| Your Bracket How to edit your bracket and view yours and other users' |
How do I fill out my bracket?
Completing your bracket is a very simple procedure. Click the "Create or Edit" link under "My Bracket" in the main navigation on any game page to get to your Bracket Editor. The Editor displays each of the four regions, plus the Final Four™, individually. Click on the region you want to fill out or edit in the bar across the top of the Editor or on the icon map and then, for each game, click the team you think will win. It's that easy.
When can I fill out my bracket?
You can fill out your bracket from shortly after the announcement of the tournament field (Sunday, March 11) until two houres before the tipoff of the first full day of games (Thursday, March 15).
Can I make changes to my bracket?
You can edit your bracket right up until the morning of Thursday, March 15, two hours before tipoff. After that, no more editing is allowed and all brackets are final.
Can I have more than one bracket?
Each user is allowed only one bracket in the network competition of Rivals.com Bracket Battles. That bracket's score is used to calculate your standing both on your Home Site (the site you've indicated on your message board profile) and on the network overall. This is your "Network Bracket." However, if you join a league, you have the option of either using your Network Bracket in that league or filling out a separate bracket. You have the option of creating a different bracket for each league you join, but you can have only one bracket in each league.
You must completely fill out your Network Bracket before creating any custom brackets.
Note that when you have multiple brackets, you'll find a drop-down menu on your Bracket Editor to allow you to switch between them for editing. Each of your non-default brackets will be named for its respective league.
How do I view my bracket?
You can view your bracket in two ways:
- You can click the "View your bracket" link under "My Bracket" in the main navigation on any game page to view your bracket one region at a time.
- You can click on your name on any standings page (Site Standings, Rivals.com Standings or League Standings) to launch a pop-up window containing the entire bracket.
Note that if you have multiple brackets, a drop-down menu will appear to allow you switch between your various versions.
Can I view other people's brackets?
Before the tipoff of the tournament on Thursday, March 15, you cannot view other users' brackets. But once the tournament is under way and all brackets are finalized, you can view anyone's bracket. There are two ways to do this:
- You can click on any user's name on any standings page (Site Standings, Rivals.com Standings or League Standings) to launch a pop-up window containing his full bracket
- If the user is on your "My Players" menu, you can access his bracket on the regional View screen by clicking the "View your bracket" link under "My Bracket" in the main navigation on any game page and then selecting the user's name from the menu.
Note that if the user has multiple brackets, there will be a drop-down menu allowing you to view all of his versions.
How do I add a participant to the "My Players" menu?
There are two ways to include a Bracket Battles participant in your "My Players" menu:
- On the Site Standings or Rivals.com Standings, click the "Show the users in my list" link. When your list of users appears below your name (the people on your "My Players" menu), you'll also see a text box where you can enter the name of any other user, and then click the "add him to my list" link. This action — in addition to adding the person to the list you're looking at — adds him to your "My Players" menu.
- If you are a member of a league, you can add other league members to your "My Players" menu by going to the League Standings page, checking the boxes next to the names of any users you'd care to add, and clicking the "Save" button. You can remove those users, too, by going to the same page, unchecking those users' names and clicking "Save" again.
Can I view the actual tournament results?
Yes, you can. Go to your View screen by clicking "View" under "Brackets" in the main navigation on any game page. You'll find an entry for "Actual Results" in your "My Users" menu.
Is there a printable bracket?
Yes, there is. Click the "View printable bracket" link on your view screen to get a pop-up, one-page printable bracket, or go to any user's full pop-up bracket and click the "printable bracket" link on that page.
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| Creating and Joining Leagues Set up and customize your own Bracket Battles league Back to top |
How do I join a league?
There are two ways to join a league:
- Click "Join a League" under "Leagues" in the main navigation of any game page. You'll find an alphabetical directory of Public leagues. Each has an "info" icon next to it that you can click to get information on that league, including current membership, and a "join" icon that you can click to join. Leagues that have no "join" icon are not currently accepting members.
- You can receive an invitation to join. The invitation will contain a link that you can either click or copy and paste into your browser's address field, and you'll be added to the league.
Invitation is the only way to join a Private league. Note that if for whatever reason the league has stopped accepting members, the invitation will not work.
When can I join a league?
You may join or leave any league up until the morning of the first game of the tournament (noon ET on Thursday, March 15). You can even join leagues before the bracket pairings have been announced.
Can I leave a league?
You can leave any league up until the morning of the first game of the tournament (noon ET on Thursday, March 15). Just go to the league's Standings page and click the "Leave this league" link on the right side, below the league's scoring system summary.
Do I have to use the same bracket in every league?
No. You can have a different bracket for every single league, each with its own unique picks. Or, if you prefer, you can use the Network Bracket that you're using in the Rivals.com network game.
Note that you cannot create custom brackets for leagues until you have completely filled out your Network Bracket.
How do I get the league standings?
Click "Your League Standings" under "Leagues" in the main navigation of any game page. Once on the Standings page, you'll see the current standings, a summary of the scoring system in use by the league, and a list of links to the standings of other leagues to which you belong.
I opted to use my Network Bracket, but I've changed my mind. Can I switch?
Until the tipoff of the tournament, yes. Go to the Standings page for your league. Above the standings you'll see a status window which will tell you which bracket you're currently using for the displayed league: either your Network Bracket (the one you're using in the Rivals.com network game) or a custom bracket. You'll also see a link to switch that setting.
Note that if you've filled out a custom bracket, and then later opt to switch to your default bracket, that custom bracket is erased. If you subsequently decide to revert to a custom bracket, you'll have to fill out the custom bracket again.
Can I view the brackets of other people in my league?
Yes. Just click on any league member's name on the Standings page. That member's bracket for this league (either his default bracket or a custom one) will appear in a new pop-up window. You can only view other players' brackets, however, after tipoff of the tournament on Thursday, March 15.
Who can create a league?
Anyone can create his own leagues, as many as he likes, until the morning of the tipoff of the tournament at noon ET on March 15. After that, no league creation or editing is allowed.
What kinds of leagues can I create?
Besides customizing the scoring system and putting limits on league membership, there are two kinds of leagues: Public and Private. Public leagues are open for anyone to join (within the limits you might set) via a directory listing. Private leagues are joined by invitation only.
How do I create or edit my league?
Click on the "Create, Edit or Invite" link under "Leagues" in the main navigation on any game page. You can fill out the form with all the information for your league, and click "Create Your League" button.
If at any time you want to edit the settings in your league, go to the same page. You'll find a list of all the leagues you've created near the top of the page. Click the "edit" link next to the league you wish to edit, and the form below will display its current settings. Change the ones you want, and click the "Edit Your League" button at the bottom of the page.
Can I limit who gets to play in my league?
There are two ways you can limit membership in your league:
- At any time, you can stop accepting members by setting the league status to "Currently not accepting members."
- You can limit the total membership in your league to a set number by entering that number in the "Allow a maximum of X members" entry box.
If you've limited membership in either of these ways, there is no way to join the league (including by invitation).
Do I have to use the same scoring system that Rivals.com uses?
No, you do not. You do have the option to use the same system, which is as easy as checking the "Use Rivals Scoring" box. Or you can uncheck the box and set up these parameters for your league:
- Set a point value for each correct pick, individually by round.
- Set a bonus value for correctly picking an upset, which also can be set differently for each round. If you opt to use an upset bonus, you can define what an upset is as well based on a difference in seeds. If you enter a difference of 3, for example, as your definition of an upset, a 10-seed defeating a 7-seed would be an upset, but a 9-seed beating an 8-seed would not be. Leaving the box blank assumes that an upset is any lower seed beating any higher seed.
How do I invite someone to join my league?
Click on the "Create, Edit or Invite" link under "Leagues" in the main navigation of any game page. You'll find a list of the leagues you've created near the top of the page, and each will have an "invite" link next to it. Clicking that link pops up a new window where you can enter up to 50 email addresses (comma-delimited) to send invitations to join your league. You can send up to 50 invitations at a time, but there is no limit to the total number of invitations you can send.
A received invitation can be used only once, and will only work for the league for which it was sent. Note that if you've stopped accepting memberships or have reached a membership limit that you've set up, a received invitation will not work, even if it was received before you stopped accepting memberships.
Can I kick someone out of my league?
Yes, you can. Click on the "Create, Edit or Invite" link under "Leagues" in the main navigation of any game page. You'll find a list of the leagues you've created near the top of the page, and each will have a "ban" link next to it. Clicking that link pops up a new window with two lists in it. On the left is a list of the people currently in your league. On the right is a list of people that are currently banned from your league.
You can check any current members you wish to ban on the left-side list and/or check any currently banned members you wish to allow back into the league on the right-side list. Then click the "Save" button.
Note that when a player is banned, he's kicked out of your league and will not be allowed back in. If he's filled out a custom bracket for your league, that bracket is erased. If you later reinstate him, he will have to rejoin the league and will have to recreate any custom brackets.
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What If...
Suppose Tech defeats State, and then the Bulldogs win... Back to top |
What does this feature do?
The "What If..." page allows you to create hypothetical results for the tournament, and to evaluate your score or the scores of other users based on that scenario. It's the computer version of "What if this team beats that team...do I win my league?"
How do I use the "What If..." page?
The "What If..." page has two sections. On the left is the bracket, starting with the Sweet 16. You fill out that bracket with your hypothetical results, using the same method you used to fill out your game bracket.
On the right, you have three options:
- Evaluate your Rivals.com network score against anyone else on your "My Players" menu. Just pick a player from the menu. The screen will refresh and show you your score and his score under the scenario you entered.
- Evaluate the standings (top ten) of any league you're in. Just select a league from the menu and the page will refresh with the top ten under your scenario (plus your score, if you're not among that list of ten).
You can refresh the page over and over, looking at different users and different leagues, or looking at the same information but just tweaking the scenario.
When is "What if..." available?
The "What If..." page is available after the conclusion of the second round of the tournament.
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