2006 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS WEEK 4

April 18, 2026 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

Have the almighty Birmingham Stallions fallen from their status as spring football royalty? The Gamblers are back to their familiar grounds. The Aviators and Kings look like they are turning things around. The BattleHawks find themselves a new quarterback. The Defenders are looking like they are the defending champions. Let’s hope we have a clearer perspective of the entire league with our newest addition of the UFL Power Rankings. It starts with the best ends with the Gamblers. Enjoy!!!

#1. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-0) Same spot from last week

Did the Renegades feel a kink in their armor as the winless Aviators gave Dallas a sweat late in that contest? The Columbus Aviators comeback came up short as the Renegades experienced their first close game of the season. The Renegades defense gave up 23 points which was a season high. No team has scored 20 points or more versus the Renegades’ solid defense.

The Renegades spring veteran defensive stud Donald Payne Jr. led this Dallas defense with 9 tackles. The Renegades defense did rack up two interceptions on Jalen McClendon, the Aviators quarterback. The offense scored 28 points, but Austin Reed’s numbers in the passing game were down from his first two games when he lit up the skies in the UFL world. Every great team wins a few ugly games or find ways to win the close ones when they are not playing at the highest level. When you get your first kink in the armor, teams may be figuring out what the Renegades are doing. Will their adjustments keep this team’s record perfect?

#2. DC DEFENDERS (2-1) Same spot from last week

Either the Defenders defense are playing like the champions they were last year or the Houston Gamblers’ Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua’s brother, is a complete disaster. The Defenders gave the Gamblers a beat down for their second impressive victory in a row after losing the first game to the BattleHawks.

The Defender defense have their own Boogie Man. In Boogie Basham, the former Buffalo Bills defensive line man. He racked up 4 tackles and a sack in their beat-down win. The Defenders had 4 sacks and racked up 7 tackles for a loss. They Defenders scooped a fumble from Taulia who also threw an interception that turned into a pick six. The Defenders running game once again was the story on offense as they had three backs with one rushing touchdown. The Defenders star quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has really not done well in any of these games this season as he only completed 55.6% of his passes. He threw a touchdown pass and an interception. If Jordan finds his groove, this Defenders team with that defense and running game could easily repeat. Good news for future beer snakes slithering in the stands of Defenders games.

#3. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (2-1) Moved up 1 spot from last week

The BattleHawks made a switch at the quarterback position in mid game that really looked like a disaster for Ricky Proehl and his St. Louis team. With Ricky Proehl as the head coach in St. Louis, we expected the passing game to take off. He benched veteran spring starter Brandon Silvers after he completed 6 passes for 76 yards and an interception after the first half. Silvers is more of a back up QB in this league as he was the last few seasons. In the second half, Proehl unveiled his new guy, Harrison Frost, who looked like he was going to melt away in his first two drives throwing two interceptions.

In the 4th quarter, Frost turned into Sub-Zero with ice in his veins leading a full comeback over the Stallions in a wild one. Frost threw three touchdown passes and BattleHawks tallied 21 point to end the Stallions, 34-30. Frost finished his day completing 9-15, 148 passing yards, & 3 touchdown passes to two interceptions. Maybe the tallest receiver in the UFL, Hakeem Butler, hauled in a 64 yard touchdown strike from Frost. He had 4 catches for 146 receiving yards with that touchdown. Maybe Frost will get Ricky’s passing game off the ground from here on out.

#4. ORLANDO STORM (3-0) Drop 1 spot from last week

The Storm are 3-0 and I have them dropping one spot from last week. The Storm beat Louisville in overtime which was because of two penalties by the Kings defense in the extra period which gave the Storm the win. The UFL does the hockey style shoot out in their overtime games going for a 2 point conversions. This shoot out went to sudden death. By ruling the second penalty, it made the Storm’s final attempt good even though it was not executed. The Storm won back to back weeks versus the Kings. They beat the Aviators in week 1 as they are 3-0 versus the other relocation teams from last year.

The season is still in the early stages of UFL so far. The Storm may have the second best QB in the league in Jack Plummer. One of his touchdown passes came when he was on the run and just flipped ten yards down the field for a score. He finished the day with solid numbers going 21-24 for 249 passing yards and 3 touchdown passes. No interceptions. His number 1 weapon is Chris Rowland, who had 9 more catches for 112 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.

#5.COLUMBUS AVIATORS (0-3) Moved up 2 spots

I have the Aviators moving up the Power Rankings despite not winning a game as they have shown improvement.

The improvement of the Aviators comes after their head coach was thrown in the clink before Saturday’s game with the Renegades. Ted Ginn Jr., former wide receiver in the NFL, was arrested for a DUI in the wee hours of the morning. That left former USFL and NFL head coach Todd Haley as the guy that took over the duties of Ted Ginn Jr. The Aviators came up short on an upset versus the undefeated Renegades as their comeback fell short. The Aviators defense held the Renegades to their lowest score of of the season at 28 points.

Haley was head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL reboot & then did a season with the Memphis Showboats. The Aviators lost 28-23 versus the Renegades. We will see next week if this is a permanent gig for Haley.

#6. LOUISVILLE KINGS (0-3) Moved up 2 spots from last week

The Kings are showing me some improvement and could be on the brink to rack up their first victory. The Kings lost to the Storm in overtime during which they shot their selves in the foot with two penalties in the extra frame. The 2nd penalty made the Storm’s try successful in the shoot out sudden death style of football the UFL has going for two point conversions. By rule, the second penalty gives the opponent the successful conversion even though it was not. The Kings offense scored the most points this season. Jason Bean has his best game at QB for the Kings. He completed 23-46 passes for 352 passing yards and three touchdown passes along with no interceptions.

Another former Buffalo Bills player tight end, Zach Davidson, caught two touchdown passes from Bean. He had 4 catches for 79 yards and those two touchdowns. If the Kings can get this kind of offense every week with their defense, this squad could turn things around.

#7. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (1-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week

The Stallions were resurrected in the USFL reboot and have been one of the prestige power houses of spring football. Now this franchise is sinking into the football abyss and are at the bottom of the league as they lost two wild games.

AJ McCarron has taken over the Stallions from their legendary head coach, Skip Holtz. McCarron is a former NFL quarterback who has played two seasons with the BattleHawks, put up great numbers, and won plenty of games for them. He may want to suit up for the Stallions because he is not getting solid quarterback play from his guy, Matt Corral.

You never know what you will get from Matt Corral as he reminds you of the villain in Batman, Two Face. Like a flip of a coin he can throw two touchdown passes and then throw two interceptions. Corral completed 16-33 passes for 253 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. You take away the picks & I guarantee the Stallions would be sitting pretty at 3-0 right now to start the season. The Stallions defense has been very optimistic so far this season as this unit has been able to get takeaways. As a team, they are not overcoming the mistakes by Corral.

#8. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (1-2) Dropped 3 spots from last week

The Gamblers notched their first win of the season versus the Stallions in week 2. They had a nice rebound from week 1’s blow out versus the Renegades. The Gamblers hit the biggest slide in week 3 in the game of Chutes and Ladders. Another blow out. More QB headaches. A defense that is giving up more action than the local whorehouse in Texas.

Tua’s little brother Taulia Tagovailoa was a disaster in his first start with the Gamblers. I don’t think we will be seeins a brother reunion in the NFL anytime soon. First of all Taulia had to pass 40 times in last week’s game because the Gamblers dug themselves a gigantic hole early in this game. Taulia’s numbers were not impressive as he completed 21-40 passes for 171 passing yards, 1 touchdown, & 1 interception. The interception was a pick six. He also fumbled the ball in which the Defenders pounced on. He was sacked 4 times. His lone touchdown pass came in the 3rd quarter for the only points of the day for the Gamblers as they lost 45-7. Can the Gamblers bring back Jim Kelly who played for them back in the original USFL? He could probably do better than what they have in the QB room right now.

2026 UFL (UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE) POWER RANKINGS WEEK 3

April 11, 2026 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

Could the old Oklahoma Outlaws be reborn in the UFL? The UFL has plans of expanding and they have awarded Oklahoma City with a team coming in 2028. Could they use the old USFL nickname, Outlaws, for the expansion team? The three teams that relocated this season changed their names to other nicknames, not from either old leagues of the XFL or USFL. I would love to see them go with the Outlaws in those black uniforms that would give the Gamblers a run for their money as good guys wear black. The league already has the Renegades with that bad dude in a cowboy hat covering his face with a bandana.

I don’t think we have to worry about the Minneapolis Ice coming any time soon since we’re talking face coverings. More to come on what Oklahoma expects to call themselves as it is a few years away as well. Oklahoma should be a solid venue for this league. Speaking of the present day desperadoes, the Renegades are still on top of the food chain in week 3’s UFL Power Rankings. We have horses heading into the glue factory direction. Have the Kings crowned themselves as the league’s bottom feeder? Here is the latest version of the UFL Power Rankings starting with the good & ending with just ugly.

#1. DALLAS RENEGADES (2-0) Same spot as last week

The Dallas Renegades right now are the best team in the UFL as all three phases of their game are humming. They have dispatched two post-season teams from last year, when the Defenders won it all in 2025. This week St.Louis found out how good the Renegades were, being held to 15 points. The Renegades defense held the Defenders to only 10 points. The Renegades defense snatched two more interceptions to add to the take away list that is off to the races. On special teams, the kicker Colton Theaker hit a 48 yard field goal and converted his extra points. Let’s talk offense. The Renegades in two games are averaging over 30 points per contest so far. In his second start of his early UFL career, Austin Reed threw 4 touchdown passes & now has 7 for the year. He tallied up 240 passing yards and the one blemish was an interception. It was Austin’s and old Luis Perez’s number 1 target wide receiver Tyler Vaughns who stole the show in week 2 versus the BattleHawks defense. Vaughns has played for the Renegades the last 4 seasons. He caught 11 balls for 146 yards and had three touchdown catches in week 2. Tyler has played in 31 spring games for his career and caught 135 passes for 1,570 receiving yards with 11 touchdown catches.

#2. DC DEFENDERS (1-1) Moved up 3 spots from last week

The Defenders laid a clunker in week 1 versus the BattleHawks as they were held to 10 points. Last year’s champs back on the road in back-to-back weeks got off the bus and ran the ball down the throats of the Aviators. In 36 attempts as a team, the Defenders tallied 230 rushing yards with 4 touchdowns running the ball. The Defenders averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

The leading running man for the Defenders was Deon Jackson who racked up 97 rushing yards and found the end zone three times. Abraham Smith who’s been running with the Defenders for years tallied 40 rushing yards. The Defenders scored 44 points even with their star quarterback Jordan Ta’amu only throwing for 99 yards. The Defenders defense gave up 26 points, however they racked up two interceptions. The Aviators scored points in each quarter, but they were really never in this game that was dominated by DC. After two road games to start the season, DC now will get a little home cooking from the beer snake and Defenders nation. Once the Defenders get that aerial attack working along with the running game, they will be one of the best teams in the league like last year.

#3. ORLANDO STORM (2-0) Moved up one spot from last week.

If the UFL is having a tournament on just the three teams that relocated, the Storm are WINNING !!! In week 1 the Storm beat the Aviators. Last weekend the Storm had their way with the Louisville Kings for their second straight victory. The former BattleHawks head coach Anthony Becht in 4 seasons in spring football now is 23-8 in regular season. Becht has a solid QB in Orlando in Jack Plummer, a guy who leads the league in completion percentage. Plummer had two more touchdown passes in week 2. His favorite target is wide receiver Chris Rowland, who had 8 catches for 59 yards including a touchdown.

Rowland is a veteran of the spring leagues as he started with the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL reboot a few years back. Last two years before suiting up for the Storm, he played for the Defenders. He’s the Storm’s top receiver and has been a great return man his entire career in spring football. The Storm held the Kings offense to a total of 227 yards and shut them out completely in the 2nd half. Next week they have a rematch with the Kings in Louisville. I would like to see how this Storm rides out with the other teams in the league more than the relocation teams. We will have to wait until week 4.

#4.ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (1-1) Dropped 1 spot from last week

Is the recipe to beating the BattleHawks grinding their running game to a halt and keeping the Pita chip Taumoepenu from penetrating your QB dip bowl? The Renegades kept the Pita away from their QB as he did not record a sack in week 2. The BattleHawks running game averaged 3.1 yards per carry.

Now the BattleHawks have to rely on the arm of spring veteran quarterback Brandon Silvers. Silvers was not the starting QB last year for these BattleHawks. He is a serviceable quarterback that I think needs a solid running game behind him.

Silvers lacks the silver he needs to deliver when it comes down to his arm. He does not have that silver sword like Abraham Setrakian in the series the Strain to deliver the kill shots all over the field. Silvers is under 200 passing yards and threw two interceptions. The BattleHawks have solid receivers in Hakeem Butler and Jahcour Pearson. You wonder who is QB 2?

#5. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (1-1) Move up 3 spots

If you are a leg man, John Hoyland may be your guy. If you are a boob guy, John may not be your guy unless you know. The Gamblers kicker last week leaned on the leg of Hoyland who kicked 5 field goals to put Houston over the top of the Stallions. Houston scored 22 points and 16 of them were from Hoyland. Houston rebounded from their humiliating loss they suffered in week 1 versus the Renegades as they beat the Stallions 22-20 in an early season shocker. The Gamblers QB play along with the defense was better than what happened in that week 1 beat down. The Gamblers used two QB’s, Nolan Henderson and Hunter Dekkers. Both were turnover free. The Defense picked off the Stallions QB twice.

Gamblers running back Jalen White scored the only touchdown of the game for Houston. He tallied up 82 yards on the ground for the Gamblers. You’d like to see one of the Gamblers QB’s take the job and run with it. The Gamblers are loaded at the wide receiver position. You hope their defense has turned the page from being bombarded by the Renegades aerial attack.

#6. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (1-1) Dropped 4 spots from last week

Former Stallions head coach Skip Holtz mastered the Houston Gamblers who rebranded to the Roughnecks last season. The Stallions suffered their first loss of the year and scored only 20 points which was 5 more points then week 1 when they needed the last minutes of regulation to put away the Kings of Louisville. The defense in two games has done well for the wild horses. Only 13 points allowed in week 1. Then 22 points in week 2 of which 15 of those points were from field goals. The Stallions defense is not giving up touchdowns.

It all depends what you get with the Stallions QB, Matt Corral. You can get good, bad, or ugly with him. Versus a defense that the Gamblers have is not very good. He completed 21-27 passes for 226 passing yards. He threw 2 touchdown passes. Good numbers. However he was also picked off twice. The running game only averaged 3.4 yards per carry which is not very good. The Stallions may have help on the way for their quarterback position. Taylor Elgersma, who is Canadian, has been inactive because they can’t iron out his work visa for him to play in the states. Could he be the answer for the roller coaster ride Corral gives the Stallions on a weekly basis?

#7. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (0-2) Same spot from last week.

The Aviators may have one of the best committees of running backs in the UFL. Former Panthers running back Toa Taua had 5 carries for 44 yards which is 8.8 a carry. Last year he was a scoring machine for the Panthers down by the goal line. The Aviators also have former Brahmas running back John Lovett. Then the starting running back is Zaquandre White. Throw in their quarterback Jalan McClendon last week when the team averaged 6.4 yards per carry. The problem is the Aviators defense is giving up the same average as the Defenders ran all over Columbus last week. Over 200 yards and the Defenders hung a 40 berger on them.

The Aviators defense is a problem. The aerial attack is a concern as well. The Aviators are not flying in the air as good as they are on their ground attack. McClendon threw the ball 37 times and tallied up only 156 passing yards. In week 1 he may have thrown the football 40 times and the numbers are about the same. The Aviators did score 26 points off the Defenders last week, but it seemed like they were out of that game from the first whistle. The Aviators along with the Kings have not won a game yet while everyone else in the UFL has at least notched 1 victory.

#8. LOUISVILLE KINGS (0-2) DROPPED 2 SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

I think it will be a long season for the Kings because they have issues at the number 1 spot on the field. The quarterback. The Kings offense has been dreadful the first two games. In week 1 they scored 13. In week two they mustered up only 9 points. Their starter Mr. Bean in Jason Bean is not even completing 50% of his passes. The Kings have thrown Chandler Rogers some playing time and really got nothing from him. The Kings defense has been a different story. They have kept Louisville in both games. In week 1 they gave up 15 points to the Stallions. Then they kept the Storm under 20 points last week.

The Kings have a tackling machine in their middle linebacker Jaheim Thomas who racked up 10 tackles in the loss to the Storm last week. If the Kings head coach Chris Redman can fix his QB situation this team will win some games. Until then they will be cemented to the bottom of the league in the standings and these power rankings.

2026 UFL, UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS WEEK 2

April 4, 2026 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

After one week of the UFL, it looks like the name change has helped the Renegades as they look like the top team in the league. The Defenders lay a clunker in week one defending their title from last year. Relocation, relocation, and relocation… only one team prevails from the off-season move. The BattleHawks defense looks legit. The Stallions are still riding in the top of the league. We have contenders & we have pretenders. We will sort it all out with the week two UFL power rankings. We start with the best and work our way down to the mess of the league. Hope you enjoy!!!

#1. DALLAS RENEGADES (1-0) Moved up 4 spots from last week

The Renegades coming into this season on paper have one of the best quarterbacks in the UFL in veteran Luis Perez. Now this franchise may have two of the top 5 quarterbacks in the UFL with Austin Powers, who got the start over the King of the Spring Fling which was Perez.

Austin Reed was SHAGADELIC in his first ever start in the UFL. Reed lit up the Houston Gamblers setting a new single regular season record in the UFL with 376 passing yards while throwing three touchdown passes. The former USFL QB Rick Neuheisel, now the head coach of the Renegades, looks like a quarterback whisperer going with Reed over Perez. The Renegades scored the most points in week 1 with 36. They played well in all 3 phases of the game. The Renegades the last few years always had a defense that can contribute to the score board. As they had a pick six early in the game that set the tempo. They may be the team to beat with solid defense and a well-balanced offense that can do damage with the running game and aerial attack.

#2. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (1-0) Same spot from last week

Do you remember Snoop Dogg was in the ESPN series called the Playmakers which was about a professional football team? The Stallions unveiled their new running back Snoop Connor who racked up 56 yards on the ground for Birmingham in week 1 with a touchdown.

Wide receiver Jaydon Mickens stole the show in his Stallions debut. The former Defender caught 9 balls for 102 yards as he kept the chains moving as Birmingham just got by the Louisville Kings in low scoring game. It was not pretty. Some of the Stallions wins when Skip Holtz was the head coach were not pretty wins. He just racked up a lot of W’s in his time. His teams got better as the season went on. You could see things with the Stallions that have not changed. That bend don’t break defense that thrives on turnovers got two interceptions. Matt Corral was decent behind center. He did not turn over the ball and guided his team to another W on the back of his football card. In sports it is tough to win games on the road. The Stallions can do that in front of sold out crowds in Louisville.

#3. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (1-0) Moved up 1 spot from last week.

The BattleHawks defend their Thunderdome home Mad Max style. St.Louis is now 10-1 in home games going on their 3rd season in the UFL. They were dominated at home when they played in the XFL as well. The BattleHawks certainly got the crowds they normally get as their home opener had plenty of supporters as they knocked off the defending champions, the DC Defenders. The BattleHawks and Defenders is probably the best rivalry in the UFL. In a rivalry that started back in the XFL and certainly carried over to the UFL.

The BattleHawks would have their work cut out for them as they lost their long time head coach Anthony Becht to the sunshine in Orlando. The BattleHawks lost a few defenders from last season. However you would not notice because they looked like the best defense in the league in week 1. It all starts with defensive player of the year from last year in Pita Taumoepenu, who recorded 2.5 sacks in week 1. He led the UFL last season in sacks and is looking for the repeat of that title this season. They held the Defenders to 10 points. They only scored 16 points which was enough to get the first win of the season and knock off your hatred rival at the same time. I think their offense will eventually catch up to their defense. They have a veteran spring QB in Brandon Silvers, who did throw a touchdown pass and made no mistakes. He was okay. Nothing to write home to mom about. St.Louis has some nice weapons for Silvers to put up bigger numbers.

#4. ORLANDO STORM (1-0) Moved up 3 spots from last week

The Storm were the first among the three teams that relocated to a different city to win their first game of the year. Former BattleHawks head coach Anthony Becht keeps his winning ways with his new team, the Storm. The Storm showdown with the Aviators from Columbus was the first battle between teams that relocated from last year. The Storm looks like they found themselves a solid QB who did well in his spring debut.

Jack Plummer had a mutt of a college career suiting up for Louisville, Purdue, and California. He had a cup of coffee with the Carolina Panthers camp in the NFL. He may have found a nice home with the Storm to showcase his talents. Plummer completed 77% of his passes in week 1 win over the Aviators. Plummer went 17-22 for 240 passing yards and a touchdown pass. A solid debut indeed. You know Becht likes to run the ball. His star running back Jashaun Corbin had two rushing touchdowns for 66 yards on the ground. The Storm also have a spring veteran return man and wide Receiver Chris Rowland, who caught Plummer’s only touchdown pass. The Storm is brewing after week 1.

#5. DC DEFENDERS (0-1) Dropped 4 spots from last week

The Defending champs could be experiencing a little hang over from winning it all last week. The Defenders offensively put up a clunker versus their arch rival the BattleHawks on the road, only scoring 10 points. The Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu was horrible with two interceptions. Ta’amu, one of the better QB’s in the UFL for years, was out of sync in his first start of the year. You could blame the Defenders O-line as Ta’amu was sacked 7 times in the game. It is hard winning in Arch Town. The Defenders defense only gave up 16 points so overall this could be just a hiccup for DC getting off to a slow start.

One of the UFL’s rule changes this season is if a kicker hits on a 60 yard or more field goal, the team is awarded 4 points instead of the normal 3 point play. The Defenders kicker Matt McCrane becomes the first kicker to get the 4 point play in the UFL. McCrane nailed a 60 yard field goal in the dome of St.Louis. The UFL kickers have been scooped up by the NFL like Jake Bates when he was playing for the Michigan Panthers a few seasons ago. He was hitting 60 yard field goals for the Panther and the Detroit Lions signed him, as he’s still kicking in motor city today. McCrane could be next.

#6.LOUISVILLE KINGS (0-1) Moved up 2 spots from last week

We know most of America do not like Kings running the country. We have to think the Stallions don’t like kings either as Birmingham has been the King of spring football for years.

Louisville looks like a keeper for the UFL as fans packed their stadium in the season opener under Friday Night Lights. The Kings played well versus the Stallions. Birmingham won the game in the last minutes of regulation. The Kings quarterback Jason Bean looked pretty good despite throwing two interceptions. One was not his fault bouncing off his receiver’s hands. He threw for over 200 yards. He had one touchdown pass. The Kings defense only gave up 15 points. I think Kings head coach Chris Redman will have a solid squad as the season moves on after they get over their growing pains.

#7.COLUMBUS AVIATORS (0-1) Dropped 4 spots from last week.

The Aviators I thought would be better than they were in their first game. The Aviators settled for field goals in the first quarter. They stayed in the game with the Storm the entire way. The Aviators did not score in the second or third quarter. They made things interesting when they scored their first touchdown of the season in the 4th quarter. It was running back Zaquandre White who found the end zone for the Aviators with his first rushing touchdown of the season.

I think the Aviators running game was not very good in week 1. When veteran quarterback Jalen McClendon has to throw the ball 32 times, it’s not a good recipe to win many games in spring. McClendon tallied up over 200 yards in passing. He had no touchdown passes. He did not throw any interceptions. If you give McClendon a well balanced offense, I think the Aviators would convert more touchdowns rather than relying on field goals.

#8.HOUSTON GAMBLERS (0-1) Dropped two spots from week 1

The Gamblers or last years Roughnecks are teams that do not start well in this league. The Gamblers were blown out by the Renegades in the battle of Texas. They gave up not the most points with 36 points. The Gamblers did out score a few teams with 17 points.

One of the Gamblers’ touchdowns was an impressive kickoff return by Jalen Moreno Cooper which is only the 2nd one in league history. You take that away & the Gamblers offense only racked up 10 points. The Gamblers starting quarterback Nolan Henderson had two interceptions which one was a pick six that got the Renegades off to a fast start. The Gamblers may have hope as Hunter Dekkers came in and completed 19-29 passes for 227 passing yards. He had no interceptions and no touchdown passes. He did way better than Henderson. Which is a positive. The Gamblers defense was dissected like a frog in an 8th grade science class which could be a big concern for the entire season that is left on the schedule.

2026 OPENING WEEK OF THE UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS

March 28, 2026March 28, 2026 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

The UFL is back for its third season of spring football. You have to go back to the 1980’s when the original USFL lasted three seasons. We have had multiple spring leagues open up shop and then close the doors immediately since the original USFL folded because of Donal Trump. The USFL reboot lasted two seasons and could have gone further. The merger of the USFL and the XFL had to happen to keep spring football alive. The UFL added a new business investor in Mike Repole, who has taken over the business side of things in the league. His first goal was he wanted to have all his teams playing in smaller venues so the game looks better on television. In the bigger venues like huge college fields, for years the spring games looked like they had 5 people in attendance. Only St. Louis will play in a mammoth stadium because they know fans will fill up the former professional football stadium that was used by the Rams for years. Repole opens up three new markets: Louisville, Orlando, and Columbus. The league is not expanding yet so they will still feature 8 teams. Opening up three new markets means three old markets have to relocate. On the chopping block of relocation were Memphis, Michigan, and San Antonio. The Michigan move is a head-scratcher. The Panthers were in the top of the league in attendance and sold more tickets than the year prior. With Michigan out, I have to find another team to show my allegiance to. The league will have 6 new faces as the head coach positions. It will also bring Friday Night Lights games every week. We definitely had some roster roulette play out in the off-season. Every team does have familiar players on every roster. How the QB will play out in year 3 is always one of the biggest questions in these spring football leagues. We will roll out the first set of power rankings as we make an educated guess where each team will be before even playing a snap on the field. We may look like geniuses after week 1 plays out or idiots. Either way we will still throw our two cents into the fountain.

#1. DC DEFENDERS (Last season went 6-3 and defending champions)

The Defenders are the only team in the UFL that are coming back with the same head coach. Shannon Harris was thrown into the fire when the former Defender head coach Reggie Barlow took another job right before week 1 last season. Harris got the Defenders to post-season and they thrived. The Defenders roster is still pretty much intact from last year.

You know the beer snake will be slithering well at home games for the Defenders. The Defenders have one of the better quarterbacks in the UFL in Jordan Ta’amu, who has a ton of spring football experience and a championship to back it up.

#2. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (Last season went 7-3 and made the playoffs but lost in the first round.)

How will the Stallions play without their legendary head coach Skip Holtz? Holtz’s replacement is a solid hire by the Stallions in former NFL and XFL Quarterback AJ McCarron. He played two seasons with the St. Louis BattleHawks as their starting quarterback. He has ties to Birmingham playing his college ball at Alabama University. Skip walking away from spring football leaves McCarron with a very good roster starting with a defense that has been very good at forcing turnovers. They have a veteran spring quarterback in Matt Corral who has played with the Stallions the last few seasons and has the tools to thrive in this league.

The Stallions added a huge play-making running back in Anthony McFarland who is a former Brahma and Steeler from his NFL days. His ability to make catches out of the backfield will help Corral and that entire Stallions offense to take the next step into one of the best scoring units in the UFL.

#3. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (Last season as the Michigan Panthers they went 6-4 and went to the post-season, but lost to the Defenders in the UFL Championship)

The Columbus Aviators are one of three new cities in the UFL. The Aviators inherited the best team out of the three cities from last year that relocated. The Aviators went with a new head coach instead of retaining the Panthers old head coach in Mike Nolan, which is a mistake. Nolan was a solid leader for the Panthers. The Panthers new head coach is Ted Guinn, a former NFL wide receiver. Guinn has never been a head coach. This former Panthers team’s biggest loss is their starting QB Bryce Perkins who was MVP last year. He took his talents across the border to play in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Aviators will have a seasoned veteran spring QB in Jalen McClendon, who started a few games last year for the Houston Roughnecks and did well. Houston in the second half of last season made a push for the post-season and came up short. The Aviators will have a solid defense and have a talented back field with multiple solid running backs. This team should be in the mix all season long.

#4. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (8-2 last season while making the playoffs to be eliminated in the first round.)

You know the BattleHawks will be one of the top teams this season. They have a new head coach as their old leader Anthony Becht is now coaching the Orlando Storm. His replacement was in-house as St.Louis is going with former NFL wide receiver Ricky Proehl as the new face of the franchise. The BattleHawks roster have lost some big names like running back Jacob Saylors who is living his best life in the NFL with the Lions. The BattleHawks at the QB position are going with a spring veteran in Brandon Silvers, who was a back up last year for St.Louis. Look for the offense to be designed as pass heavy rather than getting off the bus and running like last season was for the BattleHawks.

The BattleHawks have lost some pieces on the defensive side of the ball. However they still have those edge rushers that can cause plenty of havoc to the opponent’s offensive schemes. Travis Feeney and the defensive player of the year, Pita Taumoepenu, will be looking to be once again the leading sack artist in the UFL.

#5. DALLAS RENEGADES (5-5 last season)

The Renegades ditched the Arlington name and turned back to Dallas as their city representative. Bob Stoops is out as long time head coach of these Renegades. The Renegades hand over the headset to long time college and NFL coach Rick Neuheisel.

Ricky Neuheisel knows some things about spring football. He was undrafted out of college and played his first professional season of football in the USFL with the San Antonio Gunslingers back in 1984. He also was the head coach of the Arizona Hot Shots in the AAF (American Alliance Football League) back in 2019. The league ran out of money and could not finish the regular season. Neuheisel had the Hot Shots at 5-3 at the time. They were definitely one of the top teams in the league and would have made it to the post-season. The Renegades may have the best quarterback in the league in Luis Perez who is king of the spring fling over the last several years and multiple teams and leagues. Perez has found a home with the Renegades as he helped them win the entire league in the last year of the XFL. The Renegades have plenty of their roster returning for this season. However this team has lost so many close games at the very end of regulation the last two years. If Neuheisel could change that, then look for Dallas to be one of the top teams in the league.

#6. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (5-5 as the Roughnecks last season)

When the XFL and USFL merged, both leagues had a team from Houston. The league chose the Houston from the USFL but changed their name to the XFL nicknamed Roughnecks. This season Houston will be back to the Gamblers name from the old USFL days. Curtis Johnson was the head coach last year for the Roughnecks. He will move on as the franchise is going back to Houston native Kevin Sumlin, a long time college coach. In 2022 he was the head coach of the Gamblers in the USFL. So talk about circling the wagons. Last year Houston just missed the post-season. They beat two out of the 4 playoff teams from last year in the final weeks. Their veteran QB Jalen McClendon has moved on to the Columbus Aviators.

Could Tua Tagovailoa’s younger brother light up the UFL? At Maryland University, Taulia Tagovailoa had his own version of TUA TIME as he razzled and dazzled opponents in the Big Ten. The Gamblers also have Nolan Henderson who showed some promise last year in the Roughnecks uniform. QB play is the most important factor on the football field. Bad QB play will keep you down in the standings and the power rankings all season long. It will be interesting to see which QB Houston goes with.

#7. ORLANDO STORM (Last season as the San Antonio Brahmas they went 1-9.)

Orlando is one of the new cities in this season’s UFL. The Storm inherited a bad team from last year, the San Antonio Brahmas who had the worst defense in the UFL last year. If you are a new fan of the UFL and live in Orlando, you should feel optimistic because your team has one of the best coaches in the league in Anthony Becht. The last few years Becht was head coach of the St. Louis BattleHawks and he has led them to the post-season in almost every season which includes going back to the XFL days. To improve the defense from last season, Becht has a few guys he coached last year on this Storm team. They are former BattleHawks safety Nate Meadows along with linebacker Tavante Beckett.

The Storm have a law firm as their quarterback in Dorian Thompson-Robinson who played two seasons with the Browns in 2023 & ’24. Dorian’s NFL experience may payoff as he played in 15 NFL games. He won 1 start out of 4 behind center. His stats are not very good with 1 touchdown pass to 10 interceptions. He’s 26 years of age and we have to cut him some slack because he played for a bad Browns organization where QB play in jinxed. The back up is Jack Plummer, no relation to former NFL star QB Jake the Snake. He played his college football at Purdue and Louisville.

#8. LOUISVILLE KINGS (Last year as the Memphis Showboats they went 2-8.)

Louisville is one of the new cities in this season’s UFL. Unfortunately the Kings franchise inherited the Showboats from last season. The good news is the first year in Louisville is not the entire roster from last year’s Showboats team. The Kings will keep some of the players from last season that are roster-worthy.

The new city in the UFL has a new head coach, former NFL quarterback Chris Redman. The city of Louisville will remember Redman as he played his college ball there for the Cardinals. Redman played 8 years in the NFL basically for the Ravens and Falcons. He started 12 games and went 4-8 as a starter. He threw 21 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions in a total of 30 NFL games. He won a Superbowl with the Ravens. All the quarterbacks the Kings have are new to the UFL. Most likely, former Kansas Jayhawks starter Jason Bean will be QB 1 to start the season. Being a back up QB all those years in the NFL, Redman may get the best out of all his quarterbacks. The Kings in this league will have to earn their crowns.

BOB KNIGHT IS ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE THAT THE HOOSIERS FOOTBALL PROGRAM PRESIDES OVER BASKETBALL IN PRESENT DAY

January 25, 2026 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

When you hear the name Hoosiers, you always think basketball. One of the best ever sports movies that was ever made was called Hoosiers, which featured a small town high school in the state of Indiana winning it all on the basketball court. The University of Indiana has always been known for their basketball program over the non-existent football program they had since day 1. The first thought when you hear anything about Indiana’s Hoosiers is of their legendary head coach, Bob Knight. Nicknamed The General, Bob Knight was a complete asshole but all his teams were very disciplined on the court. It showed results on the court as Bob Knight ran the basketball program at Indiana University for 29 years. He won three titles as his teams went to 5 total Final 4 appearances. In the last two seasons at Indiana University, Curt Cignetti resurrected the school’s football program. Maybe not resurrected the program when it has never gotten off the ground in the first place. Instead Cignetti gave birth to a new football program that has never existed and quickly rewrote the entire Hoosiers football record book. Last Monday night, the number 1 team in the country, the Hoosiers, beat the #10 team the Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship in football. The schools first ever football title. How many chairs would Knight have thrown if suddenly his basketball legacy has turned into a football school?

In 1987, Indiana University won it all in men’s basketball. In the same year, the University of Miami would be known as the Cons of the league in football when they played Notre Dame as they lost that regular season game to the Irish. That game was known as Catholics vs Cons as they had a brawl to prove their love for each other. The Hurricanes took that loss and would do well the rest of the season. They made it to the National Championship game where they beat Oklahoma and became champs in 1988. Bob Knight was the head coach of the Hoosiers that season.

In 2022 the Hoosiers football program became the first Division 1 school to lose 700 games all-time. Before Curt Cignetti took the Hoosiers head coaching job, the team went 9-27 total in the three seasons before. The Hoosiers coming into the season won only three bowl games all-time. Their first bowl game win came in 1980 which was the Holiday Bowl, 1989’s Liberty Bowl, & then the 1991 Copper Bowl. This season they won two bowl games, the Rose Bowl and Fiesta. Which gives them 5 bowl games all-time along with their first ever National Championship. In two seasons with the Hoosiers, Cignetti has a 27-2 record in 29 games. He is the first head coach in Hoosiers history to have won back to back 10 plus win seasons. The Hoosiers finished the season a perfect 16-0 and join the 1894 Yale team as the only schools to finish with that record.

In the game of football when a team has a magic season, it usually means you have a talented quarterback under center. At some universities they mass produce quarterbacks in the factory like terminators in the great movie series, Terminator.

Of course Indiana University has that nice Hollywood story about the underdog as their star quarterback this season. Fernando Mendoza played two seasons at California University before transferring to Indiana University his junior season. You know one school is very happy how the transfer portal has went for them. In one season at Indiana, Mendoza never lost a game going 16-0 as the Hoosiers won two bowl games and their first National Championship game. He won the Heisman trophy. He threw 41 touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes. His sophomore season he had 16 touchdown passes in 11 games. Mendoza only threw 6 interceptions all year. Then he converted the play of the year in the National Championship game as the Hoosiers had 4th and 4. They went for it and Mendoza had one of the best runs by a quarterback in college football history as he ran for a 12 yard touchdown plunge as he got the first down and more. That touchdown gave Indiana a 24-14 lead with 9:18 left in the game. The Hurricanes would score another touchdown in the that game. The Hoosiers would add another field goal to win the game 27-21. Mendoza would not have any touchdown passes in the championship, but his fingerprints were all over the title game and the entire perfect season they had. What makes this even a better story is he played high school at Christopher Columbus high school in the city of Miami. Mendoza wanted to go to Miami University. The game was played right down the road from where his ole stomping grounds were at Dolphins Stadium. When he was in high school, he was right in the University of Miami’s backyard and he went to all their football camps. He applied there. The Hurricanes never offer him a scholarship to play football for them. He had to go elsewhere. It kinds sounds like the Hoosiers basketball movie, just a different sport being football. It has that Kurt Warner feeling as Mendoza haunts his hometown University by beating them in a school that was never known for their football program. Now Mendoza will certainly be selected number 1 in the NFL draft in April as he already made himself eligible. He may find a team that plays the Miami Dolphins and be that guy to haunt that city for years to come. Since the university did not like his homegrown south beach talents.

The Indiana Hoosiers had a well-rounded football team this season not just a stud quarterback doing it all. Curt Cignetti built a solid roster on both sides of the football field with his offense and defense. You could say he had all three phases of the game working like a well-oiled machine as you can say the special teams chipped in as well. In the title game it was Mikail Kamara that blocked the Hurricanes punt as Isaiah Jones recovered the football and ran it in for a score. The Hoosiers destroyed Alabama and University of Oregon in those two bowl game playoffs. They went up against Ohio State in regular season who were number 1 at the time and favored to win it all. The Hoosiers defense put a clinic on that Buckeye offense that blew out teams on a regular basis. Cignetti looks like he will be the pioneer of this football program unless he uses his time here as a stepping stone and moves on to one of those factory powerhouse college football programs these other schools have. The usual suspects. The state of Indiana when it comes to football at the college level has always been about Notre Dame. If Cignetti stays he may give the Irish a run for their money. Cignetti came from a smaller college, James Madison. The 12 playoff teams this season did have Cignetti’s old school make the tournament. He still may have some fingerprints in his old program as well. James Madison did not last very long as they were blown out by Oregon in the first game of their brief post-season experience.

The ending of Bob Knight at Indiana University could have been better. His record was 662-239 which is a .735 winning percentage he had at Indiana. In 29 years his teams made it to the NCAA March Madness tournament 24 times. In 63 games played in the tournament, he won 42 or them. Knight was a very angered man as a coach and human being in general. He was involved in multiple physical altercations with players, students, and superiors. In March of 2000, a tape of a Indiana practice in 1997 showed Knight choking his former player Neil Reed surfaced. The coach denied the first claim until the tape showed up on one of the networks. Then later in September a freshman named Kent Harvey said, “Hey Knight, What’s Up?”

That did not go well for that punk as Bob Knight like many adults want respect from the young’en’s. He yanked his arm and told him, “You call me Mr. Knight or Coach Knight.” The university had a zero tolerance policy in place for that kind of behavior as Knight was fired. Bob would quickly land on his feet at Texas Tech. Knight would retire in 2008 as his son took over his duties at Texas Tech. Bob would finish 902-371 in his career. He passed away at 83 years of age in 2023. Knight did return to Indiana University once in 2020 where he did get a standing ovation. Does one football title by head coach Cig Cinetti equal what Knight accomplished there for 29 years? Probably not. But if Cignetti continues to win games by the pile on the football field in Hoosier-land, basketball may be put in the back seat for generations to come at Indiana University. It has always been basketball in Hoosier-land. Knights country. Cinetti may change that all if he sticks around awhile.

THE GARY BEARS

December 31, 2025 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

“Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, that’s the town that knew me when!”

The song “Gary, Indiana” was famous in the musical, The Music Man. Can Gary, Indiana be famous for the Monsters of the Midway? The Bears’ search for a new stadium has crossed the state line to Northwest Indiana. Tell me if you heard this story before, because you have. Back in 1995 this idea was hatched to build a new stadium in Gary, which at the time they dubbed the name Planet Park. The state of Illinois is being stingy with the funds to help the Bears open up the state of the art facility in Illinois. The Bears purchased primo land in the Northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, where once was the horsetrack named Arlington Park. It’s a 325 acre site where they could build a stadium. The Bears could move their headquarters there. Then they build up the land with hotels, restaurants, and shops. The Bears picture a dome stadium, perhaps with a retractable roof. That could land the state and city of Chicago the Superbowl. When the Bears are not playing, concerts could make it a hot spot during the summer months.

“Our fans deserve a world class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day”

These are the words spoken by the Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren, who is head of this operation. Warren says the Northwest Indiana search is not a leverage play. The Bears have been in the city of Chicago for over a century. The Bears have never owned a stadium as they played at Wrigley Field, home of North-side baseball in 1921. In 1970 the Bears moved to the lake front to Soldier Field and have been there since. In 2002 & ’03 Soldier field was renovated. Gutted out. As they placed a space ship on top of the old pillars.

The Bears are playing in the oldest stadium in the league. The Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, wants the Bears to address the 500 million outstanding debt they still have from that renovation back in 2003. The Bears came up with a 5 billion dollar plan in Arlington Heights. Then their focus was building a stadium next to Soldier Field on the lakefront. The mayor of Chicago liked the idea, but the Governor and state legislators were not buying what the Bears were selling. The Bears have looked into other spots in Cook County, Illinois. Then last spring the Bears turned their attention back on to Arlington Heights as they own the property. The Bears are seeking 855 million in public funding. The state of Illinois says that the Bears will not be a priority in 2026. Now the Bears are kicking the tires on moving across state lines to Northwest Indiana and perhaps Gary, where not too long ago was added a Hard Rock casino to their city.

The Bears leaving Soldier Field means I think immediately about all the history that took place there. The Bears are seeking a dome wherever they go. It stings a little because that takes all those cold weather games out of the equation. When the Bears go dome for their new home, it leaves the Packers the only team in the NFC North playing outside in the winter. I feel like football is heading that way professionally where every team will be housed in a dome, which is a shame. I think the current home for the Bears is a dump. If you are in nosebleed seats, you have to go down two levels to wait in a long line for the bathrooms which is big issue. The amenities are not there like at most stadiums where you have multiple places for beverages and food. Plenty of places to purchase your merch. The history of the 1980’s Bears is that the city of Chicago is still celebrating all those guys from the ’85 team that won the Superbowl. That’s all we’ve got as Bears fans. Getting to the lake is a pain in the ass. The stadium does not have restaurants and bars right across the street. It’s like planes, trains, and automobiles to go down there on a Sunday. The bus from the bar adds more money, but it’s worth it. Most stadiums you can go across the street to get your drink on.

Leaving the city of Chicago to open up a state of the art stadium in the burbs would be better for everyone. Many NFL teams play in the burbs in present day. Arlington Heights is easier for most Bears fans to get to the game. To actually have a spot to tailgate. To actually find a bathroom. I could get over what Packers fans have to say being the only team playing outside, because Soldier Field is a dump. Would I like a stadium with retractable roof to play games outside when it is nice out? Sure, but it’s not a deal breaker. It still has that dome feeling. But the amenities would be there. It will make game day different, but it can make it interesting at the same time. I think the only way is to go dome to help pay off the 855 million in public funding and it would give the state a huge sum of tax money. Adding the Superbowl, any of the professional sports drafts, or March Madness, would all mean the state of Illinois will get their money back in the long term. Perhaps these wind bags could balance the books on this broke state we call a home.

If the Bears move to Indiana, I still think it’s easier to get to the game than the lakefront. They would still be called Chicago if they played their home games in Indiana. The entire Northwest Indiana area are mostly Bears fans. It’s not like you are entering Indianapolis Colts territory. Most people that live in Northwest Indiana are from Chicago because they left the state with the high taxes. Both New York football teams, the Giants and Jets, play in the state of New Jersey in the stadium they share. We have seen leverage acts before with the White Sox talking about moving to Florida, but the state caved in and made them a new stadium. The Chicago Cardinals left the Windy City in 1960 after playing 40 years here. The state of Illinois would have egg on their face if the team moved to Indiana. Seeing Hoosier country rake in all that extra money would be pretty funny on these aristocrats we call the Governor and his stooges. It may sting for some Bears fans at first trying to grasp going to Indiana to watch their team. The Bears have made the post-season in year one of the Ben Johnson era. They have finally found a quarterback in Caleb Williams. We have not had one since the 1940’s with Sid Luckman, who played at Wrigley not Solider Field. It is a good time for Kevin Warren and his staff to play hardball and if Indiana is the better option because of those politicians, then go with it I say. Indiana is cheaper on gasoline. After going to the Bears game, we can fill up for cheap and head home. If the Bears continue to win, any move will be easy if the product on the field is solid each season. Calling them the Gary Bears may not come off the tongue very easily. Win some Superbowls, and I think Gary could slide easier off the tongue. GO BEARS!!!

NOTRE DAME TAKING THEIR BALL AND GOING HOME

December 10, 2025 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

Something is very wrong with how College football runs their operation. Head coaches can get out of their contracts and take other jobs before their season concludes. It seems in most of the sports, players themselves can opt out, become free agents, and transfer to another institution. How many times are there where players skip bowl games because they do not want get hurt for the upcoming NFL draft? Then conferences taking on way too many teams, more than they can handle. They call one conference the Big Ten because it was named after 10 teams in the Midwest of the heartland. Now you have teams from the East and West coast were added to the Big Ten. They have not changed the name to actually how many teams are presiding in that conference. Too many teams. Too many bowl games which most are watered down. To declare the National Championship every year was a joke with the rankings which still are a joke. The College football playoffs went to four teams & now it has expanded to a 12 team format. When the University of Notre Dame saw their ranking after the weekend concluded, a University that expected to be seated in the 12 team format, they went ballistic. Like a kid in a neighborhood game not liking the results, they took their ball and went home. The Fighting Irish declined any part of any bowl game they would get because of the snub they got in the rankings and not being in the playoffs. Does the Catholic school University have the right to walk away from being in a bowl game? Is this University that kid you knew in that pick up game of whatever sport you were playing? If it did not go his way, he would leave with the ball while throwing a tantrum.

Notre Dame does have a gripe here as they came into the weekend with a ranking of number 11. The Fighting Irish have been ranked ahead of the Miami Hurricanes for weeks in the weekly rankings. The University of Alabama were destroyed in the SEC title game by the University of Georgia. The Crimson Tide finished the season 10-3 with that loss. The Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish earlier in the year by a score of 27-24. After Notre Dame suffered two straight losses out of the gate, they won ten in a row. Miami finished with the same record as Notre Dame at 10-2. The Hurricanes moved up due to BYU losing as they had the tie breaker head to head beating the Irish earlier this season. BYU finished the season 11-2. Somehow Alabama moved up and are one of the 12 playoff teams while Notre Dame and BYU are two teams ousted at the very end. Now they get the booby prize playing in one of the bowl games that are not any of the big and proud ones. It seems like the Irish were led to believe they would make the College Football playoff format by the ESPN weekly ratings show. Declining a bowl game, the Catholic university is giving a giant F-U to ESPN which televises most of the bowl games.

Notre Dame’s Athletic Director went on the Dan Patrick Show and said: “Like, where’s the logic? Where’s the rationale? Why are we being kind of punished and the only ones that seem to be moving in the wrong direction, and yet winning and having an unbelievably dominant end of season”.

The selection show on ESPN is part of a 7.8 billion deal with the college football post-season. Notre Dame has an independent deal with NBC. The selection committee said that Alabama looked very good versus Auburn at least in the first half of that contest. They mentioned Notre Dame had a strong game in their last contest versus Standford. The Fighting Irish are only mad at the selection committee. Not other schools or the ACC, which they made a deal with the conference to play 5 teams from the conference each season. In College Football, Notre Dame is an independent. The University felt like the ACC was attacking their school for this decision they made. Notre Dame has many other sports that play in the ACC. Notre Dame was not the only university to decline a bowl bid. Iowa State and Kansas State backed out of any bowl game bids because each program is going through a head coaching change. The Big 12 fined each school $500,000 for declining a bowl bid. Every conference wants to see more of their own schools in post-season play or in bowl games in general to feel the power over other conferences.

What happened to the old saying, “When the going gets tough the tough get going?” What kind of message are Notre Dame and other schools sending to the athletes when they back out? When you play football or any sport, it’s always the theory of “next man up” since we started playing when we were kids. Why can’t teams play when their current coach takes another job somewhere else? I think the ESPN selection show is a bunch of BS as well. Notre Dame does have a beef there. Going out to play the bowl game and showcase the talent to rub their faces in it would be a better option than closing down the shop too early. What about some players that may be seniors and will not get a chance to play in a bowl game because you gave up? The line, “Always next year or tomorrow,” is one of the worst in sports.

Why does ESPN have so much power just because of the money and telecasts? Is this the same network that has a chubby for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox 24/7? Maybe Alabama is their cash cow in College football for ESPN over the Catholic institution. College football has many problems. The playoff system that they have in place is horrific. You may need more divisions along with more playoff formats in college football because there’s too many teams. Too many overpacked conferences. The transfer portal seems worse than any professional sports free agency. Then the coaches getting out of contracts is a joke. In basketball, players treat the college level like a minor league system to the pros. Then in football you have the players that will sit because they seek riches in the NFL. College football is a league with too many moving parts that they can’t control. Too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s that simple. It comes down to money and greed like everything in sports, it seems. Notre Dame will be the butt of many jokes and memes because they quit when they hit a bump in the road. I would be embarrassed if I was a die hard fan of this historic institution. In the end, who you hurt the most is the students and the fans of the Fighting Irish. Trying to get justice would have been playing the bowl game while getting the morons in the selection committee fired. Finding a better solution so this shenanigans does not occur again. Most of the time these guys are not good at what they do when it comes to ranking teams. I feel like I just watched an episode of dodge ball on the playground at ten years of age. They may be better experts on ranking the teams than what we have in place over at the Network.

PAT FITZGERALD IS RETURNING TO THE BIG TEN AS THE NEXT SPARTANS HEAD COACH

December 5, 2025 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

Many people from around the Chicagoland area will tell you Pat Fitzgerald got a raw deal being fired from the University of Northwestern in 2022 . Fitzgerald was the face of the Northwestern University football program for decades as a player, assistant coach, & then taking over as the head coach. He was a local guy who grew up on the southside of Chicago. It was not the record at the end that would get the coach fired. He was suspended & then fired because graphic incidents of hazing with his players emerged on his watch. Fitzgerald claimed he did not know anything about it. The investigation by the University says it was a well known thing. In August of 2025, Northwestern University settled a lawsuit with their former head coach which ended that chapter. Now Fitzgerald will return to the Big Ten with a different school and program. Michigan State has signed Fitzgerald to a 5 year deal worth 30 million for him to be their next head coach. Fitzgerald, a local kid from the Chicagoland area, played linebacker for the Wildcats for 4 seasons and suddenly Northwestern had a solid football program in the Big Ten conference.

Pat Fitzgerald as a player put life into a dead football program that was in the grave for decades rotting. He played linebacker for the Wild Cats from 1993-96. In 1995 the Northwestern Wildcats had a 10-1 record and were awarded with a trip to the Rose Bowl. It was only the university’s second bowl appearance and first since 1949. That’s how bad Northwestern was, which was known for their academic accomplishes more than their sports programs. During the same year the Wildcats beat Notre Dame in South Bend who were ranked number 9 at the time, as Fitzgerald had 11 tackles in that game. It was the first time Northwestern had beat the Irish since 1962. The Wildcats also beat Michigan that year 19-13 and they were ranked number 7. Fitzgerald was a wild man in that game with 14 tackles, two of them were loss of yards on the plays. It was the first time the Wildcats beat Michigan since 1959. Fitzgerald averaged 13 tackles a game in 1995. The awards he achieved on the college gridiron would lead you to think he would have been at least drafted by an NFL team. He was 2x winner of the Bronco Nagurski award along with being a 2x winner of the Chuck Bednarik award. He won the Jack Lambert award in 1996. He was 2x All-American along with being a 2x Big Ten defensive player of the year. In 1997 he earned the Big Ten medal of honor. In 2003 he was inducted in the Northwestern Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. After college he did sign with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. He was given his walking papers after two preseason games and then went into coaching. He worked with a few other college programs. Then in 2001 he resurfaced on the Northwestern campus as a defensive backs coach.

Pat Fitzgerald continued to climb the ranks of the coaching world with Northwestern. It was the sudden death of Randy Walker who was the head coach of the Wildcats that gave Fitzgerald his first chance at being a head coach at the college level. From 2006 until 2022, it was all Pat Fitzgerald running the Northwestern football program. He played at Northwestern. He worked as an assistant coach for 5 seasons & then had a long run as head coach at Northwestern where which he set new records for the long history of the school. His record overall was 110-101. His 110 wins, and 64 wins in the Big Ten conference, are school records. He was the first ever coach at Northwestern to take his team to back-to-back bowl games. He had 5 straight seasons from 2008-12 where his team reached a bowl game. Then he had his team getting to 4 straight bowl games from 2015-18. He took the Wildcats to ten bowl games and won 5 of them. He won two coach of the year awards. Most recently was 2020 when he had his team at 7-2 and in the Big Ten Championship. They would go on to play in the Citrus Bowl and win it versus Auburn University. After that he did not do too well. His teams only won 4 games in his last two seasons going 3-9 in 2021 then 1-11 in 2022. From 2019-22, his record as a head coach was 14-31. Perhaps Northwestern should have fired him for his record rather than the alleged hazing incidents.

For Michigan State University, they continue down the same path hiring guys that have created drama or scandals for the program and school. In 2023, the University fired Mel Tucker who was the Spartans head coach at the time for sexual misconduct allegations. Tucker sexually harassed an anti-rape activist who was a vendor the school hired as a speaker to speak to the team. What a fucker, the Tucker was trying to get laid from a anti-rapist who probably would not like strong come-ons the coach may have been throwing at her. Who knows what else he was doing. Then recently the university fired Jonathan Smith, a guy who inherited NCAA violations from that other guy we named. He was fired for his team performance on the field which did not even last two full seasons. Some will say how the hell did Pat Fitzgerald get fired? All the details were published about the hazing incidents by two former players that played for Northwestern in the school newspaper. The school’s investigation came up empty about Fitzgerald knowing anything. The Penn State situation years and years ago was worse with allegations against their famous head coach, Joe Paterno. He was part of the cover up of his assistant coach Jerry Sandusky when he sexually assaulted children. Paterno denied accusations that he knew about it. The FBI investigation back then concluded Paterno and others failed to protect the children. Penn State University settled law suits from the Paterno family back in 2020. Fitzgerald sued the school in a wrongful termination lawsuit. In August of 2025, Northwestern University settled that lawsuit with their former head coach.

Pat Fitzgerald may have known about the hazing going on in his program. How much do you think he knew? If he did not know about this man, did get fired for the wrong reasons? The hazing incidents are probably disturbing especially in the world we live in today. Times have changed. The old ways are being abolished. This has been going on since mankind started as we have evolved and we certainly think we are getting better. Many people that don’t want to see Fitzgerald get a second chance in life probably have beliefs about whether criminals deserve a second chance in society. Why we let murderers out to kill again is just absurd. This is about universities and higher learning. They should know better is their rational. Fitzgerald as a player probably went through some type of hazing. He may have not batted an eye because he went through it and life went on, he survived. Did the hazing change? It most certainly could have. Not really clear evidence like a smoking gun to prove he knew. This is hearsay nonsense. Why would the University have settled with Fitzgerald on the lawsuit? It tells me that there is a smoking gun and they made a mistake. I’m sure the university is tired and wants this to conclude. About 8 colleges contacted Fitzgerald about a job offer. Why wouldn’t you kick the tires on Fitz being he is a solid coach? Ending the lawsuit puts Fitzgerald back in play. Will any future evidence come forward on this hazing incident? This is the roll of the dice for Michigan State. New stuff pops out of the woodwork all the time. From my perspective, I don’t know Fitzgerald personally even though he is from the same stomping grounds where I hale from. I always thought he was a good guy with great character. I would not want my daughter or son to have their life ruined from something like hazing. Most everyone in this world is popping some kind of medication for some emotional distress. It is real. No evidence is the big sticking point here. When these things happen why should only the football head coach be fired? All the higher ups in the food chain of the university should be canned because it happened on all their watch. How do we know all those higher ups did not know what was going on? One thing I could tell you a fact about. No hazing will happen at Michigan State as you know Fitzgerald will be all about preventing that from happening to him again. Overall for right now this is a great hire by the Spartans. I know Fitzgerald will get this program better.

MARV LEVY TURNS 100

August 5, 2025 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

Sometimes in life we get stuck in a rut hearing about people dropping like flies. Recently we lost the Godfather of Heavy Metal, Ozzy Osbourne, at the age of 76 to his fight with Parkinson’s. Hulk Hogan went into cardiac arrest and died on the way to the hospital at the age of 71. Then we lost Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg to cancer at the age of 65.

Yesterday the news came out that we lost the beautiful actress Loni Anderson at the age of 79. She played the character Jennifer Marlowe on one of the funniest comedies of all-time, WKRP in Cincinnati. Losing people in their 60’s or 70’s in my opinion is way too early in life. Over the weekend in Canton. Ohio for the NFL football Hall of Fame festivities, you could witness something extraordinary in life. The Buffalo Bills legendary head coach Marv Levy turned 100 on Sunday and many who were wearing the yellow coats on Saturday, including some of his former players, sang Happy Birthday to the Chicago native.

Marv Levy was enshrined in Canton in 2001 for his 17 years of coaching in the NFL. He left Harvard law school to become a football coach. When he broke the news to his father who was a former military man, there was a long pause after Marv told his dad what he wanted to do. Finally his father said, “Be a good one.”

Marv Levy’s journey started with being recruited to the University of Wyoming as a defensive back. The coach then left and so did Marv, as he transferred to Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There he played football, basketball, and ran track. He landed a degree in literature and he was a member of the Phi Kappa society as well as belonging to the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Then he went on to Harvard where he earned a Master of Arts in English History degree. Before he coached in the NFL, he started his journey in the college game. From 1973-1977 he was head coach of the Montreal Alouettes where he won 2 Grey Cups. In 1978 he landed the head coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs where he coached 5 seasons there until he was let go. He left Kansas City with a losing record of 31-42.

His next coaching gig was in the USFL with the Chicago Blitz in 1984. Levy’s lone season where he grew up he had a 5-13 record with the Blitz which was 5th place in the Central division. Then he found his next gig in Buffalo in 1986. With the Bills he brought Buffalo back from the land of the dead where he coached 12 seasons. In 12 seasons in Buffalo, his regular season record was 112-70, went 11-8 in post-season, and brought the Bills to 4 straight Superbowls. He won 4 AFC Championships and six division titles along with 8 playoff berths from 1986-1997. Unfortunately the Bills lost all those Superbowls and the first one from a wide right kick heard around the world that would have won it if it had went through the golden up rights. His NFL regular season record all-time was 143-112. His record as a professional football head coach, he went 191-156 in regular season. The post-season combined he went 18-11. In 1988 he won SN coach of the year. He’s also a 2x winner of the UPI Coach of the Year award.

Born in 1925, Marv Levy right now is the oldest living member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Being from Chicago, he did root for the wrong team in baseball. Not many people can say that they saw the last two World Series for the Chicago Cubs. In 1945 he was in the Army Air Corps and had a furlough that allowed him to see game 7 of that series versus the Tigers. The Tigers won that World Series. In 2016, Levy was able to go to game 7 of that Cubs World Series versus the Cleveland Indians at which they won it all and broke over a 100 year drought. Levy has written multiple books including a children’s book about the “Go Go Cubs” in 2016 breaking that 108 year drought they had. Levy used that Harvard Master of Arts in English History degree with some epic game speeches throughout his coaching career. His famous Pregame huddle speech asked: “Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?”

Marv Levy had some of his former players on hand during the Canton festivities that included Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and James Lofton leading the charge for the famous birthday song. Even the crowd on hand could not help singing along for Levy’s 100th year on this earth still sharp as a tack. All the sadness in the world today makes things like this story about one of the good guys in coaching and just in life, make your day witnessing that moment at that time. I wished the Bills could have won at least one of those Superbowls in the 1990’s. The coaching, the plan, the plotting, the motivation to pick up this team after a bad Superbowl loss and march them right back there the following year is amazing work itself. Many teams that lose the big game suffer through a hangover the next season and most of the time they miss the post-season. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARV!!!

SEASON 2 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

June 7, 2025 / thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

The UFL regular season concluded last week and the 4 best teams in the league made it to the post-season. Each conference will have their championship this weekend to see who will make it to the UFL’s season 2 title game in St.Louis. It’s DC Defenders visiting St.Louis BattleHawks for the XFL Conference title game. Then the Michigan Panthers visiting Birmingham Stallions for the USFL title game. Will the Stallions end up winning their 4th straight championship? Will St.Louis do their Tom Brady impression and host a title game at their home stadium to win it all? The Panthers do not play like kittens. Will the Defenders beer snake travel to St.Louis? Lots of questions & perhaps not enough answers. We may answer some of your questions with the UFL playoff preview and our own predictions. Both games are Sunday and they should be epic outcomes. Hope you enjoy!!!

UFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS

XFL CONFERENCE

Favorite: BattleHawks 2.5 points

#2. DC DEFENDERS (6-4) AT ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (8-2)

HEAD TO HEAD THIS SEASON: Defenders (1-1) BattleHawks

UFL RECORD ALL-TIME HEAD TO HEAD 2 SEASONS: BattleHawks (3-1) Defenders

The BattleHawks and Defenders hate each other which always makes a playoff game even more intense. These two teams hated each other back in the XFL days. The Defenders and BattleHawks split the season series. The last meeting was a BattleHawks win. However you know both teams were not showing anything new. Both teams were also resting players knowing they are meeting up in the post season a week later. You could say the Defenders victory over BattleHawks in week 3 is the only legit thing we have to work with. The BattleHawks have a different quarterback since the last time these two teams went at it with all their guys on the field. The BattleHawks went on to win the XFL Conference and have the best record in the entire league.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS ON OFFENSE

POINTS PER GAME: St.Louis averaged 23.1 PPG while DC averaged 22.5 PPG

The Defenders have the best aerial attack in the league.

Jordan Ta’amu is one of the best quarterbacks in the UFL. He was second in the league in passing yards with 2,153 and first in touchdown passes with 17. He only threw 4 interceptions.

The BattleHawks starting quarterback is a duel threat QB who relies on his legs over his arm. Max Duggan got the job when Manny Wilkens went down with a season ending injury. Duggan had 4 passing touchdowns with 4 interceptions. Duggan won all the games he started for the BattleHawks.

The BattleHawks can run the football as they are one of the top rushing teams in the league. Jacob Saylors finished 2nd in the league with 499 rushing yards. Max Duggan had another 299 rushing yards with 5 rushing touchdowns.

Both teams average about the same amount points per game this season. The Defenders rely on the pass while the BattleHawks rely on the run. The BattleHawks have some play makers that can catch the ball and change the game in the air. Hakeem Butler’s numbers were down this season, but he is a big target for St.Louis if Duggan can hit on some play action passes, he is a threat.

DEFENSE

POINTS ALLOWED: The Defenders allow 21.6 PPG while the BattleHawks allow 16.0 points per game

The Defenders need to cause turnovers to be successful. While the BattleHawks defensive unit is solid from the front to the back with guys that can get the turnovers as well. The BattleHawks don’t rely on them like the Defenders need them.

Pita Taumoepenu led the UFL this season in sacks with 7.5. The BattleHawks’ Willie Harvey is one of the best linebackers in the league and a tackling machine.

Not like father and son in DC. Since Gregg Williams left to Tennessee State following Reggie Barlow out the door to Tennessee State, the defense has not been the same. The Defenders gave the job to Gregg’s son and they still come after the QB but not like they used to.

The BattleHawks defense is by far the better unit this season and seems to be getting better as the season went along.

COACHING

You have to chalk up the experience of the BattleHawks Head coach Anthony Becht, former NFL tight end. He has the BattleHawks in the post-season two straight seasons. The new guy, Shannon Harris, acts more like a player than a head coach. Letting Skip Holtz have it after beating the Stallions in week 1 that he had bulletin board material that worked him up. As a head coach you need thicker skin. Sure, use the bulletin board material to help pump up your team without letting them know it’s getting under your skin.

PREDICTION

I can’t see the BattleHawks losing two straight seasons hosting a conference championship game. Last year the San Antonio Brahmas shocked the BattleHawks. This BattleHawks team has the experience and deeper roster than the Defenders. The BattleHawks have been very good at home with the best fan base in the UFL. The Defenders have won in St.Louis. They will put up a fight. I think cooler heads prevail as Anthony Becht’s team shows they have more discipline and avoid football stupid.

OUR PICK: ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS

USFL CONFERENCE

Favorite: Stallions favored by 1.5 points.

#2. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (6-4) AT BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (7-3)

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD THIS SEASON: Stallions (2-0) Panthers

UFL RECORD ALL-TIME HEAD TO HEAD 2 SEASONS: Stallions (5-0) Panthers

The Panthers and Stallions is a rematch from the 2024 USFL conference title game. That went to the Stallions as they are the defending champions coming into this title game. It seems like the Stallions are always the defending champions because they are looking for their 4th straight title in 4 straight seasons. Two in the USFL and now are trying to repeat in the UFL. The last time the Panthers beat the Stallions, you have to go back to 1983 in regular season of the USFL.

It was the year the Michigan Panthers were the champions. Since the reboot of the USFL, the Stallions have owned the Panthers with a 7-0 record all-time.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS ON OFFENSE

POINTS PER GAME: The Panthers averaged 24.5 PPG while the Stallions averaged 24.4 PPG

These two teams are very close to each other numbers-wise in stats on both the offense and defense. The quarterback match up in this title game will be must see television.

The Stallions went through 4 different quarterbacks this season, even bringing back the old guys of their glory days. J’Mar Smith was managing a Dunkin Donuts when he got the call from his head coach that he was needed once again. Smith came out of retirement and helped his former team to the number one seed in the USFL conference. Smith was the guy for Skip Holtz’s first ever Stallions USFL title they won in the original reboot. Smith in few games has tallied 758 passing yards with six touchdowns and 1 interception.

Bryce Perkins was red hot before he suffered an injury for the Panthers. He tallied up 1,342 passing yards with 9 touchdown passes which is good for number 2 in the UFL. He only had two interceptions. Perkins is a duel threat quarterback that does well with his arm and legs. Perkins had 269 yards on the ground with 5 rushing touchdowns. Obviously the Panthers have been resting him for this moment to slay the dragon.

RUNNING GAME

Both the Panthers and Stallions use running back by committee in their rushing attack. The Panthers average 127.8 yards per game with Nate McCrary as the main guy.

McCrary has racked up 380 rushing yards this season. The other head of this Panther two-headed monster is Toa Taua who is very good in the red zone scoring rushing touchdowns as he has six this season.

The Stallions rely on two of their staple backs they have had for years in Birmingham. Ricky Person Jr. has racked up 310 rushing yards this season. C.J Marable is also a guy they rely on in the running game and passing attack. The Stallions average 105.8 rushing yards per game.

THE PLAY MAKERS

The Stallions average 206.6 yards per game throwing the ball. Deon Cain is the Stallions top weapons in that department as he had 514 receiving yards this season. The Panthers average 192.9 passing yards per game. Their top wide receiver is Siaosi Mariner who has racked up 527 receiving yards.

Both teams are well balanced on offense. Both teams have quarterbacks that can get important yardage with their legs. It’s too close to call who has the better offense.

DEFENSE

POINTS ALLOWED: The Panthers allow 19.5 points per game while the Stallions D allows 16.2 point per game.

These are two of the most respected defenses in the league when you talk about what the Stallions and Panthers can do defending. The Panthers have a strong rushing defense and can put the Denver boot on the opponent’s running game. The Panthers defense lacks the sacks this season. However they did get their stud defensive player of the year back in the mix, Breeland Speaks, who missed most of the season.

The Panthers have two guys from their secondary that made all UFL team. Kendrick Whitehead Jr. and Arnold Tarpley III have had a great season containing the opponent’s passing game.

The Stallions defense were number one in multiple stat categories. They had the most sacks. They allowed the least amount of points, rushing touchdowns and first downs.

The Stallions have multiple players we can talk about on that stellar defense. The heart and soul of this Stallions defense has to be Kyahva Tezino, the former Pittsburgh Mauler. They also have A.J Thomas, so two guys that make the tackles. Both these guys are also play makers on the defensive side.

Both defenses are very close as I would give the Stallions having the edge overall.

COACHING

You know Skip Holtz, head coach of the Stallions, has to be in the mind of Panthers head coach Mike Nolan. Nolan has never beat Holtz as he is 0-5 versus Skip. Both Nolan and Holtz are two of the best coaches in this league. I have to give Skippy the edge here.

Skip Holtz owns Mike Nolan’s Panthers right now.

PREDICTION

I feel like if any team will get an upset between the Panthers and Defenders, it would go to Michigan. They say this is Michigan’s best team ever, even over the 1983 team that won it all in the USFL. The 1980’s seem to be so far in the past to compare these two teams like that. Skip Holtz has been here and done this 3 straight years. He has many of the players still on that team from year one. J’Mar Smith looks like he hit the fountain of youth coming back into the league after retiring. He was not the starter year 2 and year 3, so he lost his mojo after season 1 somehow. Is Bryce Perkins going to be rusty after missing several weeks with his injury? These two teams met in week 9 and it was a close affair. The Panther lost the game 26-22 with their back up, Danny Etling, playing in that one. This is a very hard match up to choose. Until I see Skip Holtz and the Stallions losing in the post-season, how do you bet against them? The Stallions will be at home & they play very well in front of the home crowd. The Stallions fans have not been turning out to the games like they used to. I can see them getting more butts in the seats in this game.

OUR PREDICTION: STALLIONS

The Wild shamrock

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PAT FITZGERALD IS RETURNING TO THE BIG TEN AS THE NEXT SPARTANS HEAD COACH

MARV LEVY TURNS 100

SEASON 2 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS