Season 3 Rulebook

01 · Team Selection

• 0–1.5★ programs: Allowed without penalties.
• 2★ programs: Allowed with a first-season postseason ban. The ban includes conference championships, bowl games, and the CFP.
• No school-selection draft. New coaches choose from available eligible schools.
• Existing coaches accepting legitimate in-game coaching offers are exempt from starting-school restrictions.

02 · Gameplay & Playbooks

• Stock playbooks only. Custom playbooks are prohibited.
• Custom coach adjustments are allowed.
• Chew Clock is allowed. The previous restriction has been removed.
• Coaches may run their preferred offensive and defensive systems while following approved league gameplay rules.

03 · Play Cooldowns & Play Locking

• 3-play cooldown.
• Maximum 15 calls per play.
• Applies to offense AND defense.

04 · WR ↔ TE Position Changes

• WR → TE: Minimum height 6′3″; maximum speed 89.
• TE → WR: Minimum speed 85.
• Applies to official position changes AND depth-chart substitutions.

05 · DB → LB Position Changes

• Minimum height 6′0″; maximum speed 89.
• Applies to CB, FS, and SS players moving to linebacker, including depth-chart substitutions.

06 · Recruiting & NIL Exploits

• Using recruiting exploits to acquire 4★ or 5★ players by bypassing legitimate NIL requirements is prohibited.
• 1 forced loss per confirmed ineligible player.
• Automatic postseason ban for that season (conference championships, bowl games, and the CFP).
• Commissioners will review suspected violations before enforcing penalties.
• Original one-time amnesty notice: Previously signed 4★ / 5★ zero-NIL players must be disclosed before the transfer portal advance referenced in the announcement. After that advance, the amnesty closes. Unsigned recruits and future portal acquisitions are not grandfathered in.

07 · League Advancement

• During the regular season, the league advances every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
• If you need more time, message the commissioners before the scheduled advance.
• Coaches must communicate scheduling conflicts before the advance. Check Discord for commissioner announcements.

08 · Activity & Accountability

• 1 week inactive: Auto Pilot.
• 2 weeks inactive: Final warning.
• 3 weeks inactive: Removal from the league.
• Commissioners will track missed games, unexplained absences, and failure to communicate.

09 · User Game Scheduling

• Tag your opponent in #scheduling-chat.
• If no response, tag them in the Discord channel identified in the original poster as <#1449992291392426106>.
• Still no response? Notify the commissioners.
• Commissioners may award forced results after reviewing legitimate scheduling attempts.

10 · CPU Game Restarts

• Maximum 2 attempts per CPU game.
• A third attempt requires prior commissioner approval.
• An unauthorized third attempt results in a forced loss in the coach’s next scheduled game.
• Report crashes and disconnections immediately.
• Applies to all coaches, including commissioners.

11 · Sportsmanship

• Competitive trash talk is encouraged.
• Personal attacks, harassment, and toxic behavior are prohibited.
• No quitting user games without communication.
• Continued disrespect after a warning can result in league removal.

12 · League Sliders

• Current injury, speed threshold, and other gameplay slider settings remain unchanged.
• Sliders may be reviewed and adjusted by the commissioners if needed for league balance.

13 · Rule Changes & Commissioner Enforcement

• Major changes are decided through league voting.
• A majority of votes cast determines approval.
• Commissioners enforce approved rules consistently.
• Rule violations and disciplinary actions will be documented.

14 · Game of the Week Rewards

One locked freshman nominee per coach receives verified GOTW development rewards under these tiers.

Attribute caps & seasonal limit

• GOTW football-skill attribute cap: 95.
• GOTW physical attribute cap: 92.
• Season maximum: +2 physical attribute points per nominated freshman.
• Physical attributes: speed, acceleration, agility, strength, and jumping. Physical boosts are reserved for a featured coach who wins GOTW and correctly predicts their own victory.
• Existing ratings above these limits stay unchanged. Caps apply only to GOTW awards; normal game progression can take attributes higher.

Nominations & award verification

Freshman nominations are open again. Previously late coaches may submit for commissioner verification. No new closing deadline has been announced.

• Complete your Team Profile and identify your official freshman nominee. All nominees and awards require commissioner verification.
• Commissioners randomly select football skills from a pool relevant to the player’s position. Reroll capped or position-irrelevant attributes.
• Maximum reward is +2 total per week; the winning coach never stacks an additional +1 prediction reward.
• A correct prediction means picking the actual game winner. The poll’s most popular choice does not determine rewards.
• Rewards add attribute points—not a guaranteed overall increase or a boost to a target overall rating.
• Commissioners verify nominees, votes, final scores, random selections, seasonal physical-point totals, and all awarded upgrades.

Weekly Pick’em: Predictions for other user games count only toward the best-picker leaderboard. They never earn freshman upgrade points. The GOTW ballot is shared between both pages, so it counts once.