INTRODUCTION The 2026 season of the Great Lakes Football League (GLFL), formerly the Big 12, previously the Bragging Rights Fantasy League (BRFL), kicks off alongside the 2026–27 NFL season. Hosted on the ESPN.com platform, the league is designed to reward fantasy football players with larger rosters, bigger prizes, more payouts, extensive scoring, unlimited trading and free agency periods, and a top-notch group of twelve General Managers—creating the ultimate fantasy football experience.
Marking the transition to a dynasty-format league, the GLFL will carry forward all league and team history and records from previous eras (2012–2025) as part of each franchise’s legacy. While team names and managers may change over time, these historical achievements remain a permanent part of league history. Records are maintained for historical and entertainment purposes only and will have no competitive impact on future seasons.
FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS The GLFL operates as a not-for-profit fantasy football league. First-year dues are 50 USD, plus an additional 50 USD non-refundable payment to cover your second season of participation. For season three and beyond, the annual fee of 50 USD is due no later than two weeks before draft day for the upcoming fantasy season. Failure to pay by this deadline will result in removal from the league for the upcoming season and beyond.
Payments may be made through various electronic and non-electronic services, including PayPal, Apple Pay, or Venmo, to the league commissioner. Any funds received beyond the required fees will be categorized as donations to the league commissioner. Top
TEAM IDENTITIES All GLFL team names, colors and logos will be chosen by the controlling General Manager but must come from any team found on sportslogos.net. No exact duplicates of names will be allowed (e.g. two franchises may not use Spokane Empire). However, similar or related names are allowed if they are distinct (e.g. Alaska Wild and Wichita Wild, or Las Vegas Outlaws and Las Vegas Sting)
Once a General Manager has chosen a team nickname it can only be changed if the General Manager pays a “relocation fee” of $5 which will be deposited in the Dynasty Pot. General Managers taking over for an outgoing General Manager can change their team’s name for a $2 “relocation fee”. Team name changes do not affect a franchise’s divisional alignment. Once a team is placed into a division, it will remain there permanently, regardless of any re-branding or “relocation” of its city/region identity. Top
DIVISION ALIGNMENT The twelve GLFL teams are divided into three divisions, East, Central, and West with four teams in each division. Division placement is initially determined by each franchise’s chosen team branding (e.g., city or region in the team name) at the time of league entry. Once assigned, a franchise’s division will never change, regardless of future re-branding. This ensures the preservation of divisional rivalries and historical records. Top
REGULAR SEASON The GLFL plays a 14-week regular season schedule. Each team plays its division opponents twice and all non-division opponents once. Top
POSTSEASON Seven teams qualify for the postseason which begins week 15 of the NFL schedule and finished week 17. The division winners will be seeded #1 - #3 with the top seed earning a bye week for Round 1. Teams seeded #4 - #7 will be seeded based on record, then head-to-head match-ups and/or total points scored. Ultimately ESPN is the be-all-end-all ruler of playoff seeding and the commissioner is not responsible for errors in their seeding practices. All home teams throughout the playoffs receive 5 bonus “home field advantage” points to begin the match-up. Top
| Round 1 Schedule: | Round 2 Schedule: | Lakefront Bowl: |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Seed (bye) | #4/5 Seed @ #1 Seed | Two winners from Round 2 meet head to head in the Lakefront Bowl. |
| #5 Seed @ #4 Seed | ||
| #6 Seed @ #3 Seed | #3/6 Seed vs #2/7 Seed | |
| #7 Seed @ #2 Seed |
DRAFT The 2026 draft will be held online as an auction draft, with each team allocated a $300 budget. Draft positions and budgets will be communicated 1 hour prior to the start of the draft.
Beginning in 2027 and beyond, the league will hold a supplemental draft each late June. The supplemental draft will consist of NFL rookies and free agents not currently on a roster, giving teams an opportunity to add new talent while maintaining their existing rosters. Draft order will be determined by the playoff results. This means your draft position will be affected by the outcomes of the previous season's playoff games. See chart below for reference. Each supplemental draft will include an additional $50 pool, added temporarily for the purpose of that year’s draft only.
All draft selections—whether in the initial 2026 draft or future supplemental drafts—will be subject to the league’s salary structure and contract rules. Teams may trade draft picks or rostered players as allowed by the bylaws, adding a layer of long-term strategy to the league.
| DRAFT CHART | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st – Consolation Champion | 2nd – Consolation Runner-Up | 3rd – Consolation 3rd Place |
| 4th – Consolation 4th Place | 5th – Consolation 5th Place | 6th – 7th Place Finish |
| 7th – 6th Place Finish | 8th – 5th Place Finish | 9th – 4th Place Finish |
| 10th – 3rd Place Finish | 11th – League Runner-Up | 12th – Lakefront Bowl Champion |
DRAFT ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS The annual draft is the cornerstone event of the GLFL season and is treated as a mandatory league function. All General Managers are expected to attend in person whenever possible, not just for the picks, but for the camaraderie, banter, and the chance to show off that championship ring, think NFL Draft meets friendly trash talk and celebratory drinks.
If a General Manager absolutely cannot attend in person, they must notify the Commissioner in advance and participate live via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or other means. While remote participation is allowed, the league encourages in-person attendance to preserve the draft’s energy and tradition. Repeated absences or failure to attend may result in league penalties, as determined at the Commissioner’s discretion. Top
ROSTERS Each GLFL team consists of a 30-man active roster + four IR spots. Teams can add or drop players at any time during the year except during the moratorium period in which they can drop but not add players. The moratorium period is the day after the Lakefront Bowl and goes through to the day after the supplemental draft. Five roster spots will be added to each team at the beginning of the draft to account for incoming rookies and unsigned free agents via the supplemental draft, see Salary & Cap Rules section below for details. Rosters must be cut back to 30 active players August 31st each year. There are no limits on the quantity of each position a team carries.
STARTING LINEUPS AND POSITION ELIGIBILITY Starting lineups for all teams will consist of 7 players; 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE. The first violation for an invalid/incomplete lineup will be a verbal/written warning. Second violation may result in exile from the league with no refund of league dues. Top
COMPETITIVE INTEGRITY All league participants are expected to maintain fair play and competitiveness throughout the season nad postseason. Owners must set competitive lineups each week and make a good-faith effort to win every game. Deliberately benching starters, leaving positions empty, or making moves intended to lose games (tanking) in order to gain an advantage in future drafts, trades, or playoff positioning is strictly prohibited.
Owners who violate this rule may be deemed ineligible for end-of-season payouts, awards, or the Dynasty Pot at the discretion of the League Commissioner. The Commissioner, in consultation with league officers or via a league vote if necessary, will review any suspicious activity and determine whether tanking has occurred. Penalties may include loss of award eligibility, adjustments to buy-ins, or other measures deemed appropriate to preserve league fairness. Any owner penalized under this section may appeal the decision in writing within 48 hours, and the Commissioner’s ruling following the appeal will be final.
SALARY & CAP RULES Each team begins the 2026 season with a salary cap of $300 to construct their 30-player roster. All drafted players, whether selected in the initial draft or in future supplemental drafts, follow the same contract structure: no increase in years one and two, a 5% increase in year three, and a 15% annual increase in year four and beyond. Managers may retain players as long as they choose, provided they remain under the salary cap at the start of the season, and may cut players at any time.
The salary cap itself increases by 5% annually to provide incremental flexibility for retaining players and adding new talent. Managers are responsible for ensuring that their roster and salaries comply with league rules by the August 31 cut date—30 active rostered players and under the salary cap for the upcoming season.
On June 1, all rostered player salaries will be updated (if applicable), and the annual 5% salary cap increase will be applied. Managers should use this information to plan their roster and supplemental draft strategy for the upcoming season.
Each team will have a $50 free agent auction budget (FAAB) each league year. Free agents acquired during the season via FAAB are treated as one-year contracts and cannot be retained, re-entering the supplemental draft the following year.
Beginning in 2027, each supplemental draft will include a $50 temporary addition to the salary cap, usable only for that draft year. This allows teams to acquire incoming rookies and unsigned free agents without permanently increasing the cap. Top
TRADES Any combination of players and/or draft picks may be traded at any point during the calendar year. No trades may include real cash, FAAB dollars, or salary cap space. There is no salary-matching requirement in any trade; teams may complete a trade regardless of any difference in player salaries.
Trading draft picks is legal during any season or offseason. Teams may not trade picks further in the future than two league years. No trade may include a rental or return structure, any future promises or assets, or any outside compensation.
The Commissioner has discretion to place on hold any trade that appears suspicious or detrimental to the integrity of the league. Suspicious trades may be subject to a vote by the General Managers not involved in the deal, requiring a 2/3 league vote to veto. Top
SCORING SYSTEM The following scoring rules are for all categories:
| PASSING | RUSHING | RECEIVING | MISC. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards +0.05 per yard Passing TD +6 2-Pt Conversion +2 Interceptions Thrown -3 2pt Passing Conversion +2 Passing First Down +1 |
Rushing Yards +0.1 per yard Rushing TD +6 2-Pt Conversion +2 Rushing First Down +1 |
Reception +1 Receiving Yards +0.1 per yard Receiving TD +6 2-Pt Conversion +2 Receiving First Down +1 |
Kickoff Return TD +6 Punt Return TD +6 Fumbles Lost -2 |
TIE-BREAKERS For playoff seeding tiebreakers see the POSTSEASON section. For head-to-head match-ups in the regular season that result in a tie there is no tie-breaker. If a playoff match-up ends in a tie, the win will go to the team who’s starting QB scored the most points. Top
PAYOUTS See payout breakdown below.
| CHAMPION | RUNNER-UP | GM OF THE YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| 45% | 30% | 3% |
| DIVISION CHAMPION (3) | MVP | DYNASTY POT** |
| 3% each | 3% | 10% |
Note: A single General Manager can win multiple awards in the same season. For example, the team that earns the #1 seed (GM of the Year) could also be a division champion or the MVP. All payouts for awards won by the same team will stack, and the General Manager will receive the combined total.
**See Entry Fee Discount in AWARDS section for details.
AWARDS
GM of the Year: Awarded to the General Manager of the team who earns the #1 seed in the playoffs.
MVP: Awarded to the General Manager of the non-QB player who has the most total fantasy points.
Division Champions: Awarded to the winner of each division.
Dynasty Pot: 10% of the total pot is set aside each year into a Dynasty Pot. This pot accumulates year-to-year and is awarded to the General Manager who wins back-to-back league championships. After being awarded, the Dynasty Pot resets and begins accumulating again.
Entry Fee Discount: The team with the highest total points throughout the playoffs — including standard bracket and consolation rounds — receives a 20% discount on the following year’s league entry fee. This discount is paid from the current year’s Dynasty Pot.
In the event that a franchise successfully completes a 3-peat the league may start over with an expansion draft for all teams if it is voted on by all league members. See LEAGUE EXPANSION rules below. Top
LEAGUE CONTRACTION In the event of league contraction all players from the contracted teams will be put in the draft. Existing teams will have 5 permanent roster spots added in addition to 5 spots normally designated for the supplemental draft to accommodate the incoming players from the abandoned team(s). Rosters will still need to be cut down to the 30 players as usual by the August 31st deadline.
GM CHANGES In the event of a GM departure the league will attempt to replace the GM and he/she will take over normal duties for that franchise. In the event a replacement GM cannot be found due to the state of the abandoned franchise the league may implement various strategies to entice incoming General Managers to take control of the franchise. The options include but are not limited to giving that team the first overall pick in the rookie draft, discounting entry fees or by following the league expansion rules below.
LEAGUE EXPANSION In the event of league expansion legacy teams will choose 7 players from their current roster to protect. All other players will be entered into the expansion draft. No current team can lose more than one player during the expansion draft per new team invited. The incoming team will hold the top pick in the supplemental draft. After the expansion draft and standard draft, the expansion teams will fill out their roster with undrafted free agents. Top
AMENDEMENTS Amendments to these rules may be proposed by any General Manager to the league commissioner at any time of the year. Propositions will be brought up and voted on by all General Managers on draft day and will require 2/3 votes to be approved. If approved, changes will go into effect immediately for the upcoming season.
OTHER NOTES The GLFL official colors are Navy (#002855), Lake Blue (#4DA9E9), Industrial Gray (#8C8C8C), and Cream City Brick (#F5E6C8), and Bright White (#FFFFFF). The league's championship game is the Lakefront Bowl and its champion is the Lakefront Bowl Champion. Top