• The new DEADLINE to submit your weekly picks will be: SATURDAY - 8pm ET/5pm PT. Remember, this is a computerized system and it will NOT accept your entry after the deadline - NO EXCEPTIONS. Don't fax, call or email me your picks.
• There is NO reason not to get your picks in "for any reason". Here is why: you can set a default to get your picks in automatically. If for any reason, you forget, have computer problems or your dog ate your homework, you can set a default where the computer will give you either ALL the home teams, visitors, favorites or dogs. You can even select "random" picks. So you are covered. This feature is called "auto picks" - look for it.
• You can change your picks as many times as you like - up to the Saturday 8/5 pm deadline. Confirm your picks - make sure they are in! That's your responsibility.
• I've made arrangements for you to receive an email REMINDER NOTICE (to the email address you provide when you sign-up) within 24 hours of the Saturday 8/5 pm submit deadline if your picks haven't been received yet.
• I've also made arrangements for you to receive SCORE EMAILS each week. This contains your win total for the week, your finish for the week and the Top-3 scorers.
• As mentioned above, once the games start, you will be able to see EVERYBODY else's picks. The weekly picks will be graded as the games go on as well as the season standings. You will easily be able to figure out if "you can win the week" by yourself, trust me! Look for "What If".
• There will be NO "ties" in any game due to the spread. This season, EVERY game with end with a 1/2 to prevent this. The lines should be available on Tuesday morning.
• Unlike past years, from now on all THURSDAY games will be included. That includes Opening Day, Thursday September 4. You can pick your Thursday game by Thursday and the rest of your games later in the week. If you miss the Thursday game, you can still enter your picks for the rest of the week (by the Saturday 8/5 pm deadline), but you will get a loss for the Thursday game.
• This year, unfortunately, the MONDAY NIGHT POINTS POOL will be eliminated. Sorry, it's too manual and our new system is anything but, manual! The LOCK POOL will remain, it will now be called the SURVIVOR POOL. You will need to make your pick "separate" from your weekly game picks. They are considered 2 separate pools and treat them as such.
• The SURVIVOR/LOCK POOL works just like the Weekly PICKEM' Pool. Once the games start, you will have access to see everybody else's picks. Your default, if you chose to set it, is the team with the largest point spread.
• Office Football Pool has a section called ANALYSIS. It is loaded with tons of statistical information like you've never seen before. Look for it on the menu bar!

Now, the particulars, and then I'll tell you how to sign-up . . .

1. REGULAR POOL: Once again, we will have ONLY 80 contestants. It's hard enough to win with "only" 80. Last season, the Top-18 got back "prize money". Our defending champion - THE RANGERS (Glen Brunman) - won $8,310. SCOTT/McGORY (Jon Scott & Jim McGory) came in second place winning $4,155. Third place went to LUCY'S REVENGE (Kevin Gasser & Greg Hoffman) good for $2,770.
2. LOCK-OF-THE-YEAR / SURVIVOR POOL: Pick the WINNER of any "1" game each week - with NO POINT SPREAD. If you are "right", your can continue to pick the next week. If you are "wrong", you are done! Whoever is left standing - WINS! Last season, the LOCK lasted 14 weeks. It was a 3-way split of the $2,400. prize. This season the SURVIVOR/LOCK Poll will be increased from $2,400 to $3,200.

AS USUAL, my weekly commentary will be available right here, every Tuesday at willywillywilly.com, in it's usual place: PRO FOOTBALL - NEWS.

PLEASE mail your $700. as soon as possible to:

1. You need to be a member and logged in at Office Football Pool.com. Click on the link below and you will be guided through the process for becoming a member and entering the "pickem' pool" and survivor/lock pool:

   THIS IS KEY: When REGISTERING as a New Member: Your USER NAME should be the name you want to use for the pool. (If you registered for the NCAA Basketball Pool, you have 2 options: you can sign-up as a NEW member with a NEW user id/team name OR you can enter the pool using the user id & password you used for the ncaa pool and then change your user id/team name it to a new "football" user id/team name.)

2. http://www.officefootballpool.com/members.cfm?p=7
3. Log in OR register as a new member. (MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION)
4. Enter your NAME, a PASSWORD and your EMAIL address.
5. Click "GET STARTED".

   You are now officially, a member! At the next screen..... Look for JOIN A POOL on the right side. Click it! You are now ready to join the Pickem' Pool

6. Enter the POOLID and the Pool PASSWORD, your NAME and TELEPHONE #
7. PoolID: 10530 Pool Password: 2468
8. Click Submit.
9. Follow along, and if all goes well, your will now be entered in the Regular Season Pickem Pool.

   Now, it's time to enter the SURVIVOR/LOCK Pool. In the upper left hand corner of the screen look for HOM on the menu bar. In it's drop down menu, look for JOIN A POOL. Click it! Now repeat the previous process once more.

10. Enter the Survivor/Lock POOLID and Pool PASSWORD, your NAME and PHONE #
11. PoolID: 10531 Pool Password: 2468
12. Click Submit.

WillyWilly1 - the PICKEM' Pool & WILLYWILLY2 - the Survivor/Lock Pool.

If anyone has any problems, call me, I'll talk you through it! If it sounds difficult, it's really not. Believe me, it will be well worth it!! GOOD LUCK