Spread picks are live for 2026
A second way to play for the 2026 season. Pick every NFL game against the spread, with its own leaderboard, completely separate from your odds picks.
For as long as PickemSzn has existed it’s been one thing: pick a winner for every game, score the odds, climb the leaderboard. For the 2026 season I’ve added a second way to play. You can now pick against the spread.
The odds version isn’t going anywhere. Spread picks just sit next to it as their own separate game, so you can keep playing exactly how you always have, or take on both. I play both, but I’m also the guy who built it, so that’s not saying much.
What picking against the spread actually means
If you’ve only ever played the odds version, here’s the gist. Instead of just picking who wins, you pick a team to beat the point spread, which is really just the margin the favorite is expected to win by.
Back the favorite and they have to win by more than the spread. Back the underdog and they cover by keeping it close, or winning outright. And if the final margin lands exactly on the number, it’s a push, which is a fancy way of saying nothing happens. No win, no loss, like the game never counted.
How it’s scored
Scoring is dead simple here. Every correct spread pick is worth one point, flat. The odds don’t come into it. This one is purely about reading the matchup, so a casual fan with a good gut has every bit as much chance as someone drowning in advanced stats.
Spread picks have their own leaderboard, completely separate from your odds picks. And because the two are independent, you can pick the same game both ways: a winner under Odds and a side under Spread. Each one is scored and ranked on its own, so a great read can land you on both boards at once.
Go try it
Open the Picks page and you’ll spot an Odds / Spread switch up top. Flip it over to Spread and have a go. If you want the full rundown before you do, the how to play page covers all of it.
See you on the leaderboard. Both of them now, I suppose.