Competition Format for the Friday Football Invitational Expanded to 14 Teams
Introducing the Circa Friday Football Invitational: A 20-Week Handicapping Challenge
The Circa Friday Football Invitational is set to return for a new season, promising an exciting 20-week handicapping challenge for 25 invited professional bettors. The contest, produced by VSiN, will run from September 5, 2025, to January 16, 2026, and take place at the VSiN studio in the Circa sportsbook.
Format and Rules
Contestants will submit seven plays per week for the first 18 weeks, with college and NFL full-game sides and totals. One play must be designated as the Best Bet (BB). Players are limited to four college football totals per week. For Weeks 19 and 20, contestants will submit three plays per week, based on NFL and College Football Playoff games, with the January 16, 2026 national championship game as the final contest game.
Plays are graded as one point for a win, 1.5 points for a Best Bet win, and a half-point for a push. If a game is canceled or postponed, it is automatically graded as 0.5 points. All games, including postponed ones, must be completed by the following Thursday to be graded. Contestants use the Circa Sports lines posted at 10 a.m. PT Fridays, and all contestants use the same lines.
Elimination Rounds
At the conclusion of Week 9 of the NFL schedule, the two contestants with the lowest point totals will be cut. The same elimination process continues each week for the following seven weeks through Week 16 of the NFL schedule. At the conclusion of Week 16, the three contestants with the lowest point totals will be cut.
Prize Structure
The total prize pool is $30,000, distributed to the top performers throughout the contest. The specific prize breakdown details have not been disclosed. The top five finishers will be paid instead of only the top three.
Invited Contestants
Seven automatic qualifiers are participating in this year's event, alongside fourteen new contestants, including Steve Fezzik, Tony Gordon, Randy McKay, and Cris Zeniuk. Previous winners such as Chuck Edel and Jeff Petch are also among the participants.
Notable Invitees
Steve Fezzik, a professional bettor from Las Vegas, has won the Westgate SuperContest twice (in 2008 and 2009). Tony Gordon, a professional bettor from California, won the 2021 Circa Million with the best ATS record (63-27) in contest history. Randy McKay, a professional gambler from North Dakota, has won three major contests, including two at DraftKings. Cris Zeniuk, another professional bettor from Las Vegas, has multiple Las Vegas football contest wins and had three top 20 finishes in the Circa Million.
Special Considerations
If there is a disruption to the weekly football schedule and more than 50% of the scheduled NFL games get canceled, all remaining contestants will continue to the following week. If there is a tie for last place in any elimination week, the Best Bet (BB) point total for the two or more contestants will be used as a tiebreaker to cut one contestant. If there still is a tie, the most recent week's Best Bet (BB) result will be the tiebreaker, and that process of grading Best Bets continues in reverse order until the tie is broken.
Any contestant failing to designate a Best Bet will get a zero for the Best Bet record that week. Contestants are limited to four college football totals per week. The prize money has increased from $25,000 to $30,000.
The Circa Friday Football Invitational: A Comprehensive Contest
The Circa Friday Football Invitational offers a comprehensive format that includes the college football and NFL schedules. The contest is free to play and requires an invitation from Circa and VSiN contest management. The contest is expanding from 18 weeks to 20 weeks this year, making it an even more challenging and exciting event for all participants. Derek Stevens, the founder and CEO of Circa Resort & Casino, has the authority to make a final ruling on any contest rules disputes.
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