You do not need eight friends ready on day one.
Private leagues are the main event, but public tables let somebody learn the game and play a real season without becoming commissioner first.
Pick the football room you want
NFL and college football run as separate games with their own boards, drafts, schedules, and standings. Public tables show the sport, room description, seat count, draft time, and pick clock before you join.
Some rooms are broad. Some are built for Rams fans, the SEC, the Big Ten, or people who keep a museum of bad beats.
The draft does not need to stall
A public room can fill with people up to the scheduled draft. If the room allows it, AI can take empty seats when the draft begins so the humans who showed up still get a full board.
AI never pretends to be a real invitee. The lobby shows who has claimed a seat and the commissioner controls the policy.
Use it as the first rep
A public season is a good way to understand market marks, weekly cards, and trades before you run a room for friends.
Once you know the game, create the private league and send the link to the people whose football takes you actually want on record.
Create an account and run the tutorial.
Then start a private league, use a friend's invite, or grab a seat at a public table.