What an exciting Opening of the 2026 Football Season!

The marquee matchups, the upsets, the amazing plays…man, am I glad football’s back.

Aren’t you?

I know.  All that is fine but the only thing that matters is who Won the money?

Well, let’s get to that.

In Week 1, we saw a lively competition with a tightly bunched leaderboard.  Several players had really strong showings right off the bat.

But three players raced ahead of the pack, nailing 12 of the 15 picks going into Monday Night.

High drama.

Even though the game itself was anti-climactic, the real action happened at the finish line.

Since our three front-runners all picked the same team, this was looking like another points based Win.

Which it was, but with a twist!

• because the three players in 1st position all picked the same team, AND
• because the team those players chose lost
• the players that nailed the pick from 2nd position moved into 1st!

Which means that the total points tiebreaker become a contest among SEVEN players instead of THREE.

And that’s how Week 1 was decided.

Our Champ swooped in and snatched the Victory!

Because the Week 1 Champion’s total was within 3 points of the final tally, they get the money.

And by virtue of that outcome, our inaugural 2026 Football Pick’Em Champion is

Ree II

Congratulations to ya Ree!  Great job with your picks!  Have you finished sweating yet?

With the Victory, Ree takes the $305 pot home into her billfold.

 

For the rest of us, here’s how the week ended  up:

LEADERBOARD

1. Ree II ✔                             12
   Jim M                                 12
   Keya                                   12
   Nick B                                12
   Saundra R                         12
   G Wright                           12
   Bootney                            12
2. Tony III                             11
   Reno B                               11
   Jermaine                          11
   Walter M                          11
   Susan M                           11
   Mitch G                             11
   Charlie C                           11
   TJ                                        11
   Kisha II                             11
   E Anderson                     11
   Tony I                               11
   Tony II                              11
   JR                                         11
   Dave J II                             11
   Nisa D                                11
3. Dawn D                             10
   Jamar R                             10
   Morgan R                          10
   Tree R                                 10
   E Anderson II                   10
   Big Will II                           10
   Karlos S                               10