Play the underdogs. Fund the ones nobody picked.

Special Teams is a season-long SEC football contest built around the 2026 college football season (September 3 – December 5). For $20, you draft a stable of seven SEC teams, score points every Saturday from Labor Day weekend through the SEC Championship Game, and compete on a live leaderboard — while supporting the Humane Society of Pulaski County with every entry.

The twist: teams picked to finish last score double. Everyone knows who the best team in the conference is. Nobody knows which cellar team is about to win nine games. That's the whole contest.

How the $20 breaks down: $5 goes to the Humane Society of Pulaski County. $5 covers contest costs. $10 goes into the prize pool. When you draft, you set a slider pledging how much of your winnings goes back to the shelter if you win. Winner takes the pool. Last place gets $15 back.

How to enter: Pay your $20 entry here on Givebutter. You'll get a join code by email that gets you into the contest at specialteams.contestsforacause.org. Draft your stable before Thursday, September 3 at 6:00 PM CDT and you're in.

The cause: The Humane Society of Pulaski County has been running a private, no-kill shelter in Little Rock since 1946, funded entirely by donations with no city, county, or state money. They're the only four-star rated animal welfare charity in Arkansas. About 200 animals are under their roof at any time, and roughly half of those are in the care of in-house veterinary staff until they're well enough to be adopted. Your $5 goes toward that. And if the winner gives back their prize, it goes a lot further.

Why football, and why this name: Special teams is the third phase — punt coverage, kickoff return, the units nobody watches and everybody needs, staffed by walk-ons doing thankless work. Every Saturday, millions of people watch the quarterback. Almost nobody watches the punt team. Meanwhile someone is at the shelter at six in the morning on a Tuesday, cleaning kennels, and nobody watches that either.

That's what this contest is for.

$20 to enter. $5 per entry to the Humane Society of Pulaski County. Draft deadline: Thursday, September 3, 6:00 PM CDT.

Special Teams is part of Contests for a Cause — a series of charity-linked fantasy sports contests with no ads, no betting, and no commercial agenda.

Entries are collected by Contests for a Cause and are not tax-deductible. The charity share is remitted after the season.

Special Teams is an independent fantasy contest and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Southeastern Conference, the College Football Playoff, or any member institution, sponsor, team, or player. "SEC" and "Southeastern Conference" are registered trademarks of the Southeastern Conference. All rights reserved by their respective owners.

Special Teams — SEC Football 2026

Fourteen Saturdays for the animals and those who care for them