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NFL Playoff Team Ranking Pools
One set of rankings. Every playoff win counts.
Run a playoff pool with one list to collect from each entry. Members give all 14 teams a different value from 1 to 14, with 14 worth the most. Each win earns that team’s assigned value, and the highest total after the Super Bowl wins.
Each entry ranks every playoff team once and earns a team’s assigned value each time it wins. Some hosts call this playoff power ranking or playoff confidence; the points stay with the team.
$1 per entry for the playoffs. Nothing upfront.
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Tell us about itTeam ranking scoring
Choose how the wins add up.
Score each win at the team’s assigned value, or add round multipliers. Rankings stay fixed either way.
Count the team’s value for each win.
A team assigned 12 points earns 12 each time it wins. Three wins add 36 to that entry’s total. The value stays the same from Wild Card weekend through the Super Bowl.
Add round multipliers.
Multiply each winning team’s value by the factor for that round. With a 2× Divisional multiplier, a team worth 12 scores 24 for that win. Rankings stay fixed; only the round’s multiplier changes.
Your pool’s rules
Team ranking rules for your group.
Keep the 1-through-14 setup simple, or add your group’s round multipliers. The deadline and tiebreaker apply to every entry.
Rankings and entries
- All 14 teams
- Every entry ranks the full playoff field, including both conferences and the two teams with first-round byes.
- Point values
- Assign each value from 1 through 14 to exactly one team. A team given 14 is worth the most per win; these values are separate from NFL seeds.
- Fixed rankings
- Keep the original values throughout the pool. Do not move points from an eliminated team to one still playing.
- Entries per person
- Allow one ranking per person, or set a limit on multiple entries. Each entry has its own complete set of values.
- Later starts
- For a separate pool starting in the Divisional round, rank the eight remaining teams from 1 to 8. Count only wins from that round onward.
Scoring and byes
- Points for a win
- Each win adds the team’s assigned value to the entry’s total. A team can score that value again in every round it wins.
- Round multipliers
- Keep the multiplier at 1 throughout, or set different multipliers by round. Multiply the winning team’s value by that round’s multiplier.
- First-round byes
- A bye earns no game points. The two No. 1 seeds begin scoring with their first actual win in the Divisional round.
- Eliminated teams
- A loss ends that team’s scoring. Its earlier points stay on the entry’s total, and its assigned value stays used.
- Overall standings
- Add points from all ranked teams across the included rounds. The highest total after the Super Bowl wins.
Deadlines and tiebreakers
- Entry and ranking deadline
- Collect the complete ranking and any tiebreaker before the first included game. One deadline covers all teams, including those on a bye.
- Edits before lock
- Let members reorder their teams until the deadline. Once play begins, the original ranking stands for the rest of the pool.
- Incomplete rankings
- Require every team to have a value, with no duplicates or missing values, before accepting an entry.
- Super Bowl total
- Collect a predicted combined Super Bowl score with each entry. When ranking points are tied, the prediction closest to the actual total wins the tiebreaker.
- Further ties
- State how you’ll resolve entries that remain tied after the Super Bowl prediction is compared.
Visibility and control
- Seeing other picks
- Keep rankings hidden until the pool’s deadline, then reveal each entry’s full list.
- Commissioner picks
- Enter and fix rankings for a member, or turn that off.
- Commissioner visibility
- Nobody sees another entry’s rankings before they lock, you included.
- Rules text
- A rules page generated from your settings, plus a note in your own words
- Audit markers
- Rankings entered by the commissioner are flagged “C”.
- Entry management
- Keep track of who has joined, how many entries they have, and who still owes their dues.
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Your house rules
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Your members won’t be added to a marketing list or shown sportsbook promotions. You decide who joins.
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Football pool pricing
$1 per entry. For the playoffs. Nothing upfront.
Pay only for the entries you keep.
- No credit card to start
- No minimum charge
- Set up before inviting anyone
Before the rankings lock.
The details that distinguish team ranking from other playoff pools.
Is this playoff confidence, power ranking, or Rank ’Em?
Some hosts call this playoff power ranking, Rank ’Em, or playoff confidence. Here, points stay with teams and score every time those teams win. In game-pick confidence, members put points on individual game picks instead. Check which version your group means. Compare game-pick confidence formats.
How do the first-round byes affect scoring?
The two No. 1 seeds earn no Wild Card points because they do not play that round. Each can win up to three games; a team playing on Wild Card weekend can win up to four. That difference matters when members assign their values.
Do members need to predict a bracket?
No. They assign values to every team, rather than predicting each matchup. A team’s win scores regardless of its opponent, including when NFL reseeding changes the later matchups.
Can two entries give the same team 14 points?
Yes. Every entry ranks the full field independently. Ranking a team doesn’t reserve it for one person. A team draw, which assigns teams to members, is a different format.
What happens when a highly ranked team loses?
Its points already earned stay on the entry’s total, but it cannot score again. Members cannot reassign its value. Their other teams continue earning points for wins.
What does hosting cost?
$1 for each entry you keep in the new pool, with nothing upfront and no minimum. The new pool is billed separately.
For your group
Let’s get your ranking pool ready.
Tell us how your group scores its rankings. Send your rules sheet or last year’s spreadsheet, and we’ll help you work through the setup.