What a difference a week makes.
Last week, the USFL Conference felt wide open. This week there’s a much different feel.
Two teams from the conference will make the playoffs.
The winner feels very much in doubt. But the two playoff teams feel a lot more settled than last week.
USFL Standings
The Memphis Showboats are the only team officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The Birmingham Stallions and Michigan Panthers have the inside track over Houston.
The Houston Roughnecks are two games behind with only three to play. They aren’t out of the race, but their margin of error is slim.
Houston Roughnecks
Here are the Roughnecks’ remaining games.
- Michigan Panthers
- DC Defenders
- Michigan Panthers
The bad news is that all three games come against opponents with a 5–2 record.
The good news is that they play Michigan twice.
If they can find a way to beat the Panthers twice, they can erase their two-game deficit. A loss to the Panthers ends their postseason hopes.
Michigan Panthers
The Panthers’ remaining games:
- Houston Roughnecks
- Birmingham Stallions
- Houston Roughecks
The bad news is that even though they have looked amazing all year, they could still miss the playoffs. Two losses to the Roughnecks would make it hard to qualify for the playoffs.
The good news is that one win over the 3–4 Roughneck is enough to get them to the postseason.
Birmingham Stallions
The Stallions’ remaining games:
- St. Louis Battlehawks
- Michigan Panthers
- Memphis Showboats
The bad news is that they have a tough schedule. They play two teams that are 5–2 and one team that’s already beaten them this season.
The good news is that since they beat the Roughnecks twice, they hold the tiebreaker over them. That means one win is enough to get them to the playoffs.
Of course, simply getting to the playoffs isn’t the goal. They would like to finish the regular season strong and enter the playoffs with momentum.
Week 8
There are many different ways week 8 can play out. Some potential scenarios are more interesting than others.
Least interesting
- Panthers beat Roughnecks
- Battlehawks beat Stallions
This scenario is the least interesting in my mind.
The Roughnecks would be essentially eliminated, and a lot of the fun would be taken out of the Stallions vs Panthers week 9 matchup.
Medium interest
- Panthers beat Roughnecks
- Stallions beat Battlehawks
This scenario would still leave the Roughnecks essentially eliminated from the playoff race.
However, it would make the Panthers vs Stallions rematch bigger. Both teams would be fighting for first place.
Most interesting
- Roughnecks beat Panthers
- Battlehawks beat Stallions
From a casual fan’s perspective, this scenario would be the most fun.
I would leave 3 teams fighting for 2 playoff spots with 2 weeks left.
It would also make the Panthers vs Stallions game even bigger. The winner would still probably win the USFL Conference. But, in this scenario, the loser would be fighting for their playoff life in week 10.
