OFFICIAL RULES · EFFECTIVE OCT 25, 2026
College Football Pick'em, Week 9
Official rules
No purchase necessary to enter or win. Every entry, bonus entries included, is available free. Void where prohibited. The plain-English version is under How it works.
1. Sponsor and administrator
The prize is provided and the contest is run by Axe LLC ("Sponsor" and "Administrator"), 6051 Brookstone Lane, Grand Blanc, MI. Sponsor is not affiliated with the NCAA or any school.
2. Eligibility
Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. who are 18 or older at entry (19 or older in Alabama and Nebraska; 21 or older in Mississippi), and to legal residents of Canada, excluding Quebec, who are of the age of majority in their province or territory at entry. Employees of Sponsor and Administrator and their households are not eligible. One entry per person, plus up to two bonus entries as described in Section 4; duplicate accounts are void.
3. How to enter and when it locks
Entry opens Sunday, October 25 at 8:08 AM ET and locks Saturday, October 31 at 12:00 PM ET. To enter, pick a winner in each of the eleven listed games, enter a tiebreaker (total combined points in the designated game), and submit a valid email address. Once an entry is submitted, its picks are final. Super Market members, players who unlock edits with points, and players whose invited friend submits an entry in the same contest may change their picks until the lock time.
4. Bonus entry
A registered entrant may receive one (1) additional entry for each person they refer who has not previously entered this contest and completes a valid entry before the lock time, up to two (2) additional entries. Maximum three (3) entries per person. No referral is required: to request a bonus entry without referring anyone, email hey@mainmarket.com before the lock time and one will be granted, up to the same maximum. Each entry is scored independently; a person may win only one contest prize (Section 6) per contest, and where more than one of their entries would place, the highest-placing entry is paid and each later-placing entrant moves up. Group prizes (Section 7) are separate and are not limited by this sentence. A Super Market member receives one bonus entry in each contest, counted toward the same maximum; the free request above gives the same bonus entry at no cost. Self-referral, duplicate accounts, or referrals the Administrator determines to be fraudulent void the bonus entry.
5. Scoring, tiebreaker, postponements
One point per correct pick, decided by the final score as reported by ESPN, cross-checked against CollegeFootballData.com. Where they disagree, the school's official box score controls. Ties are broken by the tiebreaker closest to the actual total, over or under. Remaining ties are handled as described in Prizes. A game that is postponed beyond November 1, 2026 or cancelled is removed from scoring for all entrants.
6. Prizes
Three prizes. First place: one $45 American Express gift card (approximate retail value $45). Second place: one $30 American Express gift card (approximate retail value $30). Third place: one $25 American Express gift card (approximate retail value $25). Total approximate retail value of all prizes: $100 (all values in U.S. dollars). Where entrants tie for a paid place after the tiebreaker, the entry submitted first (the time it was first locked in; changing picks afterward does not change that time) takes the higher place. Winners are responsible for all taxes; winners of $600 or more in a calendar year will be asked to complete a W-9 before payment. Prizes are not transferable and no substitution is allowed, except that Administrator may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.
7. Group prizes
In addition to the prizes in Section 6, Axe LLC provides a prize for each qualifying group on mainmarket ("group prize"). Group prizes are separate from the contest prizes in Section 6. A group's size for this contest is counted once, at the lock time: it is the number of its members who joined the group before the lock time and hold a locked entry in this contest, not counting a membership the Administrator has flagged for review (for example, two accounts on one device or network) unless the Administrator approves it. A member who joins after the lock time counts from the next contest; a member who leaves after the lock time is still counted for this one. A group with 6 or more counted members plays for one $10 gift card; a group with fewer plays for no group prize. Each group receives at most one group prize per contest. A group prize goes to the counted member whose entry places highest in this contest, with ties broken as described in Sections 5 and 6. A person may win a contest prize and any number of group prizes, one from each group they win. The number of group prizes is not limited, so their total value depends on how many groups qualify. Group prizes are paid as gift cards, sent by the Administrator by email after the winner is verified as described in Section 8; payment is not automatic. The Administrator may withhold a group prize from a group it determines was formed or enlarged with duplicate or fraudulent accounts.
8. Winner verification and payment
Potential winners of the prizes in Section 6 are notified by email within 24 hours of the final and must confirm eligibility within 5 days. Administrator may require identity verification. Verified winners of those prizes are paid within 3 business days of verification. Group prize winners are contacted by the Administrator by email, must confirm eligibility within 5 days of that email, and may be asked for the same verification. A potential winner who is a resident of Canada must also correctly answer, without assistance, a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question before being confirmed as a winner.
9. Optional paid features
Super Market (a weekly, monthly or yearly membership) and points (earned by playing, with no cash value) offer optional features: a breakdown of each game (projected win percentages, Polymarket and sportsbook odds, and team statistics), changing picks after an entry is submitted and before the lock time, and, for Super Market members, one bonus entry per contest as described in Section 4. None of these is required to enter or to win. Every entrant can enter, and request a bonus entry, for free. The game breakdown is information only; it is not a pick or a prediction, and it does not guarantee any result.
10. Email and privacy
By entering, you agree to receive contest emails from Administrator and from Highlights, a mainmarket brand. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email. See the Privacy Policy.
11. Disputes and contact
Scoring questions must be raised within 48 hours of the final by emailing hey@mainmarket.com. Administrator's decisions are final. Winners list: Available for 90 days after the contest ends; email hey@mainmarket.com.