All picks will be made on www.fbparipool.com using the Make Picks page. Anyone participating in the pool must have an account. If you do not have an account, create an account here.
Game times and lock times are defined using Eastern Time, but when you are logged in the website will display them using the time zone saved in your Account.
For each game, correct picks will be awarded points using the following formula, rounded to two decimal places:
Where np = the number of users with no pick if more users picked the winning team, and zero (0) if fewer users picked the winning team. The maximum points that can be awarded for a single game is 7.50 points.
Point values are normalized so that a pick where every user picks the game correctly is worth 1.00 point.
Scoring example: suppose 30 users are participating and 12 users correctly pick a game. Before normalization, the formula produces 1 + (30 + 2) / (12 + 1) = 3.46 points. The site's normalization factor is then applied to that raw value. The same normalization factor is applied consistently so that a unanimous correct pick is worth exactly 1.00 point, subject to the 7.50-point maximum.
A user's score for a payout period will be the total points awarded for all games combined for that period.
The formula is considered a type of pari-mutuel scoring, hence the name Pari-Mania Football Pool.
The following categories are used for season payouts:
The number of places paid in each category is determined by the total number of users participating in the pool for that season.
The dollar amounts below are the currently configured payouts for the 2026 season based on the 36 users who entered this year's pool. The payout values are now considered final for this year.
| Place | Overall | College | NFL | Correct Picks | Each Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $243.00 | $48.60 | $48.60 | $48.60 | $64.80 |
| 2nd | $135.00 | $16.20 | $16.20 | $16.20 | $21.60 |
| 3rd | $81.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | $54.00 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | $27.00 | — | — | — | — |
The following categories are used for weekly payouts. All College Football Playoff games combined are considered one payout period, and all NFL Playoff games combined are considered one payout period:
The number of places paid in each category is determined by the total number of users participating in the pool for that season.
| Place | Overall | College | NFL | Correct Picks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $71.80 | $10.25 | $10.25 | $10.25 |
| 2nd | $35.90 | — | — | — |
| 3rd | $18.80 | — | — | — |
| 4th | $13.70 | — | — | — |
For periods where only college games (College Football Playoffs) or only NFL games are played, the bonus will be added to both the 1st and 2nd place payouts and the bonus payouts for College and NFL will not be paid.
During the regular season, all NFL games plus college games involving teams ranked in the AP Top 25 will be picked by each user.
All games shown on the Make Picks page must be picked. Any game not picked will be counted as an incorrect pick. The Make Picks page will clearly warn you if any available picks have been missed.
If a game is scheduled to begin earlier than the applicable standard lock time below, that game's lock time will be its scheduled kickoff time. All other games will lock according to the following rules:
The website will display game times and lock times in your preferred time zone when you are logged in.
Picks may be submitted by phone at 610-283-8787 or by email at kyle.matschke@gmail.com or pooladmin@fbparipool.com if necessary. The same lock-time rules apply based on the timestamp of the email or phone contact. No exceptions will be made, so do not wait until the last minute.
An administrator can enter missing picks for another user when necessary. See the Admin Integrity section below.
You can configure both long-term and short-term email pick reminders from your Account.
There are no default picks for a game not picked by a user. A missed pick is counted as an incorrect pick.
For purposes of calculating how many points the game is worth, a missed pick will be treated as though the user selected the team picked by the most users in the pool. If both teams were picked by the same number of users, the home team will be used. For a neutral-site game, the team listed second will be used.
Administrators have the technical ability to enter missing picks for another user after a game locks when necessary. The following safeguards are in place to protect the integrity of the pool:
If a game is postponed and rescheduled within six days of the original date, the game will count toward the original payout period in which it was scheduled.
If a game is postponed and rescheduled more than six days after the original date, it will count toward the payout period in which it is ultimately played, provided it still qualifies as a game that should be picked at that time (for example, an NFL game or a college game that still involves an AP Top 25 team).
If a game is canceled and is not ultimately played, the game will not count toward scoring. Any picks and tie-breaker information associated only with that canceled game will be disregarded.
The entry fee is $125 per person. Only one entry per person is allowed. Users must join the pool no later than noon on the Saturday after the first NFL game of the season is played. Entries mid-season are not allowed.
The final payout amounts depend on the number of entrants. Current payout amounts are summarized in the Season Payouts and Weekly Payouts sections above.
The total points scored in the designated tie-breaker game shown on the Make Picks page will be used to break ties for payout-period prizes. The user whose prediction is closest to the actual total will win the tie-breaker. If users remain tied after applying the tie-breaker, they will split the applicable prize.
If a user does not submit a tie-breaker prediction, that user is not eligible to win a tie-breaker against another tied user who submitted one.
Season Total and Bonus prizes do not use a tie-breaker. Any ties for those prizes will result in the applicable prize money being split.
Scores and results will generally be updated while games are being played approximately every 15 minutes. The Standings page displays when college and NFL scores were last updated.
If anyone notices a mistake in the scoring, results, or standings, please inform me as soon as possible. Nothing will be considered completely final until the end of the season. If an error from an earlier week is discovered later in the season, the correction will still be made. The intent is for the correct users to win based on the actual results and rules of the pool.
The entry fee is $125 per person. Only one entry per person is allowed.
Payment must be received, or postmarked if sent by mail, by noon on the Saturday after the first NFL game of the season or the user will be dropped from the pool.
Winnings will be paid all at once at the end of the season.
Fees will be accepted in person, by mail (email me for the mailing address), or by Venmo at @kyle-matschke.
These rules are intended to cover the pool as thoroughly as reasonably possible. If an unforeseen event occurs that is not covered by the rules, I will make every effort to make a fair ruling and/or establish a reasonable solution that is in the best interest of everyone participating in the pool.
If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask.