ABOUT / RULES

Welcome to the only NFL margin tipping competition in league format...
IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.


To be part of the FMIplay-NFL Tips League you need to

1) have a twitter account, and follow @FMIplay_NFL,
2) be prepared to send tips all of the season through, tipping the winner and margins on 5 games selected randomly,
3) have a sense of humour and approach the game in the spirit intended - just some fun.

Entry will cost you nothing, and if you win, you will receive all of your costs back, plus the adulation of your competitors.

There is a whole list of Rules below (coming soon), dedicated to the finer points of the competition, but in a nutshell...

- you are allocated a place in the roster, and get scheduled to play weekly head to head matches against your Divisions' opponents.
- you tip winners and margins of victory on 5 games, and so does your opponent.
- you score a point if you are correct with the winner AND nearest the pin. No points if too far away.
- you also are awarded bonus points for accuracy (currently +1 if your margin was within +/-2 points of actual, AND +2 if exactly tipped).
- the bonus points apply in league or cup only to the player who tipped nearest the pin.

Winners get points and league 'wins', and the league table is produced. The season follows the fixture as published at the start of the season, and under each divisions tabs.
At the end of the FMIplay NFL season (Week 16), the top two players will play off in a Grand Final - Superbowl kinda thing.

I may set up additional side competitions, and these are for

- most correct tips (regardless of margin)
- most times awarded bonus points for accuracy
- most times scored an exact margin tip
- lowest MAE (mean absolute error - which is average of your distance from the actual on each game)
- longest correct game tipped streak.

So, if you want to test your tipping skill, feel free to try.
Make contact on twitter at @FMIplay_NFL.

Entries will be accepted up until the Sep 8, before the NFL season begins, and it is first in - first served.

Rules for the FMIplay NFL Tipping Competition

 - League Play:

(note, changes to old rules marked up in red below)

1. LEAGUE  SEASON STRUCTURE

1.1 Home and Away Season Structure:
Players are pitted head to head each week, league style.

1.2 Each week, 5 random games are selected.

1.3 Players are to select winners and margins for each game.
   1.3.1 If you don't tip, its an instant loss, and 0 pts for, and opponents score against.
   1.3.2 Tips to be in before MIDNIGHT on Friday (or midnight of the day preceeding the first game of the round)... no changes after that.
   1.3.3 Rule 1.3.2 tipping deadline can be amended at controllers discretion.

1.4 Tipping will be on games starting at Week1 through to Week 16 (for all conferences) with Week 17 scheduled for a grand final / superbowl thing.

1.5 Season progresses as per the chart on the various 'Fixtures' pages (regular season), and then the top 2 (from the conferences, if they exist) go into the superbowl.
   1.5.1 Players not in the finals will not be involved in week 17 activity.

2. SCORING

2.1 Scoring is based on players selecting the correct team, and also nearest the pin on the margin.
   2.1.1 If you get a tip right AND are nearest the pin on margin - award 1 point
   2.1.2 If you satisfy 2.1.1 AND you are +/- 2 points on the margin - award 1 bonus point. An additional 1 bonus point will be awarded if your tip was the same as the actual result.
   2.1.3 You only get the bonus points if you tip the winner and are nearest.

2.2 If both players are equally away from the correct margin (or on the correct margin), the 1 point from 2.1.1 for the correct tip is awarded to both players. ALSO, if these results are within the bonus point window in 2.1.2, then both players get the bonus points.

2.3 If an AFL game finishes in a draw, players cannot get the win point from 2.1.1, but if they tipped a margin to be inside the bonus window, then the bonus points are given as per 2.1.2.

2.4 If you tip a draw and the AFL result is a draw, the win point is given as per 2.1.1, and the bonus points in 2.1.2 apply also.

2.5 If two players tip the same margin, then both will be awarded points as per these rules. There will be no post-lock-out changes to tips if games have the same margin tipped by both players.

3. MATCHES

3.1 Home and Away Season Scoring:
The winner of a round match-up is the player with the better score across the 5 games as determined by a sum of the points gained from the rules under point 2, above.
   3.1.1 Drawn matches are also possible, and allowed - there will be no count-backs.

3.2 Points awarded for matches based on the result from 3.1 as...
   3.2.1 A win is 4pts,
   3.2.2 A draw is 2pts,
   3.2.3 A loss 0 points.

3.3 Players will be tabled on a ladder according to...
   3.3.1 Standings to be determined firstly by points as awarded in 3.2.
   3.3.2 Scores For and Against will be calculated based on each players match scores as per point 2
   3.3.3 A 'Score Difference' will be used to separate players that are deadlocked on points n 3.3.1. Score Difference is Home - Away.
   3.3.4 If Score Difference in 3.3.3 does not break a deadlock, the points scored (For) will be used to separate players.
   3.3.5 If players are not separated under 3.3.4, the two players head-to-head results will be used, with the better result among the two players to be the winner.
   3.3.6 If this has still not split the players, the head to head results will be used again, but this time the away scores will count for double points.
   3.3.7 If all the above fails to separate players a coin toss will be used (and 2 members of the FMI NFL comp will need to be physically present to verify the result).

4. FINALS

4.1 For all Conferences (if they exist), a grand final will be played.

4.2 Finals are a 'one weekend, one game only' format, played out as per rule 3.1,with the exception of rule 3.1.1. If a draw is a result, the below procedure is followed to determine the winner.
   4.2.1 The player with the overall (nett) closest margin totaled from the 5 games will be declared as the winner of the finals match-up.
   4.2.2 In the event that the game in 4.2.1 is also a draw, the winner of the last head to head game will be declared as the winner of the finals match-up.
   4.2.3 In the event the game in 4.2.2 is also a draw, the winner of the games preceding that (working through all of the games until a difference is found) will be used to determine the winner.
   4.2.4 If this has still not split the players, the regular season head to head results will be used again, but this time the away scores will count for double points.
   4.2.5 If all the above fails to separate players a coin toss will be used (and 2 members of the FMI NFL comp will need to be physically present to verify the result).

4.3 The above rules apply to all the finals series.

6. RULES FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

6.1 If a player formally withdraws from the competition (by DM or email to the FMI controller), then all previous tips by that player will be quashed
   6.1.1 All games between that player and their opponent will be considered as 'walkover wins'.
   6.1.2 All remaining matches will be played as walkover wins, with opponents tipping as best they can to maximise their score.
   6.1.3 Playing this way ensures all other side competitions remain consistent through the season.

6.2 Prior to the commencement of another season, the FMIplay NFL controller will contact all players to confirm who is interested in contesting the current season. Any player may elect to withdraw at this point, or continue.

6.3 If a player chooses to withdraw, their position in their division will be allocated to another player as per 5.3 above.

6.4 If a player does not respond to the enquiry from 6.2 by the deadline issued, then the player will be deemed to be 'in recess' and will not compete in that season. Their position in their division will be allocated to another player. 

6.5 Any player 'in recess' or who has withdrawn and wishes to return to play can. They will be allocated a roster position for the next season in the lowest division, subject to availability.

I reserve the right to make adjustments to the above, as needed.