Types of football pools
Twelve ways to run a football pool, side by side — pick the right one for your office, family, or league in about a minute.
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Which football pool should I run?
- One game with a mixed crowd (family, Thanksgiving, the Big Game) Football squares or Game-day bingo
- One game with real football fans Prediction sheet or Score predictor
- A whole season at the office Survivor or Pick'em
- A whole season with almost no upkeep NFL wins pool
- Survivor without the early knockouts Margin survivor
- Bowl season or a custom slate of games Pick sheet
- A tournament — the playoffs or the office ping-pong bracket Bracket pool
- Something nobody in your group has played Gridiron battleship or Streak pool
All 12 football pool types at a glance
| Pool | How it works | Length | Luck or skill | Best for | Start one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Football squares | Claim squares on a 10×10 grid; random digits at lock; the last digit of each team's score picks each quarter's winner. | One game | Luck | Any crowd — the Big Game, Thanksgiving | Start |
| Pick'em | Pick the winner of every NFL game each week; optional confidence points. | Season | Skill | Offices and football fans | Start |
| Survivor | One team a week, never the same team twice; a loss knocks you out. Two-life and pick-the-loser options. | Season | Skill + luck | Offices — thirty seconds a week | Start |
| Margin survivor | One team a week, no repeats; your score is the margin of victory and nobody is eliminated. | Season | Skill | Groups that hate week-two exits | Start |
| Streak pool | One pick a week (a day for the NBA); a right pick builds your streak, a miss resets it. | Season | Skill + luck | Casual weekly players | Start |
| NFL wins pool | Snake-draft or deal the 32 NFL teams; their regular-season wins add up. | Season | Draft skill + luck | Low-effort groups, fantasy leagues | Start |
| Pick sheet | Pick'em on any games you choose — college, bowls, NFL, NBA — straight up or with confidence. | Any games | Skill | Bowl season, college Saturdays | Start |
| Score predictor | Guess final scores: 3 for the winner, +2 for the exact margin, +5 for the exact score. | Any games | Skill | Fans who like to show off | Start |
| Prediction sheet | One game, a sheet of party questions — first score, halftime leader, total points — graded from the live score. | One game | Mix | Watch parties | Start |
| Gridiron battleship | Park a ship on a squares grid; every score change fires a shot where the two last digits cross. | One game | Luck | Groups that want something new | Start |
| Game-day bingo | Unique cards of in-game moments that mark themselves as the game is called; first line or blackout wins. | One game | Luck | Non-fans and families | Start |
| Bracket pool | Fill a complete single-elimination bracket; points double every round. Any tournament, 4–64 teams. | Tournament | Skill | Playoffs and office tournaments | Start |
One game or a whole season?
One game: squares, battleship, bingo, and prediction sheets live and die with a single game — perfect for the Big Game, Thanksgiving, or a rivalry weekend. A whole season: pick'em, survivor, margin survivor, streak, and wins pools run week after week, with standings that keep themselves. Your own slate: pick sheets and the score predictor run on whatever games you choose, from one Saturday to all of bowl season. See this week's games →
Football pool questions
What are the most common types of football pools?
Football squares is the classic for a single game — especially the Big Game and Thanksgiving — while survivor and pick'em are the classic season-long office pools. Bracket pools take over at playoff time.
Which football pool is best for an office?
Survivor: about thirty seconds a week per person, and the field thins itself all season. Pick'em keeps everyone involved every week, and a wins pool needs almost no upkeep after the draft.
Which football pool works for people who don't follow football?
Game-day bingo and squares are pure luck, so everyone has the same shot. Gridiron battleship works the same way with more action on the board.
What is the difference between survivor and pick'em?
In pick'em you pick every game each week and score a point per correct pick. In survivor you pick one team a week, can never reuse a team, and a loss knocks you out.
Can we run more than one pool at once?
Yes. Plenty of groups run survivor all season and add squares or bingo for the big games — each pool has its own link.
Do any of these pools involve money?
Not on KickoffPools. The site never collects, holds, or pays out money and awards no prizes — winners get bragging rights. Every pool type is free to run.
Create a free pool This week's games
Keep reading: office pools · family pools · fantasy league side games