Forget March Madness: This college basketball bracket comes with a $1 million prize

Millions of people fill out brackets every March for the NCAA Tournament. But what about an early-season version with a chance to win $1 million?That’s what’s up for grabs at the Players Era festival. USA TODAY Sports exclusively reports the tournament is giving college basketball fans a shot at a massive payday by filling out a perfect bracket in its “Players Era Million Dollar Bracket Bonanza.”The 24-team tournament is split into two fields, with the Players Era 8 taking place Nov. 17-19 and the Players Era 16 running Nov. 24-28. In the $1 million challenge, anyone who correctly picks all 37 games will win a share of the prize if there are multiple perfect brackets. If there is only one perfect bracket, that person will claim the entire $1 million.Even without a perfect bracket, there are prizes for participants who finish first, second and third in the contest.The deadline to submit picks is before each tournament tips off.There is also a separate challenge involving the Players Era 16. Pick all 25 games correctly and win up to $250,000.Players Era has quickly become arguably the premier MTE (multi-team event) in college basketball, growing rapidly in just three years. The 2026 edition features its largest field yet, with the event shifting to bracket play and ultimately crowning a champion.Half of the 24-team field is ranked in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll: No. 1 Florida, No. 8 Houston, No. 9 Louisville, No. 10 Louisville, No. 12 Gonzaga, No. 13 St. John’s, No. 14 Kansas, No. 16 Alabama, No. 17 Texas Tech, No. 18 Miami, No. 21 Michigan and No. 23 Iowa State.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forget March Madness: This college basketball bracket comes with a $1 million prize