Regular Season Pools

Football Pick'em

How To Play

In Football Pick'em Pools members select the winner of each game for each active week in your pool. Your pool can be setup to either use the point margin or select games straight up. Point margins are great for evening out the game. To illustrate, if Denver is playing Seattle and Seattle is favored by 7 points, this means that if you select Seattle they must win by more than 7 in order for you to get your selection correct. On the other hand, if you select Denver that means Denver can lose the game by up to 6 points and you still get your selection correct.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins every Tuesday but you can customize them for your pool as you see fit. You can choose to include pre-season and/or post-season weeks and you can also customize your picksheet each week and include a mix of Pro & College Games. The hosting fee starts at $19.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Pick winners each week
  • Customized scoring & pick deadline
  • Point margin or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Confidence Rank

How To Play

In Football Confidence Rank Pools members select the winner of each game along with a rank. For each correct pick the points received are the rank the member placed on the game (rank selections higher for games you are more sure about). Your pool can be setup to either use the point margin or select games straight up. Point margins are great for evening out the game. To illustrate, if Denver is playing Seattle and Seattle is favored by 7 points, this means that if you select Seattle they must win by more than 7 in order for you to get your selection correct. On the other hand, if you select Denver that means Denver can lose the game by up to 6 points and you still get your selection correct.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins every Tuesday but you can customize them for your pool as you see fit. You can choose to include pre-season and/or post-season weeks and you can also customize your picksheet each week and include a mix of Pro & College Games. The hosting fee starts at $19.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Pick winners each week
  • Custom pick deadline
  • Point margin or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Survivor

How To Play

In Football Survivor Pools members select a winner each week. If you select correctly you advance, otherwise you are eliminated. Standard survivor pools allow for each team to be picked only once by each member, however that is fully customizable along with many other options we have made available for you (please refer to the customizable features list below). The hosting fee starts at $9.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Pick a winner every week
  • Customize incorrect picks to eliminate
  • Point margin or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Custom Margin

How To Play

In Football Custom Margin Pools members sset their own margin for each game. You set the base number of points each correct pick is worth and for every correct selection, members get the base number of points plus the margin they place on the game. To illustrate, if Denver is playing Seattle and you pick Seattle to win by 7 points, they must win by 7 or more in order for you to get your selection correct. If they win by 7 or more, you get 7 points plus the base points set for each correct. If they win by less than 7 or lose, you get 0 points.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins every Tuesday that you can use as a reference. You can choose to include pre-season and/or post-season weeks and you can also customize your picksheet each week and include a mix of Pro & College Games. The hosting fee starts at $19.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Pick winners every week
  • Set base points for correct picks
  • Each member sets their own margin per game
  • Margin for correct pick is added to base points
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Squares

How To Play

In Football Squares Pools members have a coordinate which represents the last digit of each team's score. There are 100 possible combinations. There can only be one winner, however many pools are setup so that squares are finalized at the end of each quarter, giving everyone a fresh start. These pools are very popular for the SuperBowl however you can use any game throughout the season. Squares pools are absolutely FREE on the site.

Highlights
  • Select one or many squares
  • Set a cap on max squatres per member
  • Squares are intersections of last digit of each team's score
  • Track resuts by quarter
  • Free!
Features Start My Pool

Post Season Pools

Football Playoff Bracket

How To Play

In Pro Football Post-Season Bracket Pools members select the winners of each game in a bracket format - similar to the March Madness bracket format. Allocate points for correct picks per round. The hosting fee starts at $9.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Classic bracket style pool
  • Allocate points per round
  • Factors in re-seeding after wildcard round
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Playoff Pick'em

How To Play

In Pro Football Post-Season Playoff Pick'em Pools members select the winner of each game for each active week in your pool. Your pool can be setup to either use the point margin or select games straight up. Point margins are great for evening out the game. To illustrate, if Denver is playing Seattle and Seattle is favored by 7 points, this means that if you select Seattle they must win by more than 7 in order for you to get your selection correct. On the other hand, if you select Denver that means Denver can lose the game by up to 6 points and you still get your selection correct.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins every Tuesday but you can customize them for your pool as you see fit. The hosting fee starts at $9.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Pick winners each post-season week
  • Customized scoring & pick deadline
  • Point margin or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Playoff Confidence Rank

How To Play

In Pro Football Post-Season Confidence Rank Pools members select the winners of post-season along with a rank (1 through 11). The higher the rank the more confident your selection. Your pool can be setup to either use the point margin or select games straight up. Point margins are great for evening out the game. To illustrate, if Denver is playing Seattle and Seattle is favored by 7 points, this means that if you select Seattle they must win by more than 7 in order for you to get your selection correct. On the other hand, if you select Denver that means Denver can lose the game by up to 6 points and you still get your selection correct.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins every Tuesday but you can customize them for your pool as you see fit. The hosting fee starts at $9.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Rank winners for each playoff game (1 through 13)
  • Custom pick deadline
  • Point margi or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Football Playoff Survivor

How To Play

In Pro Football Post-Season Survivor Pools members select a winner each week. If you select correctly you advance, otherwise you are eliminated. Standard survivor pools allow for each team to be picked only once by each member, however that is fully customizable along with many other options we have made available for you (please refer to the customizable features list below). Post-Season Survivor pools are absolutely FREE on the site.

Highlights
  • Pick a winner every week
  • Custmoize incorrect picks to eliminate
  • Point margin or straight up
  • FREE!
Features Start My Pool

SuperBowl Squares

How To Play

In SuperBowl Squares Pools members have a coordinate which represents the last digit of each team's score. There are 100 possible combinations, however many pools are setup so that squares are finalized at the end of each quarter, giving everyone a fresh start. There can only be one winner. These pools are very popular for the SuperBowl however you can use any game throughout the season. Squares pools are absolutely FREE on the site.

Highlights
  • Select one or many squares
  • Set a cap on max squares per member
  • Squares are intersections of last digit of each team's score
  • Track results by quarter
  • FREE!
Features Start My Pool

College Bowl Pools

College Bowl Pick'em

How To Play

In College Football Bowl Bowl Pick'em Pools members select the winner of active bowl games in your pool. Your pool can be setup to either use the point margin or select games straight up. Point margins are great for evening out the game. To illustrate, if Florida is playing Ohio St and Ohio St is favored by 7 points, this means that if you select Ohio St they must win by more than 7 in order for you to get your selection correct. On the other hand, if you select Florida that means Florida can lose the game by up to 6 points and you still get your selection correct.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins once they are released but you can customize them for your pool as you see fit. The hosting fee starts at $9.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Customize active bowl games
  • Customized scoring & pick deadline
  • Point margin or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

College Bowl Confidence Rank

How To Play

In College Football Bowl Confidence Rank Pools members select the winner of each game along with a rank. For each correct pick the points received are the rank the member placed on the game (rank selections higher for games you are more sure about). Your pool can be setup to either use the point margin or select games straight up. Point margins are great for evening out the game. To illustrate, if Florida is playing Ohio St and Ohio St is favored by 7 points, this means that if you select Ohio St they must win by more than 7 in order for you to get your selection correct. On the other hand, if you select Florida that means Florida can lose the game by up to 6 points and you still get your selection correct.

SimplySportsWare releases the margins once they are released but you can customize them for your pool as you see fit. The hosting fee starts at $9.95 which includes the first 10 members.

Highlights
  • Customize active bowl games
  • Custom pick deadline
  • POint margin or straight up
  • Free trial
Features Start My Pool

Commissioner Guides

New to running a pool, or switching formats this season? Our step-by-step guides cover the rules, setup decisions, and pitfalls for every football format: how to run an office football pool, how to run a survivor pool, how to run Super Bowl squares (free to host), and how to run a confidence pool. Or browse all commissioner guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular football pool format?

Pick'em pools are the most popular football pool format. Members simply pick winners for NFL and college games each week. Perfect for offices, friends, and casual groups with automatic scoring.

How do NFL survivor pools work?

In survivor pools, you pick one team to win each week but can't pick the same team twice all season. If your team loses, you're eliminated. Last person standing wins.

What are confidence pools in football?

Confidence pools require you to assign confidence points to your picks each week. Higher points go to games you're most confident about. You earn the confidence points when your pick wins.

Are Super Bowl squares pools free to host?

Yes, football squares pools including Super Bowl squares are completely free to host on SimplySportsWare. This includes random number assignments, quarterly winners, and automatic scoring throughout the game.

How much does it cost to host a football pool?

Football squares pools are free. Survivor pools start at $9.95 and pick'em, confidence rank, and custom margin pools start at $19.95, which includes your first 10 members. Every pool type includes a free trial.

Does SimplySportsWare score football pools automatically?

Yes. NFL and college football games are scored automatically, and pool standings update in real time as games finish.

Can I run both NFL and college football pools?

Yes. Pools can include NFL games, college football games, or both, and college bowl and NFL playoff pools are available for the postseason.