un, NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said in a statement.Its the first ti

LAS VEGAS -- Neither rain nor heat nor an 8 percent administrative fee could keep football contest players from their appointed rounds.The famous Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest drew a record 1,854 entries despite an earlier announcement that it would take 8 percent out of the prize pool to cover costs of running the contest. This is the seventh straight year that the number of entries has increased -- there was a seven-year low of 328 entries in 2009 when the one-name handicapper known as Fezzik won the second of his back-to-back titles. SuperContestants pay $1,500 to enter and make five ATS picks a week on NFL games.Westgate collected $2,781,000 in entry fees, and the prize pool will be $2,558,520 after the takeout with the champion, who wins 35 percent of the prize pool, taking home $895,482. This falls short of last year when there were 1,727 entries for a prize pool of $2,590,500 and a Denver-area man using the alias rounding again won $906,675.The SuperContest pays out to the top 50 finishers, plus the Westgate increased the bonus for exceeding 67 percent winners from $15,000 to $20,000 and offering the same to the winner of its mini-contest over the last three weeks of the season for those that signed up by the early-bird deadline on Labor Day.In the first weekend of the NFL season, 78 SuperContestants went a perfect 5-0 to share the early lead while another 352 went 4-1. On the downside, there were two entrants that failed to put in their plays along with 58 others off to 0-5 starts.Well continue to follow the SuperContest here at ESPN Chalk with weekly updates. Updated standings and weekly selections from all players can be found on Westgates website, and I also follow the action in the forums at my ViewFromVegas.com website.Golden Nugget contest also sees growthThe biggest competition to the SuperContest in Las Vegas is the Friday Football Showdown at the Golden Nugget. Formerly an invitational open to public handicappers and media members, the Golden Nugget opened the field to the public last year, drawing 87 entrants. This year there are 96.There were a lot of people expecting the Friday Football Showdown, which has a higher price-point at $2,000, to have a bigger increase as it still pays back 100 percent of entry fees to players, but not enough people made the switch. The Nugget contest also allows players to pick NFL over/unders as well as NCAA sides and totals in making seven picks a week.This contest has a unique format in which everyone picks games over the first eight weeks with the top seven records advancing to the playoffs -- and then a wild-card chase in Weeks 9 and 10 for the eighth and final berth -- that are held in head-to-head matches on The Las Vegas Sportsline radio show on Fridays on ESPN AM 1100. Updated standings and players selections (as well as the complete rules) can be found on the Golden Nugget website.On the opening weekend, four players -- Jenny Butler, Doc Holliday, Bryan Leonard and Hells Kitchen -- went a perfect 7-0, with another four -- DSHOT702, DMILL, RoughRider39 and Mucked Nuts -- going 6-0-1.College Pick Em draws 162 in redux at William HillWe had a two-year hiatus from having a college-only ATS contest in Las Vegas, but William Hill revived its College Pick Em contest with a $500 entry fee and drew 162 entrants.Players make seven picks against the spread each week for 10 weeks starting with the Week 2 games (they dont use the first week of NCAA games to garner people who are entering contests in the week leading up to NFL Week 1). William Hill had guaranteed a prize pool of $25,000, but with the 162 entries it now has a pool of $81,000 with $56,700 (70 percent) going to the eventual champion.In the opening week, two contestants went 7-0 with another eight at 6-1. College Pick Em doesnt have players use aliases, and instead just lists the standings with players entry numbers. The standings and complete rules can be found on the William Hill US website.Note: There is a second college-only ATS contest in Las Vegas. Its a free roll at the Wildfire Gaming casinos, where players pick 10 NCAA games each week against the contest spread and play for $500 in weekly prizes. The season-long champion wins a trip for two to the 2017 Rose Bowl (or $1,500 in cash).Jamaal Wilkes Jersey . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Derek Fisher Lakers Jersey . The Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers all won on Sunday meaning the Rangers will host the Rays in a play-in game on Monday. http://www.lakersteamofficial.com/Vlade-Divac-Lakers-Jersey/ . The All-Pro lineman got the leg bent under him while trying to make a tackle during the first half of a 22-20 overtime loss at Miami on Thursday night. The medical staff initially thought hed torn the ligament, and the test a day later in Cincinnati confirmed it. LeBron James Lakers Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Elgin Baylor Lakers Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room.LONDON -- The Jaguars, Dolphins, Browns and Rams will be the home teams for next seasons NFL games in London.The Baltimore Ravens will play Jacksonville in either Week 3 or 4 of the 2017 schedule. That game will be at Wembley Stadium, as will the New Orleans Saints vs. Miami, again in one of those weeks.Cleveland will host the Minnesota Vikings at Twickenham, where the NFL first played this year, in Week 7 or 8. The Arizona Cardinals take on Los Angeles at Twickenham in one of those weeks as well.Having one of the most famous fan groups in the NFL, Clevelands Dawg Pound, sharing Twickenham with our U.K. fans is going to be a lot of fun, NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said in a statement.Its the first time the league will play four games in London. Game times have not beeen finalized.ddddddddddddArizona, Baltimore and Cleveland will play regular-season games for the first time in London, bringing the total to 26 different teams since the NFL started playing in the British capital in 2007. It will be the fourth match there for the Dolphins, second for the Saints and the fifth for the Jaguars, who have played annually in London since 2013.The NFL has played 17 regular-season games in London, starting with the New York Giants beating the Dolphins 13-10 in October 2007. Fifteen of those games have drawn more than 80,000 fans to Wembley Stadium.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '