Playing Pickoff’s NCAA Basketball Tournament is the best way to use your college hoop smarts and upset-picking skills into a cash prize.

And there is a lot of talk that this year’s tournament is going to be Upset City, with maybe the first beatdown by a 16 seed over a 1.

But you’ll have to be sharp!

Pickoff’s game is different than any others you’ll play. For starters, you get to start each round fresh, meaning that any incorrect picks in the prior round won’t stop you from selecting the team that actually won in the next round . And you’ll get increasing Pickoff Cash values for wins in each round. Plus there is always the fast-track way to more Pickoff Cash through a challenge.

This means you will need to make new selections after each round, so make sure you come back after the finish of a game to make your next selection – and to challenge your friends!

Our point structure works like this:

First Round (March 19-20) = 500 in Pickoff Cash
Second Round (March 21-22) = 1,000 in Pickoff Cash
Third Round (March 23-24) = 2,500 in Pickoff Cash
Sweet Sixteen (March 28-29) = 5,000 in Pickoff Cash
Elite Eight (March 30-31) = 7,500 in Pickoff Cash
National Semifinals (April 6) = 10,000 in Pickoff Cash
Championship Game (April 8) = 20,000 in Pickoff Cash

Oh right, the prizes!

The top three players who earn the most Pickoff Cash from selecting game winners and winning Challenges for this NCAA College Basketball Tournament will score some sweet Amazon.com gift cards:

1st place will win a $50 Amazon.com gift card
2d place will take home a $30 Amazon.com gift card
3d place will score a $20 Amazon.com gift card

To be eligible for a prize, you’ll need to have at least 2 Facebook friends playing Pickoff. Be sure to invite a few friends to play.

See full contest terms & conditions.

You’ll be able to make your picks on Sunday evening here.

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, via Wikimedia Commons

Kris wins an iPad Mini for winning the most Pickoff Cash from picks and challenges this college football season.  Nicely done, Kris!

Close on his tail were second place Byron Noe, who wins an $80 Amazon Gift Card, and Jeff McConnell, whose third place finish brings him a $50 Amazon gift card.

Huzzah and well-done Hunt, Noe and McConnell!

Yes, it’s a new college basketball season, but no, that does not mean that Kentucky is a shoe-in for yet another championship – Ohio State and Indiana and Louisville and Kansas and Ohio State will have something to say about that.  Not to mention this year’s VCU or Butler!

We couldn’t be more excited to get the season underway, and to make sure you share our excitement we’re announcing another challenge where you can win real prizes just for making smart picks and challenges!

The top 3 winners of the 2012-2013 season will win Amazon.com gift cards!

Want to play to win? Here are some pro-tips:

Tip 1: Pick every game every week.

Your goal is to earn the most Pickoff Cash you can cumulatively over the 2012-2013 college basketball season.

Be sure to make a pick in every game we offer.  You win $500 from the Pickoff “house” for each correct pick.

Make your picks here: https://apps.facebook.com/pickoffgame

Tip 2: Go big (and win big) by “challenging” your friends with larger amounts of Pickoff Cash.

Make your pick – and then click “challenge” – to win even more Pickoff Cash against your friends.

You choose the amount of Pickoff Cash to put on the line for each challenge – up to the amount you and your friend have in your accounts.

When your friends accept your challenges, the game is on!

The person who makes the correct pick in a Challenge earns all the Pickoff Cash for that challenge. The more Pickoff Cash you put on the line, the greater the potential payoff if you pick right (and lose if you pick wrong)!

Tip 3: Invite your Facebook friends to play.

To win a prize in the contest, you must have at least two Facebook friends playing Pickoff. Get your friends involved!

And the more friends who play, the more people you can challenge in the game.

Tip 4: See where you’re ranked each day. 

We’ve created a special College Basketball 2012-2013 leaderboard so you can see your results in the game. Just click to the full Leaderboard in the game, and then click ”College  Basketball 2012-2013″ to see how you’re doing.

Tip 5: Win the prizes.

The top winner for the entire 2012-2013 season will win a $100 Amazon.com gift card; second place will win a $50 Amazon.com gift card; and third place will win a $25 Amazon.com gift card.

Tip 6: Who can win?

Each entrant must have two Facebook friends also playing the Pickoff game. (So invite a few friends!)

Entrants must be eighteen (18) years age or older by the contest closing date and be a legal resident of the 50 United States, or the District of Columbia.

The staff, volunteers, and contractors of Pickoff LLC and their immediate families can play the game, but are NOT eligible to win prizes in this contest.

See full contest rules here: http://www.pickoffsports.com/terms/

The competition begins now. The first games are this week, starting November 9.  Get started making your picks right here: https://apps.facebook.com/pickoffgame

And stick around – who knows what team will rise up to become the champion – and which Pickoff player will be savvy enough to make the right calls!