1. League Overview – The NCAA Project was created in 2001 to be a college fantasy football league with a distinct college flavor. While the league has undergone many changes over the years, the desire to make the league feel like a college league has never waivered.
2. League Structure – The league consists of 30 teams split into 3 conferences of 10 teams each.
3. League Membership
3.1. Owners should treat other members with respect. That said, smack talk is both acceptable and encouraged.
3.2. Every owner must submit a phone number to the commissioner where they can be reached during the season in case of emergency.
3.3. Teams may have official “Co-owners” or “Assistant Athletic Directors” if they wish. However, they must be approved by the commissioner. In the event that an owner decides to leave the league, a Co-Owner may assume total control of the team. However, unofficial helpers, while totally permissible have no rights to the team should the owner decide not to return the following season.
4. Commissioner roles and responsibilities – The commissioner is responsible for the following:
4.1. League Direction – The commissioner the primary person responsible for the league’s rules, that it remains fun, competitive and maintains its distinction as a college league.
4.2. The financial aspect of the league – This involves collecting fees, paying bills and ensuring that all payouts are sent in a timely manner each year.
4.3. Overseeing – The commissioner is responsible for overseeing all league activities and making sure all events happen when they should.
4.4. Upholding the Rules – It’s the commissioner’s responsibility to uphold the rules of the league as written in the rules.
4.5. The commissioner will make judgment calls on issues not addressed by the rules.
4.6. BSCS – The commissioner will calculate the BSCS as described in the rules.
4.7. Weekly statistics – Entering weekly statistics on the webpage.
4.8. Weekly waiver wire – The commissioner will process waivers each week during the season.
5. Team owner roles and responsibilities – Each owner is responsible for the following:
5.1. Regularly meet league deadlines, including but not limited to rolling for draft order, submission of keepers, submission of campus visits, etc.
5.2. Draft responsibly - Owners should make every effort to submit their draft picks in a timely fashion.
5.3. Submit a lineup on a weekly basis
5.4. Participating in waivers and free agency at their discretion.
5.5. Checking stats – Owners are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of their weekly boxscore. Errors must be reported before kickoff of the following week.
5.6. Message Board - The league message board is a primary method of communication between league members. Owners will be held responsible for information communicated in that medium.
6. Finances – League fees are $20/team. This money will pay league costs (domain fees and site hosting) and the rest will return to owners in the form of payouts for bowl games.
The following is the current payout structure for the bowls:
Bowl Winner Loser
6.1.1.1. Hellmann’s $150 $60
6.1.1.2. Hertz $75 $35
6.1.1.3. 7-up $50 $20
6.1.1.4. Hooters $40 $20
6.1.1.5. Viagra $20 --
6.1.1.6. Cheetos $20 --
7. Rosters
7.1. Teams may draft from all Division 1A teams
7.2. Position eligibility is determined by the depth chart on a player’s school’s official website.
7.2.1. If the school’s official website does not have a depth chart, we will default to the player’s position on the team roster.
7.2.2. If the school does not have an official website or the site has neither depth chart nor roster, we will use his position on ESPN.com
7.3. 16 + 1 – Rosters consist of 16 players plus one optional Red Shirt.
7.4. Red Shirts
7.4.1. Teams may RS one player each year.
7.4.2. RS players do not count towards the 16 roster spots.
7.4.3. Teams must put the RS on a player on or before the last Monday prior to the first week of the season.
7.4.4. A player with a RS may not be used in a starting lineup unless…
7.4.5. If an owner wishes to burn the player’s RS, they may activate him and immediately drop a player if necessary to remain at or under the roster limit.
7.4.6. If an owner burns his RS, that team’s RS is lost for the rest of the year.
7.4.7. Defenses may not be redshirted.
8. Starting Lineups
8.1. Players who are tight ends in college may be started at WR in our league.
8.2. Teams must start 1 QB, 1 RB, 3 WR, 1 Flex RB/WR and 1 Team Defense
8.3. Players are locked into the lineup at gametime each week.
9. Scoring
9.1. All players are scored the same (QB who catches a pass, RB who throws a pass, etc.)
9.2. Because of how rush yards are scored in college, players may receive negative points for rushing yards.
9.3. We use decimal scoring to the hundredths place (.01)
9.4. Homefield Advantage – The home team for each game receives 6 points
9.5. Scoring for Individual Players
9.5.1. Pass Yards = Yds/30
9.5.2. Rush Yards = Yds/10
9.5.3. Receiving Yards = Yds/10
9.5.4. Pass TD = 4 pts
9.5.5. Rush/Receiving TD = 6 pts
9.5.6. Reception = .5 pt
9.5.7. Return TD = 6 pt
9.5.8. 2 point conversions – pass/rush/rec. = 2 pt
9.5.9. Interception = -2
9.6. Scoring for Team Defense
9.6.1. Touchdown (defense or return) = 6 pt
9.6.2. Points Against
9.6.2.1. Shutout = 15 pt
9.6.2.2. 2-3 = 12 pt
9.6.2.3. 4-7 = 10 pt
9.6.2.4. 8-10 = 8 pt
9.6.2.5. 11-14 = 6 pt
9.6.2.6. 15-20 = 4 pt
9.6.2.7. 21-24 = 2 pt
9.6.2.8. 25-34 = 0 pt
9.6.2.9. 35-44 = -2 pt
9.6.2.10. 45+ = -4 pt
9.7. Scoring Oddities
9.7.1.1. Note that both the player and the Team Defense receive points for kick returns for touchdown
9.7.1.2. Fake kicks and punts are rushing/passing TD and do not count for Team Defense.
9.7.1.3. Points given up by the offense after turnovers DO COUNT as points given up by the defense as “Points Against”
9.7.1.4. Starting a defense on bye results in a 10 point penalty (-10)
9.8. Tiebreakers
9.8.1. The first tiebreak is the highest scoring defense
9.8.2. If there is still a tie, the visiting team will be declared the winner.
9.8.3. The winning team will be awarded 1 point to its defense so the league site will calculate things correctly. However, the BSCS will be calculated with the actual score.
10. Player Acquisition
10.1. Recruiting
10.1.1. Campus Visits - To participate in recruiting, each team must submit a list of no more than 30 incoming freshmen to a 3rd party designated by the commissioner by the league deadline.
10.1.2. Each team may recruit one freshman each year in an auction to be held on the message board.
10.1.3. Owners may only bid on players on their Campus Visits list.
10.1.4. Bids in the auction will be by round (ex. Round 10).
10.1.5. All picks in the same round have the same value (ex. Pick 10.04 has equal weight as 10.20)
10.1.6. Owners bid the round that they are willing to give up for that player.
10.1.7. Once 24 hours has passed since the last bid an auction is considered closed, and that player becomes the draft selection for the winning team at the price of the top bid.
10.1.8. Owners are expected to comply with the protocol as sent out by the commissioner each year.
10.1.9. During the auction, a team may be the high bidder on only one player at a time.
10.2. The Draft
10.2.1. The draft will be 16 rounds and serpentine in nature (1-30, 30-1, etc.)
10.2.2. Draft Timer
10.2.2.1. The timer runs from 6am-12am ET 7 days a week.
10.2.2.2. Teams have 8 hours to make their pick.
10.2.2.3. While teams will not be skipped until 8 hours have passed since the previous pick, the draft will not be completed before the season if owners make it a habit to use all 8 hours for their picks. Therefore, owners are expected to keep the draft moving as much as possible.
10.2.2.4. Once 8 hours have passed after pick 16.30 has been made, the draft is considered to be over and picks skipped prior to this may not be made up.
10.2.3. Getting Skipped
10.2.3.1. If an owner is skipped once, he may make his pick as soon as he gets back to the message board (or can contact someone and have them make his pick).
10.2.3.2. If an owner is skipped two times in a row he will be replaced. Should that team have a Co-Owner, the Co-Owner would not be allowed to assume control of the team in this instance.
10.2.3.3. Each time a team is skipped in the draft, their timer is reduced 2 hours. The first time, they are skipped, their timer becomes 6 hours. The second, it becomes 4 hours, etc.
10.2.3.4. Should a team be skipped 4 times in one draft, they will be replaced.
10.2.4. Jason Rivers Rule – Owners are stuck with the draft pick they make. If they select a player who has graduated, been kicked off the team, who never was on the team in the first place, etc. the pick is final.
10.2.5. Choosing a player who has already been picked – If an owner selects a player who is already on another team’s roster the draft will continue. Subsequent picks may be made and the owner who made the mistake may come in to make a re-pick as soon as he is able.
10.3. Trades
10.3.1. Trades are not allowed until keepers are declared.
10.3.2. Once players have been designated as keepers, they may not be traded.
10.3.3. Trades are allowed during the draft
10.3.4. Recruits may never be traded.
10.3.5. The trade deadline is the day before the first game of the season.
10.3.6. There are no trades during the season.
10.3.7. Players may not be traded during the offseason.
10.4. Waivers and Free Agency - Each week will consist of a waiver period and free agency period.
10.4.1. Waivers
10.4.1.1. A waiver order will be determined each week.
10.4.1.1.1. First Criterion – Worst record
10.4.1.1.2. Second Criterion – Fewest total points
10.4.1.1.3. Third Criterion – Fewest points in most recent week
10.4.1.2. Owners will submit a list of players to acquire off waivers to the commissioner by Tuesday at noon (ET).
10.4.1.2.1. Owners are responsible for players on their list. Waivers will be processed assuming that the players on list are actually free agents.
10.4.1.2.2. After waivers are posted, when it is realized that a player claimed was already on a team, the team that claimed that player will not receive a replacement. Waivers will not be re-processed with that team getting the next available name on their list.
10.4.1.3. The commissioner will process two rounds of waivers.
10.4.2. Free Agents
10.4.2.1. After the waiver period, there will be a Free Agent period where players can be picked up on a First Come, First Served basis.
10.4.2.2. All pickups must be made on the designated thread on the message board.
10.4.2.3. The waiver period will run from noon Wednesday until noon Friday.
10.4.2.4. Players must go through waivers after their team plays a game. (ex. If Florida State plays Miami on Thursday night, players from both teams may not be picked up during the FCFS period once the game has kicked off.)
10.4.2.5. There is no free agency period between the end of the draft and Week 1
10.4.2.6. A player dropped is not available to be picked up until the following week’s waiver period.
11. Schedule
11.1. Pre-Season
11.1.1. May 1 – Proposed rule changes emailed out
11.1.2. May 10 – Votes on rules are due
11.1.3. May 15 – Fees due
11.1.4. May 20 – Roll for Draft Order
11.1.5. May 25 – Declaration of Keepers
11.1.6. First Monday in June – Campus Visits Due
11.1.7. 2 days later – Recruiting begins
11.1.8. 5 days later – Recruiting nominations end
11.1.9. 1 day after recruiting is complete – Draft Begins
11.2. Season - Each team plays 11 games
11.2.1. Weeks 1-2 – Non-Conference Games
11.2.1.1. Each team will play one game against a team from each of the other two conferences
11.2.1.2. Each team will play one home and one away game.
11.2.2. Weeks 3-11 – Each 10 team conference plays a 9 week round robin tournament
11.2.2.1. Weeks 3-10
11.2.2.1.1. Each team plays 4 home and 4 away games
11.2.2.1.2. Home/Away flip flop from year to year.
11.2.2.1.3. The order of opponents in weeks 3-10 will change from year to year.
11.2.2.2. Week 11 is designated as Rivalry Week.
11.2.2.2.1. These games are on a “neutral field” – no home field advantage.
11.2.2.2.2. The Rivalry Week opponent will stay the same from year to year.
11.3. Bowl Week
11.3.1. Schedule
11.3.1.1. Bowl week will be weeks 12 and 13 on the league calendar.
11.3.1.2. If a college plays both weeks, the stats for their week 12 game counts for our bowls.
11.3.2. There will be six bowl games
11.3.2.1. Hellmann’s (1v2)
11.3.2.2. Hertz (3v4)
11.3.2.3. 7-up (5v6)
11.3.2.4. Hooters (7v8)
11.3.2.5. Viagra (9v10)
11.3.2.6. Cheetos (11v12)
11.3.3. Conference Champions receive automatic bids to bowls
11.3.3.1. First tiebreak is Total Points
11.3.3.2. Second tiebreak is head to head
11.3.4. The remaining nine spots for the bowls will be given to the highest non-conference champions in the BSCS.
11.3.5. BSCS rankings will determine which teams go to which bowls.
11.3.6. Bowl Tiebreaks
11.3.6.1. The first tiebreak will be highest scoring defense
11.3.6.2. The second tiebreak will be most total TD scored
11.3.6.2.1. We will count player and defensive touchdowns
11.3.6.2.2. Should a team have both a player and a defense who scored a TD, that TD will count twice (just as it does in the scoring system).
12. BSCS
12.1. The BSCS will be released every week as soon as 7 weeks have been completed.
12.2. The formula for the BSCS is: (Record + Record^PR + Record^TP + TP)/4 – QW
12.2.1. PR = Power Ranking – The hypothetical record each team would have if it played every other team each week.
12.2.2. TP = Total Points
12.2.3. Quality Win Points
12.2.3.1. To determine quality wins, the BSC S rankings are computed without the QW Points.
12.2.3.2. A victory over the team ranked “1 is worth 1 point
12.2.3.3. A victory over the team ranked #2 is worth .8 point
12.2.3.4. A victory over the team ranked #3 is worth .6 point
12.2.3.5. A victory over the team ranked #4 is worth .4 point
12.2.3.6. A victory over the team ranked #5 is worth .2 point
12.2.3.7. Each team’s QW points are then added up and subtracted from the initial BSCS ranking to determine the actual BSCS ranking.
12.3. Tiebreaks for the BSCS
12.3.1. Tiebreaks will only be used in the final BSCS
12.3.2. The first tiebreak is Head to Head
12.3.3. The second tiebreak is Overall Record
12.3.4. The third tiebreak is conference record (if teams are in same conference)
12.3.5. The fourth tiebreak is Total Points
12.3.6. The fifth tiebreak is record vs. common opponents
12.3.7. The sixth tiebreak would be an online dice roll by the commissioner
13. Keepers
13.1. Each team may keep up to 3 total keepers from one season to the next
13.2. These keepers must have been on the final roster of the team the previous season
13.3. Recruits
13.3.1. The keeper value of recruits is determined by the Recruit Keeper Value chart
13.3.1.1. It is based on the round their draft value for the current year and the number of games started that year.
13.3.1.2. The chart can be found at http://ncaaproject.com/rk_chart.jpg
13.3.1.3. If a team has two players with the same value…
13.3.1.3.1. One may be kept at the next highest pick
13.3.1.3.2. Both keep their same value for the following year
13.4. Non-Recruits
13.4.1. The first non-recruit keeper kept by a team costs that team’s 1st round pick
13.4.2. The second non-recruit keeper kept by a team costs that team’s 2nd round pick
13.4.3. The third non-recruit keeper kept by a team costs team’s 3rd round pick.
14. Player Awards
14.1. All-America Teams
14.1.1. Three All-America teams will be named, each consisting of 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR and 1 DEF
14.1.2. Teams will consist of the highest scoring players/team.
14.1.3. Only points earned while a player was in a starting lineup count.
14.1.4. Owners are responsible for calculating points earned for players on their team.
14.1.5. In the case of a tie, the player on the team with the highest pre-bowl Final BSCS ranking will make the higher All-America team.
14.2. Heisman
14.2.1. Players on a NCAA Project All-America team are eligible for the Heisman.
14.2.2. Each owner will vote for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for the Heisman
14.2.2.1. 1st place votes are worth 3 points
14.2.2.2. 2nd place votes are worth 2 points
14.2.2.3. 3rd place votes are worth 1 point
14.2.3. Owners will have one week to submit their ballots.
14.2.4. The Heisman will be given to the team with the most points.
15. Appeals
15.1. If an owner believes the commissioner has interpreted the rules page incorrectly in a ruling or one of his judgment calls was unfair, he may appeal to the league’s Appeals Board.
15.2. The top-ranked, non-bowl participating team in the final BSCS from each conference the previous year will make up the Appeals Board for the current season.
15.3. Should the commissioner be the top-ranked, non-bowl participating team in the final BSCS the previous year, the next ranked team will take his place on the Appeals Board.
15.4. Should a member of the Appeals Board be the one making the appeal, a random owner from that conference will be selected to temporarily replace the member who seeks an appeal.