GO STEELERS! Okay, now that I have your attention, I am going to start up my Survivor Pool for the first time in six years. Because of... extenuating circumstances, I am not currently working, so I have a little bit of time on my hands.
Here are the rules...
1. You pick just one team each week. E-mail all picks to me at cft925@gmail.com. Also, DO NOT post your pick on the Blog, because everyone will see it. The blog is reserved for trash talk and other immature comments.
2. You may not pick that team again. For example, if you pick New England in week 1, you cannot use New England again.
3. If your team wins or ties, you advance to the next week. If it loses, you are out of the pool. No spreads; only outright wins or ties get you through to the next week.
4. Tiebreakers: Suppose in week 5, when the Eagles play the Bills, there are four people left in the pool, and all four of them have picked the Eagles to win, but the Bills upset the Eagles and win the game. Since all four people picked incorrectly, they are "resurrected" back into the pool the next week to break the tie. This goes on until one player is left standing.
5. The last player standing takes home the entire jackpot. If there is more than one player left at the end of the season, the remaining players will split the pot evenly.
6. Please send all money to me via PayPal. My e-mail address is cft925@gmail.com. Please get your money into the pot ASAP.
6. Deadlines are as follows, based on the time the first game of the week starts:
Weeks 1-11: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Week 12 (Thanksgiving week): Wednesday, 11/22, 11:59 p.m.
Week 13-15: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Week 16: Saturday, 12/23, 3 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, 12/31, 12 p.m.
7. You are responsible for making sure you don’t repeat any picks, or pick a team during their bye week. I will try to keep my eyes open for repeat picks and let you know, but if me or someone else flags an illegal pick after the deadline, you are out of the pool. No exceptions.
8. Entry fee is $5 per player for the whole season. You can have multiple entries, or in other words, if you want to control 3 ‘players,’ you pay $15. Each ‘player’ you control is a separate entry and the one-team pick rule applies to each. If you are sending me multiple picks, make sure you tell me which "player" is picking which team. Don't just send me an e-mail that says something like "Yo Colin picks the Saints and the Bears." My only other request is that you come up with CREATIVE names for each of your players. If you don't, I will come up with one for you, and I guarantee you won't like it! Please don't make your team names something sexist, racist or overly crude.
9. Please e-mail me if you have any questions before the pool starts. If you know any friends who may be interested in participating in the pool, have them e-mail me. I will be back in a couple of weeks with a preview of Week 1’s games. Good luck!
FAQs:
Q: What happens if my game is postponed?
If your game is postponed due to hurricane, snow or another reason, you have to pick another game before the deadline. If the postponement is after the deadline, you need to pick a new game before kickoff. I will make sure you have a reasonable amount of time to do make your pick, and we will look at postponements on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Is there a bye week in this pool, and can I buy my way back into the pool if I am eliminated?
No and no. (see explanation below)
Q: I had to pick my game on Thursday to make the deadline, but my team doesn’t play until Sunday. But my team’s starting quarterback was injured during Friday’s practice and won’t play. Can I change my pick?
A: No, you can’t change your pick after the deadline even if players are injured, cut from the team, suspended, arrested, traded, etc. All participants in the pool have the same deadlines and are subject to the same rules. However, you can change your pick as many times as you want to up until the deadline.
Q: What happens if there is a tie game?
A: First of all, tie games are rare, so it probably won’t happen. If it does happen, you will advance to the next week. (Most suicide/survivor pools eliminate teams after tie games, so I guess this pool is a bit more generous).
Q: You have the spreads on the blog when you list the picks. Do point spreads figure into the pool?
A: No, the pool is based on outright wins or losses. Spreads do not matter. I provide the spreads for informational purposes only, and so we can make fun of players who pick underdogs.
Q: Oh no! It’s after the deadline, I picked the Giants, but I just realized I already picked them in Week 2! What do I do?!
A: Kiss your money goodbye. If you have made a repeat pick and no one sees it until after the deadline, you are out of the pool.
Q: There are three people left in the pool, and the pot is $300. Can the pool end today, so we can all make a guaranteed $100?
A: Yes, but only if every single person left in the pool mutually agrees to end the pool and split the pot. However, I personally know most of the people in this pool and I can tell you that most of us, myself included, are greedy, competitive bastards who are in it to win the whole enchilada.
Q: Aarrrgh! It's week one, and I have already been eliminated! This pool sucks! What a waste of money! Can I buy my way back into the pool?
A: Some other suicide/survivor pools have double eliminations and/or allow players to "buy" their way back into the pool. I don't do double elimination because the ideal situation would be for the pool to end during the regular season. I am not a fan of the buyback rule because I like the fact that all players pay the same amount of money and are in the same boat (lose, and you're out). A buyback rule would ruin that, and again, also increase the chances that the pool won't end during the regular season.
First of all, if you are eliminated on Week 1, don't feel bad for yourself. I believe this pool is equal parts luck and skill, and there seem to be more shocking upsets in the NFL than in any other sport. Making picks on Week 1 is really difficult, because you don't really have any idea how each team is going to do. I have seen many lifelong football fans get bounced on the first week of the pool. Most sportswriters can't even predict how the season will go. If you were bounced on Week 1 last year, don't despair. I have seen some people who were knocked off early one year make it to nearly the end the next year (and vice versa).
Q: This pool isn't fair! The more money you put into the pool the better chance you have at winning! Why isn't everyone should be limited to just one entry so we all have an equal shot at winning?
A: I allow multiple entries because I am pretty sure we all want a big pot. Again, it all comes down to luck and skill. Players with single entries have won the pool on more than one occasion, and a certain cousin of mine lost all three of his entries on Week 1. This pool is unpredictable.
Tips:
- Don't pick your favorite team because you are a fan. I can't tell you how many times I have been burned by the Eagles.
- This is strictly an NFL pool. No, you can't pick Penn State.
- A popular strategy is to pick teams who are playing teams with lousy records. Keep in mind that few teams have ever gone winless. The last winless team was the 2008 Detroit Lions.
- God hates the city of Cleveland.
