Seeking Feedback On Ultimate And Auction Leagues

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 5:22 am

I know it's the off-season, but for those die-hards who still check the boards each day, I'm looking for some feedback on the playoff formats of the Ultimate Leagues and the Auction Leagues.

This year in the Ultimate League, we took the top six teams after 13 weeks into the playoffs and paid off the head-to-head champion $5,000 and the Total Points champion $5,000. This year one team, Mark Moyer's Follow Me, won both and won $10,000. The top two teams received byes as we allowed the next five teams in total points into the playoffs. Could we improve the process of how teams get into the playoffs, like making the fifth and sixth seeds best remaining head-to-head records rather than total points? I'd be interested in hearing from those involved.

Interestingly, Mark's Ultimate League team lost in the semi-finals and in the Consolation Bowl to finish fourth. The second seeded team, Eddie Gillis', didn't win any money during the regular season but won both playoff games to win $27,500. Two other teams won $12,500 and $7,500 in the playoffs, thus we had four of the 14 teams win money, but was the format still the best we can offer?

Would Total Points for 16 weeks be a better solution? Or was the one game playoff for big bucks a thrill? Interested in feedback again.

In the Auction Leagues, I also paid off the head-to-head regular season champion $650 and the Total Points leader $650 and in all four auction leagues we offered and interestingly the same team won both prizes in all four leagues. The next five highest scoring teams made the playoffs and were seeded accordingly. Again, is there a better playoff format and/or qualifying format? I'm interested in suggestions.

Also, did you like the Satellite League playoff format where we allowed the top four scoring teams in the regular season into the playoffs and then paid off the top three scoring teams? Would you rather we had gone head-to-head in the playoffs like we did in the auction leagues? Let me know what you think as I'd like to offer several satellite leagues this year and obviously we can do different formats if needed. Hey, we can even offer BBDS in satellite leagues for anyone who wants to do that and add Consolation Bowl prizes to keep everyone playing for 16 weeks.

I'm looking for constructive feedback, so bring it on.

[ January 10, 2006, 11:25 AM: Message edited by: Greg Ambrosius ]

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 5:35 am

This was the format used in the Gekko Invitational, which could be adopted for the auction leagues:

Playoffs - 6 teams make the playoffs
Seed #1 team with the best head-to-head record
Seed #2 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #3 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #4 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #5 remaining team with the best H2H record
Seed #6 remaining team with the best H2H record

ultimatefs · Post by **ultimatefs** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:46 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
This was the format used in the Gekko Invitational, which could be adopted for the auction leagues:

Playoffs - 6 teams make the playoffs
Seed #1 team with the best head-to-head record
Seed #2 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #3 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #4 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #5 remaining team with the best H2H record
Seed #6 remaining team with the best H2H record This should be done for every MAIN league.

The best team isn't always the one that has the least amount of injuries.

If they are the best team, a bye week and winning two games should be no problem.

76% of the top 3 seeds would win.
24% of seeds 4-6 would win.
These 24% had to win 3 games, and most likely had many injuries preventing them from being at top all year. Can you say 2005 Pats?

Based on 14-team data from 2003-2005.

By product is that all teams would try harder, longer, making the game a better test of a true champion.

Leave the Grand Prize rules the SAME. This is just for the champion of each league.

I would have a prize for best h2h, most points, and league champ. If someone wins all 3, they sweep as should be.

This will attract more customers as almost every league uses a playoff system.

Sorry to semi-hijack thread.

lumpy463 · Post by **lumpy463** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:37 am

Greg,

I like paying the best record and most points as you have it now. I agree the same person can/should win both if qualifies.

I like the six teams making the playoffs, with the record and points getting buy weeks.

However , I prefer the remaining teams to be ranked by power rankings, since total points, league record, h2h against all each count 33%.

Derek

chris schinker · Post by **chris schinker** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:19 am

The gekko format above was and is right on for the auction and ultimates. As far as money I wish it was more on the top end and get rid of any places lower than 2nd and the small high pts and best record for the season.

Nag' · Post by **Nag'** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:26 am

Originally posted by UFS:
quote:Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
This was the format used in the Gekko Invitational, which could be adopted for the auction leagues:

Playoffs - 6 teams make the playoffs
Seed #1 team with the best head-to-head record
Seed #2 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #3 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #4 remaining team with the most total points
Seed #5 remaining team with the best H2H record
Seed #6 remaining team with the best H2H record This should be done for every MAIN league.

The best team isn't always the one that has the least amount of injuries.

If they are the best team, a bye week and winning two games should be no problem.

76% of the top 3 seeds would win.
24% of seeds 4-6 would win.
These 24% had to win 3 games, and most likely had many injuries preventing them from being at top all year. Can you say 2005 Pats?

Based on 14-team data from 2003-2005.

By product is that all teams would try harder, longer, making the game a better test of a true champion.

Leave the Grand Prize rules the SAME. This is just for the champion of each league.

I would have a prize for best h2h, most points, and league champ. If someone wins all 3, they sweep as should be.

This will attract more customers as almost every league uses a playoff system.

Sorry to semi-hijack thread. [/QUOTE]Are you suggesting that the League playoffs are held weeks 13-16, parallel to the Championship Round? Would teams that finish as Seeds #1 and #2 in the regular season be participating in the C-Round as they would currently?

ultimatefs · Post by **ultimatefs** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:18 am

Originally posted by Nag':
Are you suggesting that the League playoffs are held weeks 13-16, parallel to the Championship Round? Would teams that finish as Seeds #1 and #2 in the regular season be participating in the C-Round as they would currently? [/quote]

yes and yes.

right now, there are $8k in league prizes.

drop the 3rd place $500.

$2500 best h2h
$2500 most pts
$3000 League Champion

If an owner has a truly great team, he would win $8k.

If the league was real competitive, you could get 3 to profit.

This would create much more excitement with the possibilities during the playoffs and at the end of the regular season.

RI WORKHORSE · Post by **RI WORKHORSE** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:14 am

This is my thoughts.I think that total points is everything.I know all you guys that think head-head record is like real football but thats not fantasy.Fantasy is knowing sports and following sports.And it's about trying to win money and pride.How can you get pride out of having less total points then some team and end up sneaking in the playoff's.Then getting beat by a real team with more points then you down the road.When the team with the most total points that didn't get in could of put up a real game.For getting more people in the main event I think that head-head does offer more people easy ways to win money.These are all just my thoughts.I would always pay out more money to a guy with total points.When you have all the bye weeks and you are missing players,thats just not right.Some team might be at full strength and you could be missing half your team that week.My vote total points all the way.

Auction payouts

total points-$1,000
head-head-$300
champ-$3,350
2nd-$1,250
3rd-$500

Johnny

Nag' · Post by **Nag'** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:14 am

Originally posted by UFS:
If an owner has a truly great team, he would win $8k.

If the league was real competitive, you could get 3 to profit.

This would create much more excitement with the possibilities during the playoffs and at the end of the regular season. Other than attempting to keep more owners playing for something deep into the regular season, I don't see any benefit to this proposal.
And even with regards to that issue, in my 2 seasons playing, ALMOST all 28 teams in both years remained competetive throughout the 13 weeks and don't remember hearing any major complaining on these boards about owners abandoning their teams. I'm sure there were some instances of this but I don't believe they have been SO severe that a prize structure needs to be changed and an entire league playoff system created just to help keep owners stay active.
But my biggest problem is that this proposal will create scenarios where only a SINGLE team would come away with ALL prize money. This outcome seems totally contradictory to your general intention of keeping more owners active and competetive because 13 of them would get NOTHING for their competetiveness if there happens to be a single monster team in their league sweeping all prizes.
Another problem is that your proposed prize structure de-values the regular season and puts even more weight on weeks 14-16: Championship Round, Consolation Round and now a H2H playoff for an additional $3000.
And lastly, speaking of Championship Round, I see an inherent fault in the idea where a "League Champion" is NOT playing for the overall big prize. And this would happen very often with your proposal as 4 of the 6 teams that can become League Champion are left out of the C-Round.

So just in case there's even a remote consideration to this idea, I vote a resounding NO! Sorry.

TamuScarecrow · Post by **TamuScarecrow** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:52 pm

Having played in several leagues in the NFFC the last two years and as someone who will be trying the auction league this coming year, I would like the payout and playoff format to stay the way it is now. Having 6 playoff teams should certainly keep the majority of teams playing the whole season. One of the few suitable changes I can see would be the GEKKO league format this year as it took both record and points into the playoffs.

Off the subject, if paying both the h2h winner and points winner the same money in the satellite leagues makes sense, why not pay $3750 to each in the main event?

You know my thoughts on paying the team who gets the luck of the schedule the most money.