How to win
It's not a bracket
In a bracket, you make your picks before the first game and you're stuck with them. Here you can buy and sell every week. A team's price goes up every time it wins, so buying the right team early and selling after a big win can beat holding a favorite all season.
Watch the bubble
The last two weekends of the regular season decide which teams make the field. Teams on the edge are cheap because they might be left out. If you think one gets in, buy it by Thursday, November 19 at 12:00 PM ET. A team with a 50-50 chance roughly doubles once it's in. Sell it and move the money to a team you think will go deep. If it's left out, its shares pay nothing.
Long shots can pay off big
A low price means Versus gives a team little chance of a deep playoff run, so buying it is a risk. If you're right and it makes that run anyway, each share pays far more than you paid.
What one share pays
The further a team goes, the more each share pays. The payout goes into your cash the moment the team's season ends, so the money can go straight into another team.
Season calendar
All times Eastern. New prices every Monday at 9:00 AM.
| Week | You can trade | Then these games are played |
|---|---|---|
| Week of Nov 9 | Mon, Nov 9 – Fri, Nov 13, 12:00 PM | Fri, Nov 13 – Sat, Nov 14 |
| Week of Nov 16 | Mon, Nov 16 – Thu, Nov 19, 12:00 PM | Thu, Nov 19 – Sat, Nov 21: the last regular-season games |
| Selection Sunday | No trading | Sun, Nov 22: the 24-team field is announced. Teams left out pay $0. |
| First Round | Mon, Nov 23 – Fri, Nov 27, 12:00 PM | Sat, Nov 28 |
| Second Round | Mon, Nov 30 – Fri, Dec 4, 12:00 PM | Sat, Dec 5 |
| Quarterfinals | Mon, Dec 7 – Fri, Dec 11, 12:00 PM | Fri, Dec 11 – Sat, Dec 12 |
| Semifinals | Mon, Dec 14 – Fri, Dec 18, 12:00 PM | Fri, Dec 18 – Sat, Dec 19 |
| National Championship | Mon, Dec 21 – Mon, Jan 11, 12:00 PM | Mon, Jan 11, Nashville |
One way it could play out
Put $2,000 on Stephen F. Austin at its price today, $55.10, and you own 36.30 shares. Every win raises the price. About what your shares would be worth:
You can sell any week at that week's price. If you hold and the team loses, each share pays what that round earns: a quarterfinal loss pays $35 a share, $1,270 in all.
Questions
Does it cost anything to play?
No. The FCS Playoff Exchange is free, and a paid Versus membership does not improve anyone's score.
Is the $10,000 real money?
No. Every player starts with $10,000 in game money. It has no cash value. The prizes are real: the winner gets $500 cash, a year of Versus Premium and a Versus T-shirt.
How does Versus set the prices?
Versus plays the rest of the season out hundreds of times with its ratings, builds the playoff bracket each time, and plays that bracket out. A team's price is what one share pays on average across all of those seasons. Prices change once a week, after the weekend's games.
When can I trade?
From Monday morning, when new prices come out, until the first game of that week. Each player gets 4 trades a week, and every trade happens at that week's price.
Do I have to hold a team to the end?
No. You can sell any week at that week's price, and that cash is yours for good. A team you hold to the end pays $0 to $100 a share, depending on how far it goes.
What happens when my team loses?
A loss lowers its price the next week, and its shares keep trading. A team that misses the 24-team playoffs pays $0 a share on Selection Sunday. A team knocked out of the playoffs pays out at the round it reached, and that money goes straight back into your cash. The last chance to sell before the playoff teams are picked is when trading closes Thursday, November 19 at 12:00 PM ET.
Why can't I put more than 30% in one team?
So no single pick decides the game. The limit applies when you buy. A team that rises past 30% can stay, but you can't add more.
Is the team most likely to win the best buy?
Not always. A team's chances are already in its price, so the question is whether Versus has priced it too low. Say two teams reach the title game. Both have already earned $75 a share, and the winner's shares pay $100. If the favorite costs $90 and the other team $84, a share of the favorite can gain $10 and a share of the other team $16. Each team page shows what a share pays for every round.
Does owning the champion help?
Its shares pay $100 each, the most any share pays. What you paid matters just as much. A champion bought at $87 gains $13 a share. A semifinalist bought at $20 gains $35.
How is the winner decided?
After the national title game every share has paid out, so everyone's money is cash. Whoever has the most wins. A tie goes to whoever had more the week before.
Ready to play?
It's free. Join now and pick your teams when trading opens Monday, November 9.