Pool Rules

$100 Donation. Send donation to Lou Venmo @Louis-Neglia or John Venmo @JohnErrante. Zelle or cash available as well.

Donation deadline: Saturday, September 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET. No donation accepted after that — no exceptions.

No limit on entries per player — play as many as you want. Each entry picks independently.

Each week, pick one NFL team you think will win their game.

If your team wins outright, you survive to next week.

If your team loses OR ties, that entry is eliminated. Ties count as a loss — this is survivor standard.

You cannot reuse a team. Once you pick the Chiefs, they're used for that entry the rest of the season.

If you lose Week 1, you can buy back in for one more shot. $150 fee.

Buyback is Week 1 only and one time only per entry. Lose in Week 2+ and you're done.

You must pay the extra $150 donation for the buyback before Week 2 Sunday 1:00 PM ET kickoff — or the entry will be erased.

Thursday games: lock at kickoff (Thursday night).

Saturday games: lock at kickoff.

Everything else: locks Sunday at 1:00 PM ET sharp — including Sunday night and Monday night games.

Miss the lock and you get auto-picked the biggest available favorite (see rule 5).

Didn't submit a pick before your lock time? The system auto-assigns you the biggest available point-spread favorite you haven't used yet.

You still get eliminated if that team loses. The auto-pick doesn't save you — it just keeps you in the game.

Sunday morning at 11:00 AM ET, anyone who hasn't picked yet gets a reminder text.

That's it. One reminder. Don't rely on it — set your own alarm.

Each pick stays hidden until that pick's own game kicks off. A Thursday game reveals only the Thursday picks — everyone's Sunday and Monday picks stay hidden until those games start.

This way no one can see the field before making their own pick. As games kick off through the week, the grid and the pick-percentages fill in.

Last entry (or entries) standing wins.

If multiple entries survive to the end, they split the pot evenly.

If everyone gets eliminated in the same week, the last surviving entries from the previous week split it.

Lou & John are the commissioners. Any issues or disputes, please email them directly at pool@footballmadnesspool.com.

Their call is final on any dispute. Game outcomes follow official NFL results. Postponements are treated case-by-case.

Add Football Madness to your phone's home screen so your picks are one tap away — no app store, no download.

iPhone: open the site in Safari, tap the Share button (□↑), then “Add to Home Screen.”

Android: open in Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu, then “Install app” / “Add to Home Screen.”