How to Play ESPN College Bowl Mania

"ESPN College Bowl Mania" is a game that allows players to compete against each other while picking winners of all the college bowl games. More than 300,000 entries are submitted every college bowl season. Many of the participants played "ESPN College Pick'em" during the regular college football season. "ESPN College Bowl Mania" is a similar game but it involves 32 college bowl games over several weeks.

Instructions

    • 1

      Sign up for "College Bowl Mania." If you played "College Pick'em" during the regular season, your user name and password will work. If you don't already have an account, go to the ESPN website and look for "College Bowl Mania" under the "Fantasy" heading. Create a user name and password. You will only be allowed to do this a few weeks before the college bowl season when the bowl pairings are set (see Resources below).

    • 2

      Take a look at the "College Bowl Mania" match ups. Decide who you think will win each game. If you click on the team names, you will find a wealth of statistical information to help you make your choices. You can also see what other players are picking at the "Who Picked Whom" link.

    • 3

      Rank each of the 32 college bowl games. Give the pick you are most confident about a "32." Assign the game you are least sure of a "1." Distribute the rest of the numbers based on your confidence. In "College Bowl Mania," how you rank your picks is often more important than picking winners. Losing your 32 point game will hurt you more than losing your seven lowest-ranking games. Rank carefully.

    • 4

      Predict a score for your tie breaker. This is always the score of the National Championship Game. If more than one player ties for the highest score in "College Bowl Mania," the tie breaker determines the winner. The grand prize is usually a package including an HDTV, an Xbox and an EA Sports Game Pack.

    • 5

      Click the "Submit" button to enter your "College Bowl Mania" picks. Your entry is locked at the deadline. This is usually right before the first big weekend of college bowl games. There will be a few minor bowls the week before. Those individual picks are locked a few hours before the games begin. You cannot make any more changes after your entry is locked.

    • 6

      Enjoy the college bowl games. They will be more exciting now that you are cheering on your picks. Results and rankings are updated in real time throughout the day so you can watch your progress.