2026 Rules

ENTRY FEE AND PAYMENT

Entry fee is $10. Maximum of 3 entries per player. The maximum number of entries is no longer 3 entries per PM ID. The limit is 3 entries per person.

The preferred methods of payment are, in order of preference, PM Account, Venmo, Zelle, Paypal, check, cash.

If you are paying through Paypal, Venmo or Zelle, your entry fee must be submitted by the picks deadline of Noon EDT (9 a.m. Arizona time), Thursday, March 19, 2026, the first day of the first round of the tournament. If you submit picks but don't meet the deadline for entry fees, your picks will be disqualified.

For all online payments, please put the name of yor entry in the notes without mentioning that this is for a gambling pool. And please do not mention March Mania in your form. Our accounts have been suspended in the past when the sites detect the payments are for a pool.

PM ACCOUNT: Check your account status at this link PM Accounts. Accounts are up to date as of March 7, 2026. If you have funds on account, choose Pigskin Mania Account as your payment method on the entry page. Your entry fee(s) will be deducted automatically from your account. If you want to pay for someone else's entry from your account, send an email to poolmaster@pigskinmania.net with your instructions.

VENMO: The Poolmaster's Venmo ID is @Javier-Gonzales-5. The account is also under the cellphone number 520-444-3883 and The Poolmaster's personal email address, jaygonzales@comcast.net.

ZELLE: The Poolmaster's Zelle account is under the email address jaygonzales@comcast.net.

PAYPAL: The Poolmaster's Paypal account is under the e-mail address jaygonzales@comcast.net. If you have your own Paypal account, you can transfer funds without a fee so you can just send $10 per entry. If you don't have a Paypal account you can still send your entry fee through Paypal with a debit or credit card, but you have to add the fee so that it's not deducted from the amount you send. Please be sure the net amount we get covers the entire entry fee after Paypal fees.

CHECK. Send checks to Jay Gonzales, 7656 E. Park  View Drive, Tucson, AZ 85715. Make checks out to Jay Gonzales. Do not make checks out to March Mania. If you mail your entry fee, it must be postmarked by Thursday, March 19, 2026.

HOW TO PLAY

1. Players will select 8 teams from the field of 64 in the NCAA Tournament using the form on the Picks Page. The link to the Picks Page is the button above the Point Values in the right-hand column of this page. The button will be active up until the entry deadline.

2. E-mail, phone and fax entries are not allowed.

3. The First Four games on Tuesday and Wednesday are not part of the pool. You may select those teams, but their games do not count until they are in the field of 64.

4. The teams you select each have a point value based on their seeding in the NCAA Tournament bracket. Point values for each seed are as follows. Teams and their point values are in the chart to the right.

5. Points are scored as follows:

• For each win in the first weekend of the tournament (first and second rounds) a team scores points equal to its point value.
• In the second weekend (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) point values are multiplied by 2. For each win, a team scores points equal to its point value times 2.
• In the final weekend (Final Four) point values are multiplied by 3. For each win, a team scores points equal to its point value times 3.

6. The object is to score the most points. The pool will pay the Top 10% and ties using the following formula:

• 11th place through top 5% and ties will pay $50;
• Top 6% through the top 10% and ties will pay $25.
• After those amounts have been deducted from the pot, the remaining pot will be divided as follows:

7. Projected 2026 payouts based on 496 entries.

   Place	Prize
   1.	$1,075.50
   2.	$717.00
   3.	$430.20
   4.	$358.50
   5.	$286.80
   6.	$215.10
   7.	$179.25
   8.	$143.40
   9.	$107.55
   10.	$71.70
   11-25 and ties	$50.00
   26-50 and ties	$25.00

8. There are no tiebreakers. In case of a tie, prize money will be split.

9. Entries must be submitted using the form no later than Noon EDT (9 a.m., Arizona time), Thursday, March 19, 2026.

10. Players may submit up to 3 entries per person. If a player has more than one PM ID, that person may still only submit 3 entries. If you have multiple entries be sure each entry is numbered. If you are submitting only one entry, number it as No. 1.

11. Players may change picks up until the deadline for entries. If you want to make a change, simply resubmit picks under the same name and entry number of the entry you are changing. Entries are time stamped. If there are multiple entries under the same name and entry number, the last entry submitted will be the one that counts.

12. Check your picks for duplicates. If you pick a team more than once, the duplicate will be disqualified.

13. Print or screenshot your confirmation page in case there is a dispute or question about your picks.

14. Picks will be posted after the entry deadline.

15. Standings will be updated on this page after each round, not after each day of the tournament.

16. If you have any questions or issues, please contact us by e-mail at poolmaster@pigskinmania.net.

2026 Point Values

Numbers to the right of the teams are the number of times a team
was picked. Teams shaded in gray have been eliminated.