System Reference Guide
The complete guide for players and commissioners
Version 1.1 | January 2026
Just-Wins™ is a season-long college football competition where participants draft and manage FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams. The concept is simple: when your teams win games, you earn points. The participant with the most points at the end of the season, including bowl games and playoffs, is crowned champion.
Visit www.just-wins.com and click "Sign Up" to create your account. You will need a valid email address and password. After signing up, you can join existing leagues or create your own.
To join an existing league, you need the league code from your commissioner. From the dashboard, click "Join Existing League" and enter the league code. The system will match your email to the participant list if you were pre-registered.
Once you join a league, your dashboard displays all your active leagues. Click on any league to access the league home page, where you can view the draft board, leaderboard, rosters, trade history, weekly scoring, and more.
The draft is the foundation of your season. Before the college football season begins (typically late August), all participants gather for a live draft to select their teams. Attend in person if possible for the best experience.
Just-Wins™ uses a serpentine (snake) draft format. In odd-numbered rounds, picks go from position 1 to 12. In even-numbered rounds, the order reverses from position 12 to 1. This format ensures fairness by giving late-round pickers consecutive selections.
Round 1: Picks 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 11 → 12
Round 2: Picks 12 → 11 → 10 → 9 → 8 → 7 → 6 → 5 → 4 → 3 → 2 → 1
Round 3: Picks 1 → 2 → 3... (pattern continues)
The number of draft rounds depends on league size and commissioner preference. With 136 FBS teams available (2025), a 12-participant league typically uses 8 rounds (96 teams owned, 40 in open pool). Always use an even number of rounds to maintain draft fairness in the snake format.
Each participant has a set amount of time to make their pick (default: 2 minutes). If the timer expires, the commissioner may auto-pick or allow extra time. The live draft interface shows the current pick, timer, and available teams.
Points are awarded based on your teams' game results each week. The basic principle is simple: wins earn points, losses earn nothing (with one exception).
| Result | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Win | +2 | Base points for any victory |
| Win + Shutout | +3 | Opponent scores 0 points |
| Win + Score 50+ | +3 | Your team scores 50+ (opponent under 50) |
| Win + Shutout + 50+ | +4 | Maximum regular game points |
| Loss | 0 | No points awarded for losses |
| Loss to FCS Team | -1 | Penalty for losing to lower division |
Bonus points (shutout, 50+ scoring) are NOT awarded for beating weak opponents. This rule prevents participants from padding stats against inferior competition.
Scores are updated every Tuesday night after all games are final. College football plays Thursday through Saturday (with some Monday/Tuesday games), so waiting until Tuesday ensures accuracy.
Trading allows you to drop underperforming teams and pick up better options from the open pool. This is a key strategic element that can salvage a struggling roster or push a good roster to championship level.
When you drop a team, it is not immediately available. The team must play 2 games before becoming claimable. This prevents rapid churning of the same teams and adds strategic timing.
Each week during the regular season, the participant with the highest score wins that week's prize. Weekly winners provide excitement throughout the season and give participants in lower standings a chance to win recognition.
The season does not end with the regular season! Bowl games, the College Football Playoff, and final rankings can significantly impact standings and swing the championship.
| Achievement | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Bowl Game Invitation | +1 to +3 | (1-5) |
| Bowl Game Win | +2 to +4 | (game scoring) |
| Conference Championship Appearance | +4 | (2-5) |
| Playoff Seed 5-12 (First Round) | +2 | (1-4) |
| Playoff Seed 1-4 (BYE) | +3 | (2-5) |
| Win to Quarterfinals | +3 + game | (0-4) |
| Win to Semifinals | +5 + game | (0-5) |
| National Championship Appearance | +3 + game | (4-10) |
| National Championship WIN | +7 + game | (5-12) |
| Final AP Ranking #2-4 | +3 | (3-8) |
| Final AP Ranking #5-10 | +2 | (2-7) |
| Final AP Ranking #11-15 | +1 | (1-6) |
| Final AP Ranking #16-20 | +0 | (0-5) |
| Final AP Ranking #21-25 | +1 | (0-4) |
| Heisman Trophy Winner | +5 | (3-10) |
| AP Coach of the Year | +5 | (3-10) |
| Queen of Spades Bonus | +15 | (10-20) |
The Queen of Spades is an optional rule that adds strategic depth to the game. Check with your commissioner to see if this rule is active in your league.
At the end of the season, the participant who still owns the team with the lowest total points receives a substantial bonus (default: +15 points). However, you must have drafted that team — you cannot trade FOR the worst team to claim this bonus.
Imagine you drafted a team in Round 8. They are terrible. By Week 6, they have 0 points. You face a choice:
When two or more participants have the same score (weekly or overall), tiebreakers determine the winner. Tiebreakers are applied in order until a winner is determined.
| Order | Tiebreaker | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fewest Bonus Points | Participant with fewer total bonus points wins |
| 2nd | No FCS Losses | Participant with a loss to FCS team is eliminated |
| 3rd | Strength of Schedule | Lowest SoS sum wins (harder schedule) |
| 4th | Commissioner Decision | Commissioner makes the final call |
Each team has a Strength of Schedule ranking based on the difficulty of their opponents. A lower SoS number means a harder schedule. For tiebreakers, we sum the SoS rankings of all teams on a participant's roster. The participant with the lowest sum (harder combined schedule) wins the tiebreaker.
The commissioner creates and manages the league. This section covers the key responsibilities and configurable settings available to commissioners.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Participants | 12 | Total players in the league |
| Number of Rounds | 8 | Teams each participant drafts |
| Free Trades | 4 | Trades allowed per season |
| Pick Timer | 120 sec | Time allowed per draft pick |
| Draft Order | Random | Random, Manual, or Ranked |
| Pansy Rule | On | Limits bonus points vs weak opponents |
| Queen of Spades | 15 pts | Bonus for worst team (optional) |
| 2-Game Hold | On | Teams held after being dropped |
Commissioners can customize all postseason point values including bowl invitations, playoff bonuses, championship points, ranking bonuses, individual awards (Heisman, Coach of Year), and the Queen of Spades bonus. Default values and ranges are shown in Section 7.
A: They are on a BYE week. You receive 0 points for them that week, which is normal.
A: No. All trades are from the OPEN POOL only. You cannot swap teams directly with other participants.
A: Tiebreakers are applied in order: (1) Fewest bonus points, (2) No FCS losses, (3) Strength of Schedule, (4) Commissioner decision.
A: Yes! You can join or create as many leagues as you want. Each league is completely separate.
A: Contact your commissioner with the specific game details (teams, date, and the error). They can review and correct scoring.
A: Trading closes when teams have fewer than 2 regular season games remaining (usually around Week 12).
A: No! Scores update every Tuesday night. Check the app on Wednesdays to see how your week went.
A: No money is required. It is for bragging rights and friendly competition. Leagues may optionally add prizes.
A: FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) is the lower division of college football. Beating them does not earn bonus points, and losing to them costs you -1 point.
A: The commissioner sets the draft order. It can be random, manually assigned, or based on previous season rankings.
BYE Week: A week when a team does not play a scheduled game.
Conference Game: A game between two teams from the same conference (e.g., SEC vs SEC).
Draft Order: The sequence in which participants make their picks during the draft.
FBS: Football Bowl Subdivision — the top level of college football (136 teams in 2025).
FCS: Football Championship Subdivision — the lower level (wins provide no bonus, losses cost -1).
Free Trade: A trade that does not incur a penalty (configurable per season).
Independent Team: A team not affiliated with a conference (Notre Dame, UConn).
Open Pool: Teams not currently owned by any participant, available for pickup.
Pansy Rule: Rule that prevents bonus points for beating weak (FCS or non-Top 25 OOC) opponents.
Queen of Spades: Optional rule awarding bonus points for owning the worst-performing team.
Serpentine Draft: Draft format where pick order reverses each round (1-12, then 12-1, etc.).
Shutout: A game where the opponent scores 0 points.
SoS (Strength of Schedule): A rating of how difficult a team's opponents are.
Top 25: Teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP or Coaches Poll.
2-Game Hold: Period after a team is dropped before it becomes available for pickup.