The last two weeks of the UFL season will contain no suspense.
We already know the exact details about the first round of the playoffs. We know:
- Who will play who
- What time they will play
- Where they will play
Despite the UFL’s announcement, we don’t know who will finish first and second in either conference. We just know who will host the playoff games.
Sound complicated?
It’s not complicated at all, just good old-fashioned mismanagement.
USFL Conference
Despite currently being in 2nd place, the Birmingham Stallions will host the USFL Conference Championship game.
The game will take place at Protective Stadium in Birmingham on Sunday, June 8.
Ford Field, the home of the Panthers, isn’t available to host the game due to a previously scheduled event.
This week’s matchup between the Stallions and Panthers is huge on paper. The winner will likely finish first in the USFL Conference regular season standings. In reality, the game’s outcome doesn’t change anything meaningful.
XFL Conference
Despite DC and St. Louis currently being tied, the XFL Conference Game will take place in St. Louis.
The game will take place at The Dome at America’s Center on Sunday, June 8.
Audi Field, the home of the Defenders, is unable to host the game due to a previously scheduled event.
The Defenders and Battlehawks face off in week 10. That game will determine the regular season winner of the XFL Conference. However, that title means nothing since the teams will rematch for the real Conference title in St. Louis a week later.
This was avoidable
I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers. To be honest, I have no idea what I would do if I were in charge of the UFL.
All I know is that UFL fans deserve better.
The league acknowledged that they were aware of this potential situation when they made the schedule. That means they had months to come up with a solution and failed miserably.
The league will now have to sell fans on watching two weeks of football that hold the same level of importance as preseason games.
Why you should still watch
I know, I’m being negative, but it’s not all bad.
I’ll still be tuning into weeks 9 and 10.
Here’s why.
It’s a good level of football
The UFL has plenty of NFL-level talent all over the field. The on-field product has been improving every week.
“Meaningless” games can be exciting
Last week’s game between the Memphis Showboats and San Antonio Brahmas was meaningless on paper. Both teams were already eliminated from the playoffs.
You could never tell by watching the play on the field. It turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the entire season.
It was just the second overtime game in UFL history. Fun fact, the Showboats’ 2 wins were also the only overtime wins in league history.
The players have NFL dreams
Most guys in this league are trying to work their way into or back to the NFL. That means they don’t need the standings to play hard.
Talented players playing hard is a recipe for fun football games.
No team is perfect
If you’re a fan of one of the playoff teams, your team has room to improve. The gap between the top four teams is small. It feels like any one of them can win it all.
These next two weeks will be a great chance for your favorite team to shore up any holes they have before the postseason.
1 Comment
by Shimmy
This is the best reason to expand the playoffs, top two from each conference, then the next 2 best records, total of six( CFL has 9 teams six make the playoffs)