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    Official Rules • 2026 Season

    Circa Football Invitational

    Invitation only • No entry fee • $30,000 in prizes
    Season
    20 weeksSept 11 – Jan 22
    Plays per week
    73 in Weeks 19-20
    Lines
    Circa SportsPosted Fri, 10 a.m. PT
    Entry deadline
    Fri, 3 p.m. PTEvery week
    Prize pool
    $30,000$15,000 to the winner

    About the contest

    What: Twenty-five invited handicappers compete — with no entry fee required — in a season-long contest with $30,000 in prizes awarded.

    When: Friday, September 11 through Friday, January 22, 2027 (20 weeks).

    Where: VSiN studio in the Circa sportsbook.

    Format & plays

    WeeksPlaysEligible gamesLimits
    1 – 18 7 per week, one designated Best Bet College and NFL full-game sides and totals Max four college football totals per week
    19 – 20 3 per week, one designated Best Bet NFL and College Football Playoff schedule Ends with the Monday, Jan. 25, 2027 national championship game

    Not eligible: props, team totals and first-half plays.

    All college and NFL games kicking off at 4:30 p.m. PT or later on Fridays are eligible for the contest. Regular-season NFL games scheduled on Thursdays are ineligible until Weeks 16 (December 24) and 17.

    The contestants who survive to compete all 20 weeks will submit a total of 132 plays.

    How plays are scored

    1

    Winning play

    1.5

    Winning Best Bet One per week.

    0.5

    Push

    0.5

    Canceled or postponed game All games, including postponed games, must be played by the following Thursday.

    0

    Missed the weekly deadline Zero points for the entire week.

    0

    No Best Bet designated Zero for that week's Best Bet record.

    Lines & deadlines

    Use the Circa Sports lines posted at 10 a.m. PT on Fridays. All contestants are using the same lines.

    All plays must be submitted via VSiN.com no later than 3 p.m. PT each Friday. Any contestant who misses the deadline gets zero points for the week.

    Prizes

    Circa Resort & Casino owner Derek Stevens is awarding $30,000 in total prize money.

    Winner

    $15,000

    • Trophy
    • Green jacket

    Second place

    $8,000

    Third place

    $4,000

    Fourth place

    $2,000

    Fifth place

    $1,000

    Contest schedule

    The contest begins Friday, September 11 and continues each Friday through January 22, 2027.

    In December and January during the college bowl season, any games scheduled through the following Thursday can be used in the contest (and any games must be scored as final on that Thursday to count). For the final week, only games scheduled through Monday, January 25 can be used in the contest (and any game must be scored as final on that Monday to count).

    If there is a disruption to the weekly football schedule and more than 50% of the scheduled NFL games get canceled, all remaining contestants will continue to the following week.

    Elimination rounds

    After NFL weekContest weekCut
    Week 9Fri, Nov. 6Two lowest point totals
    Weeks 10 – 15Each FridayTwo lowest point totals each week
    Week 16Fri, Dec. 25Three lowest point totals

    At the conclusion of NFL Week 16, the eight remaining contestants compete to the end.

    Tiebreakers

    Applied in this order for a tie in the final standings or a tie for last place in any elimination week.

    1. Number of wins The contestant with the most winning picks advances.
    2. Number of Best Bet wins
    3. Previous week's record Most winning plays wins. Continues week by week in reverse order until the tie is broken.

    Derek Stevens has the authority to make a final ruling on any contest rules disputes.