# SDMB NFL Pick 'em and survival 2014 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 29, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910 "2014-08-29T21:30:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/1 "2014-08-29T21:30:25Z")
I re-opened our yahoo pick 'em leagues a few weeks ago but forgot to make a post about it. Everyone who participated in last year should’ve received invitations. Everyone else is welcome to join with the instructions in this thread [Last year’s thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=699175) Pick 'em: In NFL Pick 'em leagues, each player predicts the outcome of every NFL game. There are three different types, and we run all three. You can join any or all of them. Straight up: You simply pick the winner of each game, and get a point if correct. Spread: A spread is determined for a game (like with sports betting), where one team has a certain amount of points given to them, and you have to pick the game with that adjustment taken into account. Confidence: The most complex one, but in my view also the most fun. There are no spreads, so you pick the winner straight up. But you get a confidence value you can assign to every game, 1 through the number of games being played that weekend, and can only use each number once. So if there are 16 games that weekend, you’ll assign the confidence number 16 to the game where the outcome seems most clear to you, 15 for the next one, all the way down to 1 for the one you’re least sure of. If you pick correctly, the confidence value of your pick is added to your weekly score. If you only play one league, I suggest the confidence league. Survival: Each player picks one team that has to win each week. If your picked team fails to win, you get a strike. You can only use each team once. These leagues can hold up to 50 players each, so we’re not really at risk for filling up, and you’re competing against the whole league, not one other team per week like fantasy football, so it’s not a big deal if you end up dropping out. I’d like for everyone to play all the way through the season, but it won’t hurt anyone if you don’t, so feel free to sign up if you’re only a little interested. You should be able to go to [this page](http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/pickem) and sign up for any or all of the three groups. The password on all leagues is cecil. Straight pick 'em: 24962 Confidence pick 'em: 24963 Spread pick 'em: 24961 The survival league I forgot to recreate until today, so invites just went out. Or you can sign up on [this page](http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/survival) Survival: 18778 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/2 "2014-09-01T05:28:12Z")
I’m in for Confidence and Survival. Pretty sure I hold the league record for fastest elimination in Survival. Was it last year there were no strikes allowed and I went out Week 1, then again went out on the first week of the re-start? That takes mad skillz. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/3 "2014-09-02T04:52:49Z")
In for my usual Straight Pick’em and Survival. Holy crapballs, I cannot wait for this season to get underway. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/4 "2014-09-03T11:33:19Z")
IIRC, survival picks don’t have to be in until that game starts, right? So if you forget to pick one, you could even use the MNF game if you had an eligible team remaining. I think that’s the case. But if not, here’s a reminder to get your picks in for tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/5 "2014-09-03T14:19:31Z")
Since this is my first time, I am staying simple and joining just the Pick’Em and the Survival league. Thanks for the pointer to this thread 🙂 I am not confident in any of my picks, so that league is definitely out for now. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/6 "2014-09-03T18:47:05Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > IIRC, survival picks don’t have to be in until that game starts, right? So if you forget to pick one, you could even use the MNF game if you had an eligible team remaining. Yes, that’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/7 "2014-09-03T19:12:51Z")
According to the Yahoo site, the deadline for survival picks is noon Central on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/8 "2014-09-03T19:35:21Z")
I’m in for the survival league only this year . Thursday night games screw with pick 'em too much . ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/9 "2014-09-03T22:15:27Z")
What do we think about three strikes in survival instead of two? It would allow the contest to go on longer in the year. We’d still have tiebreakers, in the case that multiple people survived the whole season or went out in the same week. A guy whose strikes were in week 9, 10, and 11 would obviously beat out a guy whose strikes were in weeks 1, 2, and 11. The timing of the first strike being the obvious tiebreaker, with the middle strike only gone to if that’s tied too. It doesn’t upset any sort of purity - since we already use two, what’s one more? It keeps people involved for longer. And if you like the old two strike system, well, just pretend its in effect if you want and declare your own winner. I’d like to give it a try this year and see how it works out. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/10 "2014-09-03T22:33:30Z")
Fine with me, it beats having to restart in week 10 ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/11 "2014-09-04T02:10:02Z")
I don’t usually do this, but I thought I’d give it a try this year. I’m in the confidence league only, it sounded intriguing. You ought to be able to figure out who I am from the team name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/12 "2014-09-04T15:35:31Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’m in for the survival league only this year . Thursday night games screw with pick 'em too much . I’m surprised they don’t have a “Ignore Thursday games (except for Thanksgiving, because fuck you, there’s three of them and you should be used to that by now)” option. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/13 "2014-09-07T16:08:20Z")
I went ahead and made the survival league 3 strikes. I think it’s more fun to have a few people struggling at the end of the season with some hard decisions than to reset the whole league around week 10. Of course it’s hard to predict - depending on the number of upsets, it may make it so that 3 or 4 people survive the whole season, or we could still all be out halfway through the year. We’ll see how it plays out. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/14 "2014-09-07T18:43:16Z")
Ugh. Looks like me and about half the survival league may be getting our first strikes in the Philly-Jacksonville game. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/15 "2014-09-07T19:28:20Z")
I picked the Bears and this game is 17-17. Not what I expected ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/16 "2014-09-07T20:09:42Z")
How does the survival league handle ties? A strike for picking either team or a push? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/17 "2014-09-07T20:33:28Z")
Whew…dodged a bullet in Philly. ---
**Author:** ![Zyanthia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/18 "2014-09-08T02:10:49Z")
I thought the Raiders might knock off my pick too, but the Jets pulled through! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/19 "2014-09-08T05:00:11Z")
Goddamn Bears… ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910/20 "2014-09-08T07:46:29Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > How does the survival league handle ties? A strike for picking either team or a push? I think ties are strikes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-nfl-pick-em-and-survival-2014/696910.md?page=2)