2013/14 EPL Survivor Contest Week 1 (Mulligan Week) Aug 17-19

The Premiership is upon us and that means that it's time once again for the annual SB Survivor Contest. For those of you who have played before, welcome back...I sincerely hope you spent the summer preparing for this season instead of killing brain cells in Destin. For those who are new to the competition, it's quite simple and doesn't require many brain cells anyway. rojotiger is the defending champion, though we've yet to have a repeat winner. There was brief discussion last year about altering the format and the use of the mulligan, however, for the sake of ease and my sanity I am going to continue the first half of the season under the current rules (see below) and throughout the next 4 months we can debate any potential changes that may improve the contest. As was the case last year, the first week of the league will be offered as an opportunity to earn a mulligan which can be used at any point between week 2 and the end of the contest. (I like the idea of using FA Cup ties as a means of earning a mulligan, but that is more appropriate for the spring.) If you fail to make a pick this week, you will still be allowed to start the contest next week, albeit without the benefit of a mulligan.

The rules are as follows:
- Select a team from the matches listed each week.
- Correctly selecting home wins, away wins, or away draws provide immunity to the next round...home losses, away losses and home draws result in elimination.
- Each team may only be used once during the competition with the exception of the mulligan round. Teams used in the mulligan round are still available to be used once later in the contest.
-Failure to pick a winner by the deadline each week will result in either the loss of a mulligan or elimination from the contest.

Week 1 Matches

Saturday, August 17th
Liverpool v Stoke City (Anfield)
West Ham United v Cardiff City (Upton Park)
West Bromwich Albion v Southampton (The Hawthornes)
Sunderland v Fulham (Stadium of Light)
Arsenal v Aston Villa (Emirates Stadium)
Norwich v Everton (Carrow Road)
Swansea City v Manchester United (Liberty Stadium)

Sunday, August 18th
Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur (Selhurst Park)
Chelsea v Hull City (Stamford Bridge)

Monday, August 19th
Manchester City v Newcastle (Etihad Stadium)

The deadline for submitting picks for matches played on Saturday, August 17th is 6:15am CST.
The deadline for submitting picks for matches played on Sunday, August 18th is 7:00am CST.
The deadline for submitting picks for matches played on Monday, August 19th is 1:30pm CST.

Thanks again to everyone who has participated and helped make this contest a success and good luck.