ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham won Survivor Bowl 1, the inaugural expert NFL survivor contest presented by PoolGenius, outlasting 345 entries from 115 sports media and betting personalities. Farnham earned $10,000, with PoolGenius donating $5,000 to the American Cancer Society in his honor.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- PoolGenius today announced that ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham has won Survivor Bowl 1, the inaugural edition of the company's new expert NFL survivor contest, launched ahead of the 2025 NFL season. The competition featured 345 total entries submitted by 115 well-known personalities from across the sports media, fantasy sports, and sports betting industries.
An NFL Survivor contest challenges participants to pick one NFL team to win each week—without reusing teams. If the selected team loses, that entry is eliminated. Only the last surviving entry claims victory.
Survivor Bowl 1 reached its dramatic conclusion in Week 14, with eight entries still alive. Six contestants selected the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost to the New Orleans Saints, while another selected the Cleveland Browns, who fell to the Tennessee Titans. Those losses opened the door for Farnham, who secured the title by choosing the Denver Broncos, victorious over the Las Vegas Raiders.
"PoolGenius has helped NFL survivor players win more pools for 15 years now, so we launched Survivor Bowl 1 both to have some fun and to give back," said Tom Federico, CEO of PoolGenius and TeamRankings. "People love watching their favorite media experts compete, and we're proud to donate $5,000 to the American Cancer Society in Sean's honor as part of his win."
"Just remember that while Sean may have pocketed a cool $10,000 thanks to his Week 15 Eagles pick, PoolGenius subscribers have reported more than $6.5 million in NFL survivor pool winnings using our data-driven tools and strategies!"
As champion, Farnham earns the grand prize of $10,000, along with a $5,000 donation made in his name to his chosen charity, the American Cancer Society.
"This was my first survivor league I have ever participated in," said Farnham. "I want to thank TeamRankings and PoolGenius. I really enjoyed the short- and long-term approach to picking my teams as well as trying to stay alive with so many great football minds. Christmas just got a whole lot better!"
The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem through research, education, advocacy, and patient support. To learn more or donate, visit cancer.org.
Survivor Bowl 1 is operated by PoolGenius, a leading provider of expert picks, data-driven tools, and strategy for popular sports pools, including NFL survivor pools, football pick'em contests, NCAA tournament bracket pools, and golf pools. PoolGenius is a subsidiary of TeamRankings.com, a longtime leader in sports analytics and prediction tools.
For more information about Survivor Bowl 1, including the full leaderboard and week-by-week results, visit: survivorbowl.poolgenius.com
Media Contact:
Seth Trachtman
Media Contact
Seth Trachtman, Team Rankings, LLC, 1 4154938326, [email protected], https://www.teamrankings.com
SOURCE PoolGenius
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