Everyone does pools, and pools are fun and all. But let’s be honest, you can fill out 100 of them and it all basically comes down to a crapshoot. The person who picks by pitting mascot vs. mascot, or by favorite colors ends up winning. So me and some buddies have started a new tradition. I’m sure we’re not the first to do this, but I haven’t heard of too many people doing it so I thought I’d spread the word in case you’d like to give it a try with some buddies.
You get a total of eight people and everyone throws in 20…..uh……let’s say jellybeans (obviously you wouldn’t bet actual money since sports gambling is illegal in Iowa), and everyone drafts eight teams. You can use a snake-style draft or an auction draft. Then you get points for your teams’ wins. You can assign extra points for upsets, deeper rounds get more points, or just a point per win. After the championship, whoever has the most points wins the pot…..of jellybeans.
I’ve found it gives you a reason to get invested in teams other than the one(s) you normally root for. A couple of years ago I became a HUGE Florida Gulf Coast fan because of this new system. They were a 15 seed and made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. Nobody would have predicted that on a bracket pool (and if you’re saying you did predict it, then you DEFINITELY need to start this with your friends because you know sleepers and will make a lot of mone……er, I mean jellybeans). A couple years ago I saw two friends on the edge of their seat during an Ole Miss vs. La Salle game and punches were almost thrown. I’m only about 70% sure they knew what state Ole Miss is in, and I guarantee they didn’t know where La Salle was located. Like I said, you get real invested in teams you otherwise couldn’t care less about.
Give it a shot if you’d like. Worst-case-scenario is you hate it, but you still get to use it as a reason to get together with seven buddies and eat pizza and drink beer during your draft. So you’re welcome.
