League rules
2026 Preseason Rehearsal · terms version 2026.1
This page is generated from the same configuration the application enforces. What you read here is exactly what the server applies.
How it works
- Each week you pick one NFL team. That team must win for you to survive.
- You cannot use the same team twice all season. This survives rebuys — a team you used before a loss stays used afterward.
- A loss ends your entry unless a rebuy is available to you.
- The last player standing wins the pot.
Ties
A tie is neither a win nor a loss. You stay alive, but you owe more the following week: each tie must be made good with 2 winning picks.
- Tie one game → you must win 2 games next week.
- Wins do not reduce the debt. If you owe 2 and go win-plus-tie, you owe 2 again.
- Tie both games while owing 2 → you owe 4 next week.
- Any loss in a multi-pick week is a loss, no matter what the other picks did.
- All picks in a multi-pick week still follow the no-reuse rule.
A tie in Week 4 is a loss. There is no following week in which to pay the debt, and you do not advance on a tie.
Deadlines
- Normal deadline is Sunday 12:55 PM Eastern.
- If you pick a team playing before that, your pick locks 5 minutes before that kickoff — Thursday, Saturday, and international games included.
- You can change a pick any time before it locks.
- Miss the deadline and you are assigned the strongest available favorite by the league’s locked point spread, from teams still legal for you. This is automatic and deterministic.
Point spreads are shown for information and to decide default picks only. They never determine whether you survive — your pick either wins or it does not.
Entry options and rebuys
$20 entry — $20
- Lose in Week 1: rebuy for $10. This price applies to Week 1 only.
- Lose in Weeks 2–5: rebuy for $30. No exceptions.
- Rebuys are unlimited within that window.
- A loss in Week 6 or later ends your entry.
$80 entry — $80
- Includes 3 free rebuys, usable for losses through Week 8.
- Unused rebuys expire. A clean sheet with all 3 unused plus a loss in Week 9 means you are out.
- Extra rebuys cannot be purchased on this option, at any point.
A rebuy clears any outstanding tie requirement, but never clears your used-team history.
Winning and splitting
- Last player standing takes the pot.
- After each week, the remaining players may agree to split. It must be unanimous. One objection ends the option and play continues.
- A split does not have to be equal. Any division the remaining players all agree to is valid.
- Not responding counts as no. The vote closes when the next week’s first game kicks off.
- If more than one player is still alive after Week 4, the pot splits evenly among them.
Terms of participation
Version 2026.1
What this is
This is a private NFL survivor pool among people who know each other. It is not a public contest, not a sportsbook, and not a commercial service. Participation is by invitation only.
You must be 18 or older
You must be at least 18 years old to participate. You confirm your date of birth at signup, and it is recorded. Anyone found to be under 18 will be removed and refunded in full.
The organizer takes nothing
Every dollar collected is paid back out to participants. The commissioner takes no fee, no rake, and no share of the pot for running the pool. Payout amounts are calculated to the cent and always total exactly what was collected.
Entry money passes through the commissioner's personal account for convenience only. It is not his money and is never treated as income of the pool.
The app enforces the rules
The published rules are generated from the same configuration this application executes, so what you read is what is enforced. Deadlines, team reuse, rebuy eligibility, and results processing are all applied by the server automatically and identically for everyone.
Where the application and a person disagree, the application's record is the starting point. The commissioner can correct genuine errors, and every correction is logged with who made it, when, and why.
Deadlines are final
Picks lock at the times shown in the app. If you miss a deadline, a default pick is assigned automatically using a published, deterministic rule. A missed pick is not a reason to reverse a result.
Payment and eligibility
You are not in the pool until your entry payment is confirmed. Until then you can sign in and look around, but you hold no place in the pool and no share of the pot.
Rebuy availability and pricing follow the published rules for your entry option. Rebuys must be paid and confirmed before your entry becomes active again.
Ending the season early
Remaining players may agree to split the pot at any point, but only unanimously. A single objection, or a failure to respond before the next week begins, means play continues. Splits do not have to be equal — any division the remaining players all agree to is valid.
No warranty
This application is run by one person for a group of friends. It may have bugs, and external data sources for schedules, scores, and point spreads may be wrong or unavailable. Errors will be corrected in good faith when found, but no guarantee of uninterrupted or error-free operation is made.
Your information
Your name, email, date of birth, and state of residence are stored to run the pool and are not sold or shared. Other participants can see your name and your picks once picks are locked.
Anything here unclear, or a situation the rules do not seem to cover? Ask before it matters rather than after — the questions people actually ask page may cover it already.
commissioner@novasurvivorleague.com
If a deadline is close, say so in the subject line — that is the one time a reply genuinely cannot wait.