While no team in the United States Football League (USFL) has yet punched a ticket for the postseason, this weekend’s games will certainly impact who eventually travels to Canton, Ohio, for the new league’s inaugural playoffs.
The New Jersey Generals could be first to clinch a playoff berth – either a Week 7 win against the Tampa Bay Bandits on Saturday (11:00 am CT on USA), or weekend losses by both the Michigan Panthers and Pittsburgh Maulers, will earn Coach Mike Riley’s team a trip to Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Birmingham Stallions and Coach Skip Holtz also have a playoff-clinching scenario if they beat the Maulers on Sunday (1:00 pm CT on FOX) and if the Bandits lose to the Generals.
All eight USFL teams – New Jersey Generals (5-1), Philadelphia Stars (3-3), Michigan Panthers (1-5), and Pittsburgh Maulers (1-5) in the North Division, and Birmingham Stallions (6-0), New Orleans Breakers (4-2), Tampa Bay Bandits (3-3), and Houston Gamblers (1-5) in the South Division – are still in playoff contention on the road to Canton with four weeks remaining in the regular season. The inaugural USFL playoffs will begin Saturday, June 25, as the top two teams in each division face each other in the league’s semifinals. The final two teams will play in the USFL Championship Game on Sunday, July 3. Tickets for the USFL Playoffs and Championship Games in Canton are on sale through Ticketmaster at United States Football League (USFL) (hofvillage.com).
USFL TIEBREAKERS
If, at the end of the 10-week regular season, two or more teams in the same division finish with identical won-lost records, the following tiebreakers will be used to determine playoff berths:
Head-to-head
Best won-lost percentage in games played within the division
Strength of victory (aggregate won-lost percentage of teams defeated)
Best net points in all games
Best net touchdowns in all games
Coin toss
The USFL is making Sunday Military Appreciation Day, honoring our military at the Birmingham Stallions vs Pittsburgh Maulers game on Sunday at 1 PM at Protective Stadium.
Free hats for active military and veterans, when ID is shown (limited quantity). Come early for the Stallions Strut at 10:50 AM at the South Gate of Protective Stadium. Free face painting and kids’ inflatables before the game. And don’t forget that kids are allowed on the field for a portion of warm-ups before each game, ending with the chance to high-five the home team players going back to the locker room.
Saturday, May 28 at 11 AM
New Jersey Generals vs Tampa Bay Bandits
Saturday, May 28 at 8 PM
New Orleans Breakers vs Michigan Panthers
Sunday, May 28 at 1 PM
Birmingham Stallions vs Pittsburgh Maulers
Sunday, May 28 at 5 PM
Philadelphia Stars vs Houston Gamblers
