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📋Commissioner's guide

How to Run an NFL Playoff Pool Without a Spreadsheet

If you're the person who runs your family's or office's NFL playoff pool, you know the hard part isn't picking winners. It's the spreadsheet: copying picks out of a group chat, fixing the formula that broke last year, and answering “wait, who's winning?” all weekend.

See the full scoring rules →

Three common playoff pool formats

Pick the winner

Choose who wins each game. Simple to explain, but a lot of people end up tied.

Confidence points

Rank your picks by how sure you are. More strategy, but harder for newer players to follow.

Score prediction

Guess the final score of every game. More skill, and it's fun to see how close everyone got — not just who was right.

OvertimePools runs the third kind: a Score Prediction Pool. Everyone guesses the exact final score of all 13 playoff games, whoever is closest wins each game, and your later-round picks follow from the teams you predicted to win. For example: Kansas City 27, Philadelphia 17.

How to run a score prediction pool on OvertimePools

  1. 1
    Create your league
    It's free, and it stays yours season after season.
  2. 2
    Activate scoring for $10
    One flat fee per league, per season. You get an invite link to share.
  3. 3
    Share one link
    Everyone makes a free account and enters their guesses. You can also enter picks for anyone who calls you instead.
  4. 4
    Let it run itself
    Picks lock at the first kickoff. Scores sync on their own, and the leaderboard, “Everyone's Guesses” and round-result emails update automatically.
  5. 5
    Build your history
    Every season is added to your league's all-time standings, so the pool becomes a tradition your group comes back to.

Why we built it

OvertimePools started with the Bill Buss Pool, a family playoff pool that has been running for more than 50 years. It had outgrown its spreadsheet, so we built the tool we wished it had: one link for everyone, automatic scoring, and a history that goes back as far as the pool does.

Played for bragging rights

OvertimePools is a score-prediction game: points, standings and bragging rights. OvertimePools is an independent tool for private groups and is not affiliated with the NFL.

Frequently asked questions

How does an NFL playoff score prediction pool work?
Everyone guesses the exact final score of every playoff game — all 13, from Round 1 through the Championship. Whoever is closest wins each game, and points add up to an overall season winner.
How much does OvertimePools cost?
Creating a league is free. The commissioner pays a $10 software fee per league, per season, to activate scoring. Players never pay OvertimePools anything.
What do winners get?
Points, a spot at the top of the standings and bragging rights. OvertimePools is a score-prediction game: points have no value outside the game.
When do picks lock?
Picks lock automatically when the first playoff game kicks off. A commissioner can also set an earlier deadline or lock picks by hand.
What about people in my group who aren't comfortable online?
The entry form is built to be simple, and the commissioner can enter picks for anyone who would rather call or text them in.
Is OvertimePools affiliated with the NFL?
No. OvertimePools is an independent scoring tool for private group pools and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the NFL.
Give your pool a home before the playoffs

Create your league now and set it up whenever you're ready. Picks don't lock until the first kickoff.

How scoring works →