UFL Week 5 power rankings: Stallions stay No. 1; Defenders, Showboats slide
Week 5 of the UFL season turned out to be a revealing one for many teams. Every team that went into the weekend with a winning record came out unscathed, improving their records with ease.
What's more, all four games were decided by double digits for the first time this season, and three of those games ended with the winning team scoring at least 32 points.
Three teams have demonstrated to be downright better than the rest of the league at the halfway mark of the season: Birmingham, St. Louis and San Antonio, which have combined to win 13 of their first 15 games.
Stallions, Battlehawks and Brahmas, oh my!
The Stallions and the Battlehawks claim the UFL’s best scoring defense and scoring offense, respectively, and sit atop the USFL and XFL Conferences. With respect, these are the two best teams in the league, no question about that.
In two weeks, respect will be paid when they face each other at Protective Stadium in Birmingham in a matchup that could be a preview of the UFL Championship Game.
That said, let's get to my fifth edition of the 2024 UFL power rankings, with title odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
1. Birmingham Stallions (5-0)
UFL title odds: +130
Not unlike my 2008 Dodge Ram-looking Hillbilly Deluxe, the Stallions have been on their giddyup.
They have not lost a football game in nearly one calendar year. With Saturday's 32-9 win against the only team to beat them before the start of their 12-game winning streak, Birmingham has put a stranglehold on the USFL Conference.
While head coach Skip Holtz’s offense has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, defensive coordinator John Chavis’ unit held a UFL team to single-digit scoring for the first time this season. As they previously demonstrated through the first two years of the USFL, the Stallions remain the standard for excellence in professional spring football.
The Stallions boast the league’s best scoring defense (68 points) and second-best scoring offense (132).
2. St. Louis Battlehawks (4-1)
UFL title odds: +210
St. Louis showed up to Audi Field and dropped a Michael Jordan comeback on the beer-snake-backed denizens of D.C., becoming the first team to score 40 points or more this season with a 45-12 demolition of the Defenders.
After scoring the first 17 points of the game, the Battlehawks turned to their defense, which allowed 12 points in the first half before clamping down for a second-half shutout. Three players notched an interception, and 2023 XFL Defensive Player of the Year Pita Taumoepenu contributed two sacks.
The Battlehawks also made two fourth-down stops and blocked two punts, while Defenders kicker Matt McCrane missed his first field goal of the season.
While the game became lopsided in the fourth quarter with 25 points scored — the most by any team in a single quarter so far this year — the defense needed to step up. That lack of depth and continuity showed with just 280 total yards, even though the offense benefited from four Defenders turnovers.
Iowa State product Hakeem Butler enjoyed his best performance of the season with six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 80 yards.
3. San Antonio Brahmas (4-1)
UFL title odds: +550
The Brahmas got after the Renegades like Bodacious on a rodeo clown.
The Brahmas are now tied for the best record among former XFL teams after their decisive 25-15 road win. The Brahmas put up 190 yards on the ground, thanks in large part to former Baylor running back John Lovett’s 13 rushes for 95 yards.
San Antonio’s bend-but-don’t-break defense held the Renegades to 3-of-14 on third down and 2-of-4 on fourth down. Still, the Brahmas needed a late surge with the game tied at 15-all in the fourth quarter to secure the win and keep pace with the Battlehawks in the XFL Conference.
QB Quentin Dormady will have to clean up his play, as he threw three interceptions in a game the Brahmas looked fortunate to win.
4. Michigan Panthers (3-2)
UFL title odds: +900
Drop them from the Royal Talon Fighter and call them Shuri because the Panthers look like they hit the Heart-Shaped Herb before sinking the Showboats.
The Panthers took one more step toward clinching a spot in the playoffs in the USFL Conference with a decisive 35-18 win on the road against the Showboats at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
With QB E.J. Perry’s move to injury reserve, which made him ineligible to play for the remainder of the season, former LSU signal-caller Danny Etling earned his first start. He picked up right where he left off in relief of Perry in Week 4, completing 14 of 21 passes (66.7%) for 175 yards. He also added a rushing touchdown on the day.
He was helped by an outstanding rushing attack and an opportunistic defense that was able to take advantage of a Memphis offense that has been struggling to protect its quarterback. Safety Kai Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams breakout star Puka Nacua, intercepted a pass for the third-straight week, and running back Wes Hills scored three times in the dominant win.
Panthers' Wes Hills rushes for his third touchdown vs. Showboats
5. DC Defenders (2-3)
UFL title odds: +1300
There's no defense for giving up 45 points, even if your name is the Defenders.
It's getting close to time for the Defenders to make like the Avengers and go get the gems out of Thanos’ gauntlet if they don’t want their playoff hopes to get snapped into dust.
The Defenders looked like a team that could still threaten to make the inaugural UFL playoffs after a close loss to the Stallions in Week 4, but it appears they took two steps back against Battlehawks.
QB Jordan Ta’amu completed just 12 of 23 passes for 101 yards with three interceptions. The Defenders rushing attack, which was one of the best in the XFL last year, hasn’t looked strong this season and was weak against St. Louis' defense.
The Defenders rushed for just 84 yards on 30 carries, a mere 2.8 yards per rush. That simply isn't going to get it done.
6. Houston Roughnecks (1-4)
UFL title odds: +5000
Following their first win of the season, the Roughnecks looked hapless against the Stallions. Their defense gave up 20 points in the second quarter and was just 1-for-4 in the red zone.
There’s still time for Houston to find its way into the playoffs, but with games against the Battlehawks, Brahmas, Stallions, Panthers and Showboats to finish the season, they’ll have to play some of their best football in order to make it happen.
7. Memphis Showboats (1-4)
UFL title odds: +4500
Since winning their first game against the Roughnecks, the Showboats have lost four in a row and their past three by double digits. Defensive coordinator Carnell Lake’s squad has given up an average of 33.3 points in their last three games.
After surrendering 35 points to the Panthers, only the Defenders (138) have allowed more points this season than the Showboats (132), and only the Roughnecks (76) have scored fewer points than the Showboats (86) — which means they're second from last in both offensive and defensive scoring.
Showboats head coach John DeFilippo has his work cut out for him if he expects Memphis to reach the playoffs. Perhaps that turnaround begins with QB Troy Williams, who passed for 248 yards with three touchdowns in Week 5 — including a dazzling 82-yard dime to wideout Daewood Davis.
Showboats' Troy Williams finds Daewood Davis for 82-yard TD vs. Panthers
8. Arlington Renegades (0-5)
UFL title odds: +13000
The Renegades are getting run down.
They just can’t seem to get their offense or defense to work in concert this season. Despite fielding one of the best offenses in the league and boasting the UFL’s most prolific quarterback, the Renegades are still in search of a win and five games back of a playoff spot with five games left to play in the season.
If Bob Stoops’ squad wants an opportunity to defend its XFL title, it will need to start with a win this weekend.
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RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.
