NFL Football Invitation - 2024-2025

IT’S SHOWTIME

You know what’s coming. You’ve been waiting for this since March. Well — It’s SHOWTIME!!

The annual Football Pool Invitation. I’ve written over 30 of these now, and it’s getting harder for me to find a fresh angle. So let’s just get to it. Promise to keep this one under 4 pages. 

No change to the entry fee. 215 Burrows covers you for ALL the pools. And we have plenty of different pieces to keep you all in the game. Contact Bob or myself to settle up with, that’s up to you. A variety of methods are accepted. We will go over that when you check in with us. For now, a response of yes to this email will secure your spot on the mailing list, On to the pool details.

Two pools run concurrently during the 18 week regular season. The Main Pool is the Big Prize and the reward is commensurate with it’s difficulty. You pick every game (272) using our provided point spread. Top 3 records get prizes. The winner deserves and receives the biggest prize we offer. It’s 42% of the Prize Fund. 2nd place gets rewarded with 12% and 3rd place gets a taste of honey, netting 6%. That might not sound like much but that alone is greater than the entry fee so I would sign for winning that prize right now and be happy. Especially since I came in 4th last year losing out by a single game-ugh!! Ties do happen in this pool at times so if there is a tie for 1st, they split the sum total of the 1st and 2nd place prizes. A tie for 2nd splits the combined 2nd and 3rdplace prize total. A tie for 3rd results in a split of that prize for the players involved. I never thought of this until now, and it hasn’t happened but if there is a three way tie or more at the very top, the players involved split the sum total of all three prizes. 

The second pool also runs for the 18 week regular season. It’s the Best Bet Pool. It’s always hotly contested, usually coming down to the final week. It’s riveting! Last year was a bit of an anomaly, we had a run away winner with a pool best ever 15-3 record for Nate ( The Georgetown Kid) Singh. But 6 players battled for the 2nd place prize in the last week. Only the top two records receive prizes here. Winner snares 21 % of the Prize Fund and runner up takes home 4%. Ties are quite common in this pool (not last year however). Bob and I love to see the prizes spread around. We hope everyone comes out with something. I’ve referred to “The Prize Fund” a few times. What the heck is that Dom? Well, it’s based on the number of entries we have less funds set aside for lesser side pools which I will get to a little down the road. It’s a fluid number that we won’t know until just before the season starts (1 month from today as I write this). The Prize List and amounts will be revealed at that time. Oh what fun!!!

The third pool is the Playoff Pool. You don’t have to do well in the regular season to qualify. You can be like the Panthers and still make it. All you HAVE to do is satisfy the entry fee. 13 games over a 4 week span and there is only ONE winner. It always comes down to the Super Bowl and there is a tie breaker for that game if there is still a tie between two or more players (it’s happened the last two years) after the result of the game. Several months before then. I’ll detail that when we get there. The winner here reels in the remaining 15% of the Prize Fund. I DO hope that all adds up to 100%.

There are side pools that your entry fee covers but are separate from the Prize Fund. One is often referred to as a Survivor Pool or (my preference) Knockout Pool. Each week, regular season only, in addition to picking all the games WITH the point spreads, you also select a team just to WIN THE GAME. No point spread. Win and you “survive” to play the next week. Only a win gets you through. Ties, rare though they may be, ain’t winning. Lose or tie and you’re done. You can only take a team once. Say you take the Chiefs in week 1. They win-cool - Swift throws her bra on the field and you get to week 2. ‘Ya can’t use the Chiefs the rest of the way. Or touch the bra. This pool segment has only made it to week 18 once. If it does, all remaining split the pie. Last year it ended week 13, with a sole winner. The prize is 10X the number of entries. 410 Mahomes last two years. 

Another is the Mystery Doubles. All players are matched up with another player and the pairings will be chosen by a random group of pool participants supervised by Bob, just before the last week of the regular season. We announce the teams and standings going into the last week AFTER the picks for week 18 have been made. Team with the most combined wins get the trophy. They split the prize which is also 10X the number of entries. Ties (it has happened in this one) are split evenly by the pairs. 

One more prize and a very important one is the Weekly Prize. Best record for each of the 18 regular season weeks wins the coveted prize. It’s 90 Tua’s for the winning effort. So don’t mail it in if you’re up the track in the standings late in the year and aren’t looking good for a major prize. Take one or two of these and it could be a plus season for you in the end. 

We added a little prize a few years ago aimed at the people who aren’t having a good year and we don’t want them going home empty handed. The last place finisher each week gets a “booby prize” of 6 De Vito’s. It takes the sting out of being last and getting trashed by the mean spirited writer of the recaps. 

Every week Bob sends out the updated standings of the two pools with the pick sheets for the next week and that previously mentioned verbal recap. The Knockout Pool update isn’t addressed but I will touch on it in my recap (yes, I’m the mean spirited one, not Bob). We suspect you know if you are still in and Bob will remind you if you owe us a pick. We also keep track of prior KO picks so we won’t let you make a mistake. 

Pool veterans - - I probably lost you at hello but if not, thanks for sticking around. Nothing new rest of the way so just reply yes (we hope) and see ‘ya in September. Newbies, a little bit more you need to know.

On Monday’s I (yes I, Bob does most of the work but not all) send you a single game line for the Thursday game. On Wednesday, Bob sends out the remainder of the game lines. Fave on the left, dog on the right, home team in CAPS. 3 different forms. 

You then edit the form most compatible for you with your picks. Select a Best Bet. Indicate a Survivor pick if still in it, and send it back. Most people do it this way but it’s OK to just email us with your picks without the pick sheet or if you have some technical issues you can call one of us or text one of us with your picks. We need that Thursday pick by then of course. 4 PM would be nice. The balance of the games as soon as you are ready but the absolute DEADLINE is 11AM Sunday for the rest of the games on the schedule. Not game time - - 11AM. Bob will hound you if they are not in Sunday when he wakes up. Bob has a life too so please be good boys and girls and get the picks in on time. Bob thanks you in advance. He creates a nice spreadsheet with everyone’s picks for the week so you can follow how you are doing against the field on Sunday. So he needs a little time for that. BTW, Bob does not enter the pool. His decision on any controversies rule. We rarely have an issue Bob has to make a call on. I DO go in the pool. Usually a non factor. I just like the action. 

If it’s found that you missed a game, picked both sides of a game, forgot to make a Best Bet, etc. it’s OK. It happens a lot. If you get them in early enough, Bob or I will catch the error and contact you to correct it. It almost never happens but in case we bothsomehow miss it, sorry but it is your error and you get a loss for a missed pick, best bet or KO pick. If you get them in before crunch time we won’t be in rush mode and we WILL catch it.

This rarely happens but I have to cover it. Sometimes real life gets in the way of our fantasy life and you just. . . get overwhelmed. If you fail to make the picks one week, for one time only, you will get credit for 3 less wins than the average of the group that week. If we averaged 7 wins, you get 4. You lose your Best Bet and Knockout. One time only, Happens again it’s zeros. Also, only applicable front 16 weeks. No sitting on a big lead. Gotta make the picks last two weeks. 

That’s it kids. As promised, I kept it under 4 pages (barely). Any questions - Bob or I have the answers. Don’t be shy to ask. Let us know if you are in. Show this to friends. NO limit to number of players. Thanks! Good Luck to All!

LET’S GET READY FOR SOME
FOOTBALL!!!