Current:Home > StocksUSA TODAY's NFL Survivor Pool is back: What you need to know to win $5K cash-LoTradeCoin
USA TODAY's NFL Survivor Pool is back: What you need to know to win $5K cash
View Date:2024-12-23 19:25:51
Thursday's NFL season kickoff means one thing: USA TODAY's Survivor Pool is officially back.
While not everyone can be crowned a Super Bowl champion, the Survivor Pool is anyone’s to win. Keep picking winners and outlast everyone else, and you could walk away with a cash prize of $5,000.
Survive and advance — sounds simple enough, right?
There are just a few twists. You can only choose each team once throughout the entire tournament. So if you’re thinking of relying on powerhouse teams like the Chiefs, Ravens or 49ers week after week, think again because they’ll be off the table after you’ve picked them once.
If you miss any selections in a round, you are automatically eliminated. And, of course, every pick must be correct for you to advance to the next round. Plus, if your pick is successful, your team’s margin of victory will be added to a bank to break any potential ties.
PLAY TO WIN $5K: USA TODAY's Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!
So, there’s more strategy than meets the eye. Success rests on picking the right team each week and knowing when to back a Super Bowl contender versus saving them for a tougher matchup further down the line. It's all about timing — knowing when to play it safe and when to take a calculated risk.
You can’t advance if you lose early, but you also don’t want to find yourself in a position later on where only teams with losing records remain eligible for you to pick. However, it’s important to remember that while you can’t select the same team to win each week, nothing is stopping you from picking the same teams to lose each week.
For example, the Saints are far from the best team in the league, but they could be a smart choice for Week 1 as they face a long-struggling Panthers squad. Choosing them now will allow you to save powerhouse teams for later. On the flip side, while the Ravens had the best regular-season record last year, Week 1 might not be the ideal time to pick Baltimore as it faces the reigning Super Bowl champion (even though it’s definitely tempting to back Lamar Jackson in his self-proclaimed “revenge game” after last year's AFC championship game loss to Kansas City).
Odds for NFL Week 1
To help with your first picks, let’s dive into the odds for Week 1. (All point spreads provided by BetMGM, although the Survivor Pool requires only a straight-up victory.)
- Ravens (+3) at Chiefs
- Packers (+2.5) at Eagles
- Jaguars (+3.5) at Dolphins
- Steelers (+3) at Falcons
- Vikings (-1.5) at Giants
- Panthers (+4) at Saints
- Patriots (+8) at Bengals
- Titans (+4) at Bears
- Cardinals (+6.5) at Bills
- Texans (-3) at Colts
- Raiders (+3) at Chargers
- Broncos (+6) at Seahawks
- Commanders (+3) at Buccaneers
- Cowboys (+2,5) at Browns
- Rams (+3.5) at Lions
- Jets (+4) at 49ers
What is a survivor pool?
The Survivor Pool is a high-stakes competition where participants pick one team to win an NFL game each week. So, there will be 16 correct answers each week. However, there’s a catch: one wrong pick, and you're out for the season. It may seem straightforward, but the challenge intensifies as you can't choose the same team more than once.
How it works
So let's recap:
1. Join USA TODAY’s Survivor Pool.
2. Survive the longest with the highest points differential, and you'll be in the running to win a $5,000 cash prize. (must meet eligibility requirements)
Rules to remember: Pick one team to win each week of the NFL regular season. If your pick loses or ties, you're eliminated. If they win, you survive and earn points equal to that game's point differential. Choose carefully — you can select each team only once during the entire season. You're eliminated if you fail to make a pick in any week.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.
veryGood! (9356)
Related
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- The Trumpification of the GOP's Jan. 6 pardon push
- Christopher Nolan recalls Peloton instructor's harsh 'Tenet' review: 'What was going on?'
- Russia approves 2 candidates for ballot against Putin in March election
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- David Soul, of TV's 'Starsky and Hutch,' dies at 80
- Vanessa and Nick Lachey Prove Daughter Brooklyn Is Growing Up Fast on 9th Birthday
- How Gypsy Rose Blanchard Feels About Ex Nicholas Godejohn Amid His Life in Prison Sentence
- Mark Zuckerberg Records NSFW Song Get Low for Priscilla Chan on Anniversary
- The new FAFSA is meant to make applying for college aid easier, but not everyone can access it yet
Ranking
- These Yellowstone Gift Guide Picks Will Make You Feel Like You’re on the Dutton Ranch
- Texas Tech says Pop Isaacs is ‘in good standing’ after report of lawsuit alleging sexual assault
- Microsoft adding new PC button in its first significant keyboard change in decades
- US actor Christian Oliver and his 2 daughters died in a plane crash in the Caribbean, police say
- Texas man accused of supporting ISIS charged in federal court
- New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says
- The Bachelorette's Rachel Lindsay Breaks Silence on Bryan Abasolo Divorce
- Rays shortstop Wander Franco faces judge as officials accuse him of having sex with a 14-year-old
Recommendation
-
It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
-
United Arab Emirates acknowledges mass trial of prisoners previously reported during COP28
-
'Bachelor' fans slam Brayden Bowers for proposing to Christina Mandrell at 'Golden Wedding'
-
Mississippi deputy fatally shot during traffic stop by suspect who was killed by police after chase
-
Suspect in deadly 2023 Atlanta shooting is deemed not competent to stand trial
-
Lawsuit says Georgia’s lieutenant governor should be disqualified for acting as Trump elector
-
Nebraska bill would add asphyxiation by nitrogen gas as form of execution for death row inmates
-
What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, reading and listening