What does it cost to run a College Football Playoff pool?

Free to start. Only the commissioner pays, and anyone they invite plays for free. You can host 1 College Football Playoff pool with up to 10 people for free, then upgrade to Pro (from $19/tournament) when you need more members or pools.

How do the first-round byes work?

The top four seeds skip the first round and appear in the quarterfinals waiting for an opponent. There is nothing to pick for a bye, and it costs nobody points.

When do College Football Playoff picks lock?

In full bracket mode, every pick locks when the first playoff game kicks off. In round-by-round mode, each game locks at its own kickoff, so later games stay editable.

Can I start a pool before the field is announced?

Yes. Create the pool and invite your group any time during the season. The bracket resolves to the real matchups once the committee announces the field on Selection Day.

When can I see the rest of my CFP pool's picks?

As soon as picks lock. Before that, everyone's bracket stays hidden so nobody can copy or peek.

Can CFP pool members play without accounts?

Players normally sign in to save their College Football Playoff bracket. The commissioner can create and maintain a guest entry for anyone who does not want an account.

How does scoring work across the four rounds?

The pool commissioner sets custom point values per round: first round, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the national championship. Later rounds are usually worth more, so a pool stays live to the last game even if the early picks went badly. Scores and standings update automatically after each game.

College Football Playoff 2026-27

Your College Football Playoff Pool, on Autopilot

Twelve teams, eleven games, zero spreadsheets. Set up your pool in minutes and let the app keep score through the National Championship.

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Sound Familiar?

A group chat argument on Selection Day and a spreadsheet nobody trusts by New Year's

The field is not announced until Selection Day, so there is nothing to set up in advance. Then you are building the bracket and chasing everyone for picks before the first kickoff twelve days later.

Four teams get first-round byes, so the bracket is lopsided and half your group misreads who plays whom.

The playoff runs from mid-December into late January, straight through the holidays, which is exactly when a manual spreadsheet stops getting updated.

Start Your Pool

How It Works

Up and Running in Minutes

Create Your Pool

Pool Name

Create Your Pool

Name your pool, set point values per round, and share an invite link.

Make Your Picks

CFP Quarterfinal

20 pts / Pick

Ohio State

Alabama

Make Your Picks

Everyone picks every game from the first round through the National Championship. Picks lock at kickoff.

Watch the Playoff

#EntryTotal / Max

1AlexView0 / 80

2JordanView0 / 80

3SamView0 / 80

Watch the Playoff

Results and standings update automatically after each game. Nobody has to keep score over the holidays.

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Real feedback from real users on Reddit.

“Cool, our group is going to give your app a try this year. Logged into RunYourPool for the first time in a while and can't understand what they've become lol. Tough to navigate now.”

u/Puzzled-Traffic1157r/FFCommish

My family and I are very grateful for this app! It's so user-friendly. Thank you for making this!!

u/graves1987r/fantasyfootball

I appreciate all the work you've put into this so far. It's shockingly hard to find a good playoff pick'em…

u/Stap1emanr/fantasyfootball

Just wanted to say my group has really enjoyed the site thus far. Will keep thinking of improvements. Another obvious use would be March Madness.

u/Free_Food_3674r/FFCommish

I recommend it for a straightforward and easy to use March madness style bracket challenge! Great job!

u/mattwheer/fantasyfootball

Thank you for doing this! Doing a fun money challenge with the boys! Gotta get that fantasy money back somehow hahaha

u/Specialist-Camel7047r/FFCommish

Thanks for sharing! Was just looking for something to setup a playoff bracket with friends.

u/lil_pig_boyr/fantasyfootball

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Guide

How College Football Playoff Bracket Pools Work

The 12-Team Playoff Format

Twelve teams make the field. The top four seeds receive first-round byes, and seeds 5 through 12 play first-round games hosted on campus. The quarterfinals and semifinals are played at the CFP bowls, and the National Championship is played at a neutral site. Learn more from the College Football Playoff's format history.

What Is a College Football Playoff Pool?

Everyone picks the winner of every game before the first round kicks off and earns points for each correct pick. The commissioner sets the point value per round, so calling the champion can be worth far more than a first-round game.

Why the Byes Matter

The four bye teams enter at the quarterfinals with a month between games, while their opponents arrive having just played a first-round game on a campus site. Deciding how much that rest is worth, and where the upsets land, is where pools are won.

Setting Up Before Selection Day

You can create the pool and invite everyone weeks before the field is announced. The bracket fills in with the real seeds once the committee releases them, and picks stay open until the first game kicks off.

Running a Pool Through the Holidays

The playoff spans mid-December to late January, which is the hardest stretch of the year to maintain anything by hand. Automatic scoring means the standings are still correct when everyone comes back from the break.

Features

Your Pool, on Autopilot

The Full 12-Team Bracket

First round, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the National Championship, with the top four seeds on byes exactly like the real bracket.

Real Seed Numbers

Teams show the seed everyone argues about, 1 through 12, not a renumbered half of the bracket.

Custom Scoring Per Round

Weight the National Championship heavily, or reward first-round upset calls. You set the points.

Live Standings

Scores update as games finish, so the leaderboard is right before the confetti settles.

Full Bracket or Round by Round

Fill the whole bracket on Selection Day, or pick each round as it is set. Your pool, your rules.

Built by a Commissioner, for Commissioners

I run a playoff pool with my family. Everyone used to email me their picks and I'd enter them into a spreadsheet. Every year it was the same story: chasing people for their picks, updating scores after every game, and manually fixing brackets when things went wrong.

So I built Playoff Pick'Ems to be the tool I wished existed. Just a simple way to run a bracket pool with the people you care about.

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Start free, upgrade when you need more. No hidden fees.

Free

$0forever

Perfect for small groups.

1 pool
Up to 10 players
1 entry per player
Guest entries
Custom scoring

Start for Free

Tournament Pass

$19/tournament

Run pools of any size for one tournament.

Unlimited members
Multiple entries per player
Unlimited pools
Guest entries
Custom scoring

One-time payment. Covers one tournament for one season.

Buy Tournament Pass

Lifetime All-Access

$79one-time

Every tournament. Every future release.

Everything in Tournament Pass
Access to all current tournaments
Future tournaments included
Pay once, use forever

Best value for commissioners running multiple tournaments.

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Tournament Pass covers one tournament. Lifetime All-Access includes every current and future tournament.

Running a pool for your company or a large community (100+ players)?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions?

Your College Football Playoff Pool, simplified.

Running a pool is fun, but managing it can be a headache. Skip the tedious stuff and just enjoy the playoffs with your friends.

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Weighing up the alternatives? Best College Football Playoff pool software — ranked, including where they beat us.

Your College Football Playoff Pool, on Autopilot

Sound Familiar?

Up and Running in Minutes

Create Your Pool

Create Your Pool

Make Your Picks

Make Your Picks

Watch the Playoff

Watch the Playoff

Loved by Pool Commissioners

How College Football Playoff Bracket Pools Work

The 12-Team Playoff Format

What Is a College Football Playoff Pool?

Why the Byes Matter

Setting Up Before Selection Day

Running a Pool Through the Holidays

Your Pool, on Autopilot

The Full 12-Team Bracket

Real Seed Numbers

Custom Scoring Per Round

Live Standings

Full Bracket or Round by Round

Built by a Commissioner, for Commissioners

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Free

Tournament Pass

Lifetime All-Access

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to run a College Football Playoff pool?

How do the first-round byes work?

When do College Football Playoff picks lock?

Can I start a pool before the field is announced?

When can I see the rest of my CFP pool's picks?

Can CFP pool members play without accounts?

How does scoring work across the four rounds?

Your College Football Playoff Pool, simplified.

Your College Football Playoff Pool, on Autopilot

College Football Playoff Bracket

First Round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

National Championship

First Round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Sound Familiar?

Up and Running in Minutes

Create Your Pool

Create Your Pool

Make Your Picks

Make Your Picks

Watch the Playoff

Watch the Playoff

How College Football Playoff Bracket Pools Work

The 12-Team Playoff Format

What Is a College Football Playoff Pool?

Why the Byes Matter

Setting Up Before Selection Day

Running a Pool Through the Holidays

Your Pool, on Autopilot

The Full 12-Team Bracket

Real Seed Numbers

Custom Scoring Per Round

Live Standings

Full Bracket or Round by Round

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to run a College Football Playoff pool?

How do the first-round byes work?

When do College Football Playoff picks lock?

Can I start a pool before the field is announced?

When can I see the rest of my CFP pool's picks?

Can CFP pool members play without accounts?

How does scoring work across the four rounds?

Your College Football Playoff Pool, simplified.

College Football Playoff Bracket

First Round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

National Championship

First Round