With the playoffs just a few weeks away, we take a look at where each team stands in the week eight USFL power rankings.
The USFL season has been intriguing and unpredictable. League-wide parity is high. Five of the league's eight teams are within a game of .500. The season is poised for an exciting finish.
USFL teams play a total of ten games and four teams make the playoffs. The playoffs are set to begin on Saturday, June 24 with the season culminating in the championship game, set to be held Saturday, July 1.
Here's how the best teams in the USFL stack up right now:
8. Pittsburgh Maulers
Record: 2-5
Week 7: 37-31 loss to Philadelphia Stars
Week 8: Saturday noon ET vs. Houston Gamblers
Head coach Ray Horton faced an uphill battle attempting to turn around the Maulers after they finished 1-9 in 2022. One thing is clear, though, he has had success.
What their 2-5 record doesn't reflect is that the former NFL defensive coordinator is leading Pittsburgh to boast the best defense in the USFL this season. The Maulers' defense sits fourth in points against and first in yards against and is led by the most talented player in the league — Reuben Foster.
The Maulers' struggles have come on the offensive side of the ball. Troy Williams does seem to be finding his stride as the team's starting quarterback and is a big upgrade from the last year's quarterback Vad Lee and this year's early starter James Morgan.
However, overall the team's offensive play has just been inconsistent. In week seven, they put up 31 points in a loss. The week prior, they didn't notch a single point.
The Maulers get a favorable, winnable matchup in week eight, but it remains to be seen whether their offense can string together two good outings in a row.
7. Michigan Panthers
Record: 3-4
Week 7: 25-22 win over New Jersey Generals
Week 8: Sunday 4 PM ET @ New Orleans Breakers
The Panthers finally got a win last week after four straight losses. Quarterback Josh Love has struggled throughout this season but two passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to Joe Walker, helped seal the winning effort last week.
Michigan sits in second place in the USFL's north division despite its challenges, but the team still has a lot to prove. They'll get a chance to do so against the New Orleans Breakers this week.
Michigan's primary strengths come in their defensive front, anchored by edge rusher Breeland Speaks, who leads the USFL with 7 sacks on the season, as well as a solid run game led by the running back tandem of Reggie Corbin and Stevie Scott.
If the Panthers can demonstrate an ability to slow the Breakers' high-octane offense in week eight, it could not only salvage their playoff hopes but demonstrate their potential to contend. However, Michigan is three week-seven points away from being on a five-game losing streak and remains a longshot contender at this time.
6. New Jersey Generals
Record: 2-5
Week 7: 25-22 loss to Michigan Panthers
Week 8: Sunday 1 PM ET vs. Memphis Showboats
The Generals are just a few points away from a much better 2023 record. After winning two of their first three games of the season, New Jersey is on a four-game losing streak. Each of the losses has been by a margin of less than 7 points (three were lost by just a field goal).
New Jersey has used two quarterbacks this season — De'Andre Johnson and Kyle Lauletta. A scary injury in week seven has put Johnson's status in doubt.
Sunday's matchup pits arguably the coldest and hottest teams in the USFL against each other, as Memphis enters the matchup with four straight wins behind them. Memphis has a stout, ball-hawking defense and a strong run game which may be tough for New Jersey to overcome, especially if playmaker De'Andre Johnson misses the game.
5. Philadelphia Stars
Record: 4-3
Week 7: 37-31 win over Pittsburgh Maulers
Week 8: Saturday 3 PM ET @ Birmingham Stallions
The Philadelphia Stars narrowly lost the 2022 USFL championship game 33-30 to the Birmingham Stallions last year. This week, they will have their first chance to compete against the team that ended their season without a championship last year.
Philadelphia's 2023 campaign has been somewhat turbulent, as the offense struggled in the early part of the season, and the team bottomed out after suffering a routing in early May to the Houston Gamblers. However, the team's play has picked up recently; Philadelphia will enter week eight on a string of three straight victories, although two of the wins were against 2-5 opponents.
The Stars' pass defense has been stellar, but they're allowing the most rushing yards per game in the USFL. It should be interesting to see how that translates to trying to stop Birmingham's Alex McGough and CJ Marable in week eight.
4. Houston Gamblers
Record: 4-3
Week 7: 23-20 loss to Memphis Showboats
Week 8: Saturday noon ET @ Pittsburgh Maulers
The Gamblers are on the doorstep of contention but haven't crossed over yet. After suffering losses in their first two games, Houston won four games in a row. Their win streak ended last week after a narrow defeat in their game against Memphis.
Houston has talented playmakers on both sides of the ball, which have helped to propel the team's success.
Specifically on offense, Mark Thompson is the best pure rusher in the USFL this season. Thompson leads the league in rushing yards per game and leads the league in rushing touchdowns despite having missed the first two games of the season due to injury. Receiver Justin Hall has also demonstrated considerable playmaking with the football in his hands and sits fourth in the league in receiving yards per game.
Where Houston has suffered the most is with respect to turning the ball over. The Gamblers are last in the league in turnover differential. While quarterback Kenji Bahar has helped lead what is one of the league's most fluid offenses, he also leads the league in interceptions.
Houston will face the league's best rushing defense this week, so Bahar will be the x-factor in the team's week-eight matchup and it'll be interesting to see how he responds to the added burden.
3. Memphis Showboats
Record: 4-3
Most Recent Game: 23-20 win over Houston Gamblers
Week 8: Sunday 1 PM @ New Jersey Generals
The Todd Haley-led Memphis Showboats are the hottest team in the USFL right now, having won their last four games after an 0-3 start to the season.
Cole Kelley took over the quarterbacking duties for the Showboats from Brady White in week three. Kelley seems to have elevated the offense in his starts so far. The Showboats also rely heavily on their running game, led by 2019 seventh-round NFL Draft pick Kerrith Whyte.
The biggest contributor to the Showboats' recent success, however, has been the defense, which has played incredibly well the last few weeks. The defense is allowing only 252.8 yards and 10 points per game over the team's four-game winning streak. Moreover, they have played opportunistically, forcing 3 turnovers per game on average over this span.
If the saying "defense wins championships" is true, the Memphis Showboats seem to be on the right track.
2. New Orleans Breakers
Record: 4-3
Last Week: 24-20 loss to Birmingham Stallions
Week 8: Sunday 4 PM vs Michigan Panthers
New Orleans has had something rare in the USFL this season: success on both sides of the football. The Breakers are the most well-rounded team in the league.
Head coach John DeFilippo's offensive unit leads the league in yards per game this season with nearly a thirty-yard-per-game margin on the league's second-best offense (Birmingham Stallions). Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who has prior experience both in the NFL and the CFL, leads the league in passing yards, averaging nearly 255.9 per game, and Breakers running back Wes Hills leads the league in rushing yards with 577 on the season.
The New Orleans defense has also fared well, as the Breakers rank third in points allowed, third in yards allowed, and second in defensive interceptions.
Overall, the Breakers are a strong team with lots of talent and excellent output on both sides of the football. However, they have lost three straight games, two of which were against Memphis and Birmingham. It remains to be seen whether their success can be sustained against the highest levels of competition in the USFL.
1. Birmingham Stallions
Record: 5-2
Last Week: 24-20 win over New Orleans Breakers
Week 8: Saturday 3 PM vs. Philadelphia Stars
After winning the championship in 2022, the Birmingham Stallions are the best team in the USFL again. Birmingham currently sits alone atop the standings, with a 5-2 record.
This team is not flawless and it likely is not as good as it was last year when head coach Skip Holtz led the team to a 9-1 regular season record, en route to a championship. However, quarterback play covers many flaws, especially in a league where quarterback play is especially volatile.
Stallions quarterback Alex McGough took over for Stallions' starter J'Mar Smith after Smith suffered a season-ending injury in week one. Now, McGough stands alone as the best quarterback in the USFL by a significant margin.
McGough has the highest QBR of any starting quarterback in the USFL. Also, he has demonstrated an ability to make plays with his feet. He's averaging 57 rushing yards per game over the last four weeks and has added 3 rushing touchdowns over that span.
By any objective observer, the Birmingham Stallions should be considered the favorite to win it all heading into week eight.
