What is the USFL?
One of the most exciting developments to happen in American football in 2022 was without question the inaugural season of the United States Football League.
Although some of you might be familiar with the USFL that operated for three seasons during the mid-1980s, the 2022 USFL is an entirely distinct organization with no direct associations with that older entity.
For even the most die-hard American football fans, however, the sudden arrival of the USFL on the scene in 2022 might have come as a surprise. Despite current president of the USFL Brian Woods’ best efforts, there are still many hardened American football fans out there who know little about the league.
In this short article, we will give you a quick primer on what the USFL is and what it represents for football fans across the country. Who knows, once you have read this article and established this knowledge, you might be better prepared to make some USFL Championship winner predictions!
What is the USFL?
The USFL stands for the ‘United States Football League’. For some of you, this name will sound very familar. This is because there were a number of previous attempts to establish a new league under the USFL name. These previous attempts took place in 1945, the 1980s and 2010.
However, this most recent iteration of the USFL is organizationally distinct from these previous attempts, and is connected to an announcement made in June 2021 that the USFL would make a return the following year. Interestingly, Fox Sports was also announced as a minority owner in the League.
From there, negotiations advanced at a serious pace. Before long, not only had they decided on a location to hold the inaugural season and to base the League out of — Birmingham, Alabama — but they had also announced a president and settled on a date for the first player selection meeting.
USFL: League format
Unlike the NFL, which consists of 32 teams divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC), the USFL is markedly smaller. It currently consists of eight teams that are split into a North and South Division.
Each of these teams will play a 10-game schedule during the season, with all teams in the same division playing each other twice and the teams in the other division once. From there, the top two teams in the North and South Divisions will face off in semi-finals.
Winners of the semi-final games will play against each other in the USFL Championship game.
The USFL regular season begins in mid-April and runs through to mid-June. The playoffs will all be wrapped up by early July.
Who are the USFL teams?
As mentioned, the USFL will consist of eight teams. Currently, the teams competing in the inaugural USFL Championship are:
· Michigan Panthers
· New Jersey Generals
· Philadelphia Stars
· Pittsburgh Maulers
· Birmingham Stallions
· Houston Gamblers
· New Orleans Breakers
· Tampa Bay Bandits
USFL vs NFL: Major differences?
In addition to the league format and the teams themselves, the USFL will also have a number of features that distinguish it from the NFL.
Perhaps most notably, the USFL has tweaked a few rules with the aim of making it a more offensive game, encouraging big power plays and improving in-game flow. It is hoped that this will make USFL games a lot more exciting and spectacular compared to NFL games, which play a more traditional style of football. The League has also made a number of tweaks to promote player safety.
These rule changes include things like the potential for 3-point conversions after touchdowns, onside kicks and overtime changes, and the possibility for an offensive player to complete two forward passes on single plays, among others.
Will the USFL compete with the NFL?
The most obvious question that all football fans want an answer to is whether or not it will be able to compete with the NFL — particularly given the various other attempts to establish rival leagues that have been made in the past.
Ultimately, it is too early to tell. While viewing figures for the inaugural season have been positive — particularly due to the support of Fox Sports — this can only tell us so much about its longer-term prospects.
Perhaps one of the most important things the USFL has going for it, is that it isn’t necessarily in direct competition with the NFL. This is because the USFL season runs while the NFL is wrapped up for the year. As such, it is entirely possible that the USFL could attract a significant number of fans who are hungry for football in the NFL’s offseason.
When you combine this with the more exciting style of football the USFL is trying to create, we see the beginnings of a recipe for success!
