Football Pool Rules

The FP embraces a rigorous set of rules to ensure fair and hearty competition each fall. Here is the current set of rules as of August 2006.

1. Each player shall select six college football teams through the selection draft: five teams, by draft order, for the overall team competition and a sixth BONUS team.
   
2. No participant shall select the Tennessee Vols under any circumstances.
3. BONUS teams may not be listed in the ESPN/USA Today poll or the AP poll, may not have appeared in a bowl game the previous season and must have had a losing record during the previous season. They may appear in the “also receiving votes” category of both polls.
4. The champion each season shall be the player who selected the team that wins the BCS Championship.
5. In cases of split polls, the champion shall be the player with the team listed as #1 in the ESPN/USA Today final season poll. If no player selects this team, see rule #22 below.
6. Each player shall agree to submit a championship award amount to be determined by the draft position of the team that wins the national championship (as identified under rules #4 and #5 above).
7. The award amounts shall be as follows for the winning player's team, as based on the team's draft position:
• Player's first pick: $75 ($25 each from the other participating players)
• Player's second pick: $60 ($20 each from the other participating players)
• Player's third pick: $45 ($15 each from the other participating players)
• Player's fourth pick: $30 ($10 each from the other participating players)
• Player's fifth pick: $15 ($5 each from the other participating players)
• BONUS pick: Dinner at SATCO
8. The player whose BONUS pick finishes ahead of the other players' BONUS teams shall receive free dinner at SATCO when all participants are in attendance. BONUS pick standings shall be determined in the following order:
• Final ESPN/USA Today poll rank of each player's BONUS pick
• Overall won-loss record of each player's BONUS pick
• Best combined ESPN/USA Today and AP poll finishes of each player's BONUS pick
• Overall won-loss record of each player's BONUS pick
• Best combined ESPN/USA Today and AP poll finishes of each player's BONUS pick
9. If a player's BONUS pick should win the national championship, that player shall buy dinner at SATCO for the other participants and shall not collect any award monies.
10. If the Tennessee Volunteers should win the national championship in a given year, no players shall be required to pay any monies. The Volunteer Cap (see rule #13 below) shall be burned, and participants shall pool funds to purchase a new cap as directed under said rule. May God have mercy on us all.
11. Standings shall be kept on a weekly basis throughout the season and shall be listed in the following order:
• Overall won-loss record of each player's #1 draft pick
• ESPN/USA Today poll ranking of each player's #1 draft pick
• Combined won-loss record of each player's five non-BONUS teams
12. Last place finish shall be determined in the following order:
    
• Combined won-loss record of each player's five non-BONUS teams
• Worst won-loss record among all players' #1 picks
• Worst won-loss record among all players' BONUS picks
  
13. The player who finishes in last place shall wear a Tennessee Vols cap to be determined by all participants in advance of the season's first college football game. This cap shall be worn to all sporting events and game nights where all participants are in attendance until the following football season has ended. At that time, the next successor shall be determined. The last place player shall begin wearing this hat immediately.
14. This cap shall not be replaced by another cap, except as determined by rule #10 above or as determined by an agreement among all four participants.
    
15. Should the cap be lost at any time, the offending player must replace the cap by purchasing an even uglier cap, as agreed upon by all participants.
    
16. Coach Woody shall keep the standings for the season. His duties shall begin following the selection draft and end following the SATCO BONUS champion dinner.
17. Standings shall be sent via email to all participants once per week. No explanation or trash talk shall be required but shall be enthusiastically encouraged by the other participants.
18. The draft shall be conducted in the following linear order: Woody, Bando, Rob, GQ. The order shall shift each year, so that the coach who picked first the previous year shall pick last and the coach who picked last shall pick third, and so forth. (Rule pending)
19. Once selections have been made, all picks shall be considered final.
20. The five highest-ranked remaining teams in the ESPN/USA Today poll not selected in the draft shall be designated as “George Plaster’s team.” The won-loss records of these teams shall be included in the weekly standings.
    
21. The “Hope Springs Eternal” Rule: The Vanderbilt Commodores shall be designated as George Plaster’s perpetual BONUS pick. Should the Commodores ever win the BONUS competition, all four participants shall locate George Plaster and take him out to dinner at SATCO.
22. In the event that no player has selected the team that wins the BCS Championship, no player shall collect any monies. A progressive jackpot of $5 per Coach per year shall begin to accumulate after the season. This jackpot shall be awarded to the player who selects the team that wins the next BCS Championship. If no player selects the championship team in consecutive years, this jackpot shall continue to be increased until a player selects the BCS Champion.
    
23. This game shall hereafter be referred to as “The Football Pool”. At no time shall “Have Fun. Expect to Win” serve as The Football Pool’s motto.
24. New participants shall be approved by all four participants.
25. The rules listed above and below shall not be amended except as approved by all participants.