There are 2 conferences in the NFL, the AFC and the NFC. There are 4
divisions in each conference: North, South, East, and West. The teams that win
their division get into the playoffs (seeds #1-4). Two other teams from each
conference also get into the playoffs; they are the Wild Card teams (seeds
#5-6).
Two division winners from each conference (seeds #1-2) get a bye in Round 1.
This is a confidence pool with a twist.
Before the playoffs start, you assign a point value (1-12) to each playoff
team. (This is the only time you assign points. You do not assign
points at the beginning of each playoff round.) Each time that team wins, you
get the number of points you assigned to that team multiplied by the round
number.
So just like a regular season confidence pool, you should assign 12 points
to the team you think is most likely to win the Super Bowl, and 1 point to the
team you think is least likely to win the Super Bowl, right? The twist is that
4 teams get a bye in Round 1. You will not get any points for those teams in
Round 1. Adjust accordingly.
Example
Using fictitious NFL Playoff teams...
| Pts |
Team |
|
Pts |
Team |
| 12 |
Green Bay |
|
6 |
Tampa Bay |
| 11 |
San Francisco |
|
5 |
Pittsburgh |
| 10 |
Oakland |
|
4 |
Miami |
| 9 |
Philadelphia |
|
3 |
New Orleans |
| 8 |
San Diego |
|
2 |
Atlanta |
| 7 |
Indianapolis |
|
1 |
New England |
If Pittsburgh
wins their Round 1 game, you get 5 points (5x1). If Pittsburgh wins their
Round 2 game, you get 10 points (5x2).
Again, the twist is that you do not get points for the
4 teams with a bye in Round 1. So if Green Bay has a Round 1 bye, you cannot get
the 12 points you assigned them during Round 1. But if they win in Round 2,
you will get 24 points (12x2).
Another Example
Below are the partial results of the 2002 pool using the "points multiplied
by round number" scoring system. (You can download the entire spreadsheet
here.)
Tie-Breakers
In the event of a tie between players who are due money,
the following tie-breakers will be used in this order:
- The team that assigns the most points to the Super Bowl winner.
(Example: Bert and Ernie are tied at the end of the Super Bowl. The
Minnesota Vikings won the Super Bowl. Bert assigned 9 points to the Vikings.
Ernie assigned 5 points to the Vikings. Bert wins the tie-breaker.)
- The team that assigns the most points to the Super Bowl loser.
(If Bert and Ernie had both assigned 9 points to the Vikings in the example
above, this second tie-breaker would be used.)
Use the AFSN Playoff Pool Entry Form
to submit your picks.
Only one entry per person. Please don't submit a second
entry under your spouse's name (or anyone else's name) unless they actually make the
picks. Don't hedge your bets by submitting two entries. Put
your NFL knowledge on the line and submit the picks that you think will win the
pool -- without hedging.
You can change your picks before the playoffs start by resubmitting the form.
I will use the last form you submit as your official picks.
