🏈 The United Football League (UFL) 2024 Thread 🏈

[nutildah]

• Houston Roughnecks   0–3   

Anyone else's brain always make this team the Rednecks?

Well they are in Houston. That probably biases your brain.

Still weird to me that they would decide to leave out, oh, just the entire Rocky Mountains and west coast from the league. Maybe it makes it easier on their travel budget. Maybe they'll increase the number of teams next year? I suppose this is just the trial year to see if they can make money at all.

[nutildah]

We had 3 games yesterday (winners in bold):

Memphis Showboats vs. St. Louis Battlehawks (17-32)
DC Defenders vs. Birmingham Stallions (18-20) -- Stallions move to 4-0, best record in the league
Michigan Panthers vs. San Antonio Brahmas (9-19)

Tomorrow's game:

Arlington Renegades vs. Houston Roughnecks (2:00 pm EST)

I think the 3 options for the PAT make the games a little more exciting as it adds in a new element of strategy not possible in the NFL. Games can suddenly become a lot closer, leads can change more quickly, and what seem like easy wins can easily be blown by going for the additional point(s). Gonna make an attempt to watch a full game for the first time tomorrow.

[Hueristic]

I think the 3 options for the PAT make the games a little more exciting as it adds in a new element of strategy not possible in the NFL. Games can suddenly become a lot closer, leads can change more quickly, and what seem like easy wins can easily be blown by going for the additional point(s). Gonna make an attempt to watch a full game for the first time tomorrow.

4th and 12 adds a real chance to come from behind!

[nutildah]

The inaugural UFL season is now halfway over (minus 2 games to be played today):



I watched a good chunk of the Birmingham Stallions (5-0) vs. Houston Roughnecks (1-4) game today, and its clear that the Stallions are a cut above the other 7 teams. If there's action to be taken on any of the sportsbooks for who will win this year's championships game, its them. They are simply far better on both sides of the ball than all the other teams. Their QB, Matt Corral, was drafted 2022 3rd round by the Carolina Panthers, but suffered a leg injury in a preseason game, missed the entire season, and was cut the following year.

Wouldn't be surprised to see this guy return to the NFL next year -- he seems like the most likely contender among players whose returns are unknown.

[nutildah]

3 games to go in the regular season, and 3 teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention -- that's nearly half the league, lol.



Attendance has been relatively poor at most games, with the average attendance being around 10k-11k. Just look how empty the ends are:



For whatever reason, the St. Louis Battlehawks have the most fans. In Week 2, they had a home game with over 40k in the stands -- the highest for any game in the league. They play at The Dome, where the Rams initially played when they made the move from L.A. in 1995. So 40k is about 2/3 of the stadium's total capacity.

Hard to tell whether or not they will keep the league going for next year. Doesn't seem to be any more interest in it than there was for the XFL or USFL. Wonder if they are making money or not.

[South Park]

snip

Hard to tell whether or not they will keep the league going for next year. Doesn't seem to be any more interest in it than there was for the XFL or USFL. Wonder if they are making money or not.

I hope the UFL comes back but the higher ups really need to make some changes when it comes to its schedule, even for highly motivated fans like us, it is very difficult to watch the games, the NFL can get away with their fans requiring several subscriptions to watch the games because it is the NFL, but the UFL cannot do this, also it is ridiculous how the UFL is incapable to repeat the same schedule from one week to the next, which has made me to miss many games, and so far with the season already ending I have been only able to watch three of them.

[nutildah]

I hope the UFL comes back but the higher ups really need to make some changes when it comes to its schedule, even for highly motivated fans like us, it is very difficult to watch the games, the NFL can get away with their fans requiring several subscriptions to watch the games because it is the NFL, but the UFL cannot do this, also it is ridiculous how the UFL is incapable to repeat the same schedule from one week to the next, which has made me to miss many games, and so far with the season already ending I have been only able to watch three of them.

Agreed... I haven't been able to watch any games live at all. But they do upload the full games to YouTube sometimes. The other thing that makes it subpar compared to NFL for me is the lack of name recognition... I don't know any of these dudes, at all. They need to bring in failed NFL coulda-beens to spice things up, even as a marketing gimmick. Such as Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel, who is actually playing in the Canadian Football League (they probably pay better is why).

[ChiBitCTy]

I hope the UFL comes back but the higher ups really need to make some changes when it comes to its schedule, even for highly motivated fans like us, it is very difficult to watch the games, the NFL can get away with their fans requiring several subscriptions to watch the games because it is the NFL, but the UFL cannot do this, also it is ridiculous how the UFL is incapable to repeat the same schedule from one week to the next, which has made me to miss many games, and so far with the season already ending I have been only able to watch three of them.

Agreed... I haven't been able to watch any games live at all. But they do upload the full games to YouTube sometimes. The other thing that makes it subpar compared to NFL for me is the lack of name recognition... I don't know any of these dudes, at all. They need to bring in failed NFL coulda-beens to spice things up, even as a marketing gimmick. Such as Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel, who is actually playing in the Canadian Football League (they probably pay better is why).

I couldn't agree more.  I have watched a couple of these games so far, and continue to find the games quite boring.  I've given it an honest to goodness chance.  I literally went though every teams roster and scrolled up and down this hoping to find at least someone who was an x NFL football player or even an x stud college player.  I didn't recognize one singe name.  I am a nut about NFL football, college I loosely watch but I would still think there had to be someone I'd recognize, nope.

Is the CFL still a thing?

[nutildah]

Is the CFL still a thing?

Yes it is, but it partially overlaps with the NFL season, and unless you're in Canada you need an ESPN+ subscription to watch it.

In case anybody cares, we're about 1 week away from the USFL Conference Finals and 2 weeks away from the Championship:



So half the teams in the league make it to the playoffs. The Birmingham Stallions are the clear favorites to win the championship, with a 9 and 1 record.

Here is their YouTube channel where they have extensive highlight clips of each game:

https://www.youtube.com/@theUFL

[ChiBitCTy]

Is the CFL still a thing?

Yes it is, but it partially overlaps with the NFL season, and unless you're in Canada you need an ESPN+ subscription to watch it.

In case anybody cares, we're about 1 week away from the USFL Conference Finals and 2 weeks away from the Championship:



So half the teams in the league make it to the playoffs. The Birmingham Stallions are the clear favorites to win the championship, with a 9 and 1 record.

Here is their YouTube channel where they have extensive highlight clips of each game:

https://www.youtube.com/@theUFL

Ah good to know thanks.  I would like to see the CFL combine with the UFL.  I think for there to be any way for any of these leagues to be remotely entertaining, they all need to join forces.  I watched some of the UFL game that was on ESPN yesterday when a buddy of mine stopped by.  We kinda wanted to watch something "neutral" sports related, and that was our only optoin..it got turned off after about a half hour. 

[nutildah]

I would like to see the CFL combine with the UFL.  I think for there to be any way for any of these leagues to be remotely entertaining, they all need to join forces.

That's actually a great idea. CFL has been around since the 50's, but I don't think UFL will survive on its own. CFL has 9 teams (weird, 5 teams in 1 division & 4 in the other; why not just make it 10), so combining with the UFL would make for a total of 17 teams.

I would also start earlier in the year, like the UFL did, just to avoid overlap with NFL season. Surprisingly, there's never been an NFL team in Canada, although there was efforts to bring one to Toronto some years back.

[nutildah]

The first game of the Conference Finals kicked off today, where the Birmingham Stallions (9-1) beat the Michigan Panthers (7-3), 31-18.

Interestingly I learned that UFL players can sign with NFL teams on the Monday after the Championship game, which will be held on June 16.

What's also kind of interesting is the referees are sometimes wearing bodycams, almost like they are cops, and they will occasionally show the footage during close calls. This happened after a RB fumble:



Other than a few things like the extra point(s) options & kickoffs, the UFL looks and feels a lot like the NFL. Was interesting to have something to watch while we wait for our beloved NFL to come back. However, much like fake pot, it just doesn't have the same kick to it.

[Hueristic]

The first game of the Conference Finals kicked off today, where the Birmingham Stallions (9-1) beat the Michigan Panthers (7-3), 31-18.

The third quarter was wild.

[nutildah]

The first game of the Conference Finals kicked off today, where the Birmingham Stallions (9-1) beat the Michigan Panthers (7-3), 31-18.

The third quarter was wild.

Big comeback mounted by the Stallions in the 2nd half, made the game particularly more interesting than usual. Next conference championship match is tomorrow @ 7 pm EST, San Antonio Brahmas vs. St. Louis Battlehawks, on FOX.

[nutildah]

The UFL Championship game just concluded. A shutout by the Birmingham Stallions over the San Antonio Brahmas, 25-0. It is the Stallions' 3rd league championship in a row. It was also the first shutout of the entire season. Tom Brady was down on the field, and it was indeed the most packed stadium of any game this year.

Birmingham was #1 in the league throughout the whole year, so not much of a surprise there.

What day is it... June 17? OK so now we only have about 2 months to go before NFL preseason begins.

[yahoo62278]

The UFL Championship game just concluded. A shutout by the Birmingham Stallions over the San Antonio Brahmas, 25-0. It is the Stallions' 3rd league championship in a row. It was also the first shutout of the entire season. Tom Brady was down on the field, and it was indeed the most packed stadium of any game this year.

Birmingham was #1 in the league throughout the whole year, so not much of a surprise there.

What day is it... June 17? OK so now we only have about 2 months to go before NFL preseason begins.

I cannot believe San Antonio didn't bench their QB earlier. #14 was playing like a pushy. He slid on 3rd and 1 without really ever attempting to get the 1st down, kind of felt like he was throwing the game on purpose. Like he had a bet on it or was threatened.

Aug 1st is preseason football, just a little under 1.5 months LFG!!!

[Hueristic]

The UFL Championship game just concluded. A shutout by the Birmingham Stallions over the San Antonio Brahmas, 25-0. It is the Stallions' 3rd league championship in a row. It was also the first shutout of the entire season. Tom Brady was down on the field, and it was indeed the most packed stadium of any game this year.

Birmingham was #1 in the league throughout the whole year, so not much of a surprise there.

What day is it... June 17? OK so now we only have about 2 months to go before NFL preseason begins.

I cannot believe San Antonio didn't bench their QB earlier. #14 was playing like a pushy. He slid on 3rd and 1 without really ever attempting to get the 1st down, kind of felt like he was throwing the game on purpose. Like he had a bet on it or was threatened.

Aug 1st is preseason football, just a little under 1.5 months LFG!!!

Haha, thats what I was saying!

[nutildah]

This is kind of interesting, 8 UFL players have been signed to the NFL since the conclusion on the league championship game, last Sunday. They are:

Jalen Redmond (DE) - Vikings,
Gareon Conley (CB) - Cowboys
Willie Harvey Jr. (LB) - Cowboys
Liam Fornadel (G) - Patriots
Daewood Davis (WR) - Panthers
Jake Bates (K) - Lions
Kohl Levao (OL) - Jets
Jacob Saylors (RB) - Giants

Not a whole lot, but it goes to show that the UFL is fulfilling its role of acting as a "minor league" for the NFL.

It looks like the league will indeed be back for a 2nd year in 2025.

[Hueristic]

This is kind of interesting, 8 UFL players have been signed to the NFL since the conclusion on the league championship game, last Sunday. They are:

Jalen Redmond (DE) - Vikings,
Gareon Conley (CB) - Cowboys
Willie Harvey Jr. (LB) - Cowboys
Liam Fornadel (G) - Patriots
Daewood Davis (WR) - Panthers
Jake Bates (K) - Lions
Kohl Levao (OL) - Jets
Jacob Saylors (RB) - Giants

Not a whole lot, but it goes to show that the UFL is fulfilling its role of acting as a "minor league" for the NFL.

It looks like the league will indeed be back for a 2nd year in 2025.

I'm surprised Hakeem Butler






and Anthony McFarland Jr.


https://www.foxsports.com/watch/fmc-vd756e1zoks8mqp2



Who apparently played for Steelers but didn't get much play time.

Aren't on that list.

Those two really stood out IMO.