In the first installment of this series, we broke down the two games living inside : the daily fantasy side and the Predict prediction market. Today we zoom into the part most football fans start with—the fantasy contests, and specifically Pick'em and Champions.
With college football's Week 0 arriving Saturday, August 29, there is no better time to learn how these formats work. We will walk through the rules, the two entry types that trip people up, and how you would actually build a lineup around this weekend's opener between North Carolina and TCU.
What Is Underdog Pick'em?
Underdog Pick'em is a higher-or-lower game. Underdog posts a projected stat line for a player—say, a quarterback's passing yards or a running back's rushing yards—and you decide whether the real result will land higher or lower than that number. You combine several of those picks into a single entry, and the more correct picks you stack, the bigger the potential payout.
Two rules anchor every entry: you need at least two picks, and your lineup must include players from at least two different teams. That team-diversity rule matters when you build around a single game, and we will come back to it.
Standard Vs. Flex: The Two Entry Types
This is the distinction that confuses new players most, and it is the most important one to understand:
- Standard—every pick in your entry must hit. Miss one and the entry loses. In exchange, Standard carries the higher top-end payout.
- Flex—you can still win a reduced payout even if one of your picks misses. Flex trades some of that top-end upside for a safety net, which is why players often use it on entries with more selections.
Neither is "better"—they are different risk profiles. A tight two- or three-pick entry you feel strongly about leans Standard; a longer entry where you want insurance against a single bad beat leans Flex.
What Is Underdog Champions?
Champions works differently. Instead of a fixed payout scale, it is a lineup-style contest where your selections compete against other entrants for a share of a prize pool. Your result depends on how you finish against the field rather than simply whether each pick clears its line. It rewards a sharper, more differentiated lineup—the goal is not just to be right, but to be more right than the room.
There is also Streak, a lower-stakes format where you build a run of consecutive correct picks, and season-long draft formats like Best Ball and Battle Royale—but Pick'em and Champions are where most football entries live.
The Rules That Shape Your Lineup
A few house rules are worth knowing before you build:
- Lobby badges tell you what you are entering. Guaranteed contests run even if they don't fill; Multi-entry contests let you submit more than one lineup; Beginner and Expert badges gate contests by experience level.
- Experience tiers keep newer players separated from seasoned ones. Underdog classifies high-volume, high-winning players as Experienced or Highly Experienced, and beginner-only contests stay closed to them.
- Scoring uses official league statistics, and weekly results are confirmed within 72 hours of the last game of the week.
Building a Week 0 Lineup: North Carolina Vs. TCU
The season opener at Aviva Stadium in Dublin is a clean teaching example. Dimers' model, built from 10,000 simulations, gives TCU a 73% chance to win and projects a 28-20 final, with the Horned Frogs favored by 7.5 and the total sitting around 48.
Start with what that projection tells you about game script. A team favored by a touchdown-plus in a moderate-scoring game is likely to play with a lead, which tends to support its rushing volume late, while the underdog is more likely to throw to catch up—raising pass-game workload on the North Carolina side. You are not guaranteed anything, but the projected shape of the game is the lens you use to read each player line.
Then apply the higher-or-lower mechanic. Suppose Underdog lists a favored-team running back at a projected rushing total (the exact number will be whatever Underdog posts): a positive game script is the case for the higher pick, while a defense that has stifled the run is the case for the lower. Do that across the players you have a read on, remember the two-team requirement, and you have an entry. If you want the higher ceiling and trust every leg, go Standard; if you want insurance on a longer entry, go Flex.
For the full breakdown and the rest of the Week 0 slate, see our college football predictions.
What Happens If a Player Sits? Swaps and Rescues
Football availability is chaos, and Underdog has two mechanisms for it. In daily draft contests, Swaps automatically replace a player who is ruled out before their game starts. On Pick'em, Rescues can save a higher pick if the player starts but does not return for an eligible reason such as injury—though in football that applies only to NFL offensive players and college players on Top 25 teams, and never to defensive players, kickers or punters. We will devote a full installment later this week to managing injuries and inactives, so treat this as the headline.
Where Can You Play Underdog Pick'em?
Underdog Pick'em is state-regulated daily fantasy, and it is offered in fewer states than the draft contests—so it is worth checking availability where you are before you plan around it. You must be 18 or older in most states, with higher minimums in a handful (19+ in Alabama and Nebraska; 21+ in Arizona, Massachusetts and Virginia). A full state-by-state eligibility guide is coming later in this series.
Underdog Pick'em FAQ
What Is the Difference Between Pick'em and Champions?
Pick'em is a higher-or-lower game with a fixed payout scale based on how many picks you get right. Champions is a lineup contest where you finish against other entrants for a share of a prize pool.
What Is a Flex Play?
A Flex entry still pays a reduced amount if one pick misses, while a Standard entry requires every pick to hit. Flex lowers your top-end payout in exchange for a safety net.
How Many Picks Do You Need?
At least two, and they must include players from at least two different teams. More correct picks means a bigger potential payout.
What Is a Rescue?
A Rescue can save a higher pick if a player starts but exits and does not return for an eligible reason. In football it covers NFL offensive players and college players on Top 25 teams only.
Pick'em and Champions are the front door to Underdog's fantasy game: Pick'em for a fast higher-or-lower entry, Champions when you want to out-play the field. Learn the Standard-vs-Flex trade-off, respect the two-team rule, and let the projected game script guide your reads. and enter Underdog promo code DIMERS to claim the latest new-user sign-up bonuses before Week 0 kicks off.
Coming up next in the Underdog Football Playbook: a full guide to Underdog Predict—how prediction-market trading actually works. (.)
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