The final week of regular season in the USFL and only one team has clinched a playoff spot. The team that is in so-far, well your lucky guess is the Birmingham Stallions, last year’s champions. Final week of the season has 7 teams battling it out for 3 playoff spots. Plus, the Stallions are looking to clinch the number one spot in the South. Could the North division end up with two teams under 500 making the playoffs? We will try to sort it out in our Week Ten USFL Power Rankings. Who do you think will be alive after week ten? Your guess is probably as good as mine.

WEEK TEN POWER RANKINGS

#1. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (7-2) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

What can you say? The USFL has the Stallions, then the rest of the league is tier two and further beyond. The Stallions are the first team to clinch a playoff spot as they stepped on the throats of the Gamblers in the 4th quarter to put them away. The Stallions get revenge on the Gamblers for tagging them with one of their two losses earlier in the season. The Stallions are not out of the woodshed yet, as they face the Showboats who they murdered in the first game. Stallions want the number one seed in the South as the Breakers are one game behind them. Plus, the Showboats’ Todd Haley had words with Skip Holtz after the authorities put the chalk lines on the Memphis players sprawled all over the field in the first meeting of the year (a 42-2 slaughtering.)

The Stallions, despite key injuries, are playing very well and could repeat as champions. You can make an argument that the Stallions quarterback, Alex McGough, could be the best QB in the USFL. We know the Stallions have the best tight end in the league with Jace Sternberger. He leads the USFL in touchdown catches with six as McGough hooked up with him last weekend versus Houston.

This season, Sternberger has 29 catches for 433 yards and those six touchdown passes.

#2. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (6-3) MOVED UP 2 SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

The Breakers are picking the right time to get hot as they won two in a row. The Breakers and the weather were the two storm-fronts that Memphis had to deal with as they blew out the Showboats 31-3 last week. This game was pretty much over by the end of the first quarter. The Breakers defense put on a clinic. Breakers defensive lineman, Keonte Schad, had two sacks.

The Breakers had 3 interceptions off Cole Kelly as Vontae Diggs ran one back. Jerod Fernandez had a monster day with ten tackles.

Can the Breakers beat the Gamblers in the final game of the season? The Breakers control their own destiny to make the playoffs for the second year in a row with a win. Breakers started the season red hot and hit a speed bump in the middle of the campaign. They could head to post-season on fire with a win over the Gamblers.

#3. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (5-4) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Looks like good trumps over evil as Todd Haley’s deal with the devil comes to an end. Memphis and Haley go up in flames on a stormy day as the Breakers were the storm blitzkrieging the Showboats, 31-3. It ends the Showboats’ 5 game winning streak. Cole Kelly had his worst day behind center for the Showboats with 3 interceptions as the Breakers defense was all over him the entire game and inside the rookie’s head.

One of Kelly’s interceptions was a pick six. In the final regular season game. it does not get easier for the Showboats as they have a rematch versus the Stallions and we remember what happened last time. The Showboats scored two points, the Stallions had over 40 points, and Todd Haley was making threats after the game to Birmingham’s head coach, Skip Holtz.

#4. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (5-4) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Gamblers knew they would have to play their best game of the year last week with a rematch versus the Stallions. Gamblers did beat the Stallions in the first game of the season. The wild horses put a beat-down on this Houston team that has struggled lately, 38-15. The score is misleading as the Gamblers were battling the Stallions and at one point it was 17-15 Birmingham in the 4th quarter. Then the wheels fell off the Gambler offensive machine.

The Gamblers were beaten by the Stallions like a red-headed step child. The Gamblers offensive machine was not operating on all cylinders as they relied on 5 field goals for the 15 points they produced on the score board.

Nick Vogel had a perfect day at the office, making all 5 field goals and producing all of the Gamblers’ points. The Gamblers need to beat the Breakers this weekend and need the Stallions to sink the Showboats to get the number two spot in the south division.

#5. NEW JERSEY GENERALS (3-6) MOVED UP THREE SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

You can never count out a Mike Riley coached team, especially when it comes to Spring football leagues. The Generals won the North last year and made it to post-season only to get knocked out by the Stars. The Stars had a chance to terminate the Generals last week and kill their playoff hopes. The Generals are alive and well and have a chance to get back to post-season. They scored the most points of the season and get a desperate win they needed. De’Andre Johnson returned from his injury behind center as he completed 75% of his passes going 15-20 for 213 yards. It was the bowling ball at running back that carried the load for the Generals, as Darius Victor had two rushing touchdowns with 51 yards on the ground.

Victor also had a touchdown pass and caught a ball for 12 yards. The Generals defense scooped up three fumbles. The Stars made a comeback, but the Generals would escape with a victory to keep them alive as they play the Maulers this weekend, and with a win they are in.

#6. PHILADELPHIA STARS (4-5) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Suddenly the Stars are falling from the skies once again this season as they dropped two in a row. The Stars could have locked down a playoff spot last week facing a Generals team that were a DOA on arrival.

FUMBLE, FUMBLA, FUMBLINA!

The Stars could not hold on to the rock as they coughed up the ball three times and dug themselves a gigantic hole, down 37-16 at one point. The Stars defense relys on turnovers, and if they don’t get them, they are the worst unit in the USFL. Case Cookus of the Stars, besides the one fumble, had a great game with three touchdown passes.

The Stars got one of the dangerous return men in the league, Terry Wright, involved in the offense. He had a 26 yard touchdown reception as the Stars came back and made it a game but fell short. The Stars face the Panthers in the final week of regular season. A win gets them in the playoffs and they may be the only team with a 500 record in the division if they beat Michigan. If Stars lose two teams from the North division, they will make the playoffs with losing records.

#7. PITTSBURGH MAULERS (3-6) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

I have the Maulers in the same spot because they only beat the kittens from Michigan for the second time of the year, and that’s who two of their victories have come from. The win gives the Maulers a chance still to make post-season as they have a big game versus the Generals in week ten. A win should catapult this team into post-season.

The Maulers defense plays like the old 1980’s game of Crossbones and Catapults where they blow up the opposing team’s offensive line, viking-style. The Maulers picked off Josh Love 4 times last week.

Kyahva Tezino gets defensive player of the week for his performance versus the Panthers. Tezino had two of the 4 team interceptions with 7 tackles and 3 passes defended. The Mauler defense is filled with these types of guys that scrap, and play Chicago Bears 1985 style defense getting it done. The Mauler defense in the playoffs would be awesome and I know they would be getting there under a 500 record, but they are fun to watch.

#8. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (3-6) DROPPED TWO SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

The Panthers, since starting 2-0 out of the gates, have lost 6 out their last seven games and they still have a chance to sneak into the playoffs in the final week of regular season. The Panthers would have to actually win a home game in front of their own fans, which they have not done all season. Last week, the Maulers completed a two game sweep over the Panthers. Another bad performance by Josh Love in which tipped passes became interceptions for the Maulers defense. Love had 4 interceptions and you would think the Panthers would have been blown out only losing 19-7. Panthers defense always keeps Michigan in these games.

Levi Bell had 9 tackles for the Panthers in the loss with 1.5 sacks. If the Panthers want to get into the post-season, the defense needs to make it happen and hope the offense can generate more than they’ve been giving. Especially versus a Stars team that can score points.