the picks for everyone. As games are completed, the sheet will be updated showing the results so far. A final update occurs after the Monday game(s) showing the final results.
It's easy to get started. Select a screen name and a password you will use. Go to the Sign-in link and enter these values along with your contact information. Please enter a phone number and email address that can be used to reach you during the weekend as that is the time I am most likely to have to contact you. If you would like text message reminders about picks being due, enter your cell phone number and carrier on this page as well. Then make arrangements for the entry fee. It's just $3.00 for a weekly entry, payable on the week(s) you choose to enter. If you want to join the season pool, it's an additional $10, payable before the first week's games. Season players are strongly encouraged to pay in full ($64) at the start of the season. Weekly players may also pay in advance. If a weekly player has paid for a week and does not submit picks for that week, the $3 for that week will be refunded or applied to a later week. There will also be one or more survivor pools. Check out the rules if you are interested. Each survivor pool has a separate $10 entry fee.
The sign-in screen must be used once by all players before the season starts in order to register their screen name and identifying information. It is not necessary to use the sign-in screen each week when making picks. The only other time you may wish to use the Sign-in screen is to send a message to the Pool Administrator.
For the most enjoyment by all members, it is important that all participants get their selections in on time every week. To encourage this behavior, there are penalties for those who do not this. As indicated above, the penalty for weekly players is simply that they do not participate for the week where they make no selections. The stakes are a bit higher for the season player who fails to submit selections in a timely manner. The penalties include being ineligible for that week's weekly prizes and being assigned a penalty score for that week towards their season total. The actual penalty score will be determined by the Pool Coordinator and will be one point below the lowest score by a season player for the week or 15 points below the average score for the season players for that week whichever is lower. In addition, any season player who misses one week will not be eliglble for the Booby prize. If three or more weeks are missed, that player is no longer eligible for any of the Season Pool prizes. They do still compete for any weekly prizes if they submit picks. Note that if an active Survivor player fails to submit picks, they will not survive that week.