CONTEST RULES

NFL Playoff Bracket Challenge

OVERVIEW

Welcome to the NFL Playoff Bracket Contest! Predict the winners of all playoff games from the Divisional Round through the Super Bowl. The participant with the most points wins the entire prize pool.

"If you ain't first, you're last!" - Ricky Bobby

ENTRY FEE & PRIZE

  • •Entry Fee: $50 per bracket
  • •Payment Methods: Venmo @John-birrer-1 or PayPal [email protected]
  • •Prize Structure: Winner takes all! The participant with the highest score wins the entire prize pool ($50 × number of paid entries)
  • •Payment Deadline: Friday, January 17th, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST

IMPORTANT DATES

  • •Wild Card Round: January 11-13, 2026 (Admin enters results - no participant picks required)
  • •Bracket Submission Deadline: Saturday, January 17th, 2026 at 12:30 PM EST (before first Divisional Round game)
  • •NO LATE ENTRIES ACCEPTED - All brackets must be submitted before the deadline

SCORING SYSTEM

Points are awarded for each correct prediction:

5 pts
Divisional Round
11 pts
Conference Championship
23 pts
Super Bowl
  • •Maximum possible score: 65 points (4 Divisional × 5pts + 2 Conference × 11pts + 1 Super Bowl × 23pts)
  • •Points are automatically calculated as games are completed
  • •Leaderboard updates in real-time throughout the playoffs

TIEBREAKER

In the event of a tie in total points, the winner will be determined by:

Super Bowl Turnovers Prediction

Predict the total number of turnovers (interceptions + fumbles recovered) in the Super Bowl.

  • •Closest without going over wins (Price is Right rules)
  • •If you predict higher than the actual total, you are eliminated from tiebreaker consideration
  • •If multiple participants have the same winning tiebreaker prediction, the prize is split equally
  • •Tiebreaker predictions are visible to all participants after the deadline

HOW TO PLAY

  1. 1.Register: Create an account with a unique username (max 20 characters)
  2. 2.Pay Entry Fee: Send $50 via Venmo (@John-birrer-1) or PayPal ([email protected])
  3. 3.Fill Out Bracket: Select winners for all Divisional, Conference Championship, and Super Bowl games
  4. 4.Enter Tiebreaker: Predict total Super Bowl turnovers (interceptions + fumbles recovered)
  5. 5.Submit: Lock in your picks before Saturday, January 18th at 3:00 PM EST
  6. 6.Watch & Win: Track your score on the leaderboard as games are played

ADDITIONAL RULES

  • •One bracket per person
  • •Brackets are hidden from other participants until after the submission deadline
  • •Once submitted, brackets cannot be changed (admin may correct errors upon request)
  • •Only paid entries are eligible to win the prize pool
  • •All brackets become publicly visible after the deadline passes
  • •Winner will be announced after the Super Bowl concludes

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the contest rules or need assistance, please contact the contest administrator.