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Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 UFL Power Rankings: Battlehawks enter postseason on top
With the 2025 UFL regular season coming to an end, only one of three Texas teams will finish with a losing record, while the defending UFL champion Birmingham Stallions are rounding into playoff form. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Battlehawks, winners of six straight heading into the postseason, look every bit as capable of winning their first spring league title. That said, here's a look at my updated UFL Power Rankings following Week 10: 8. San Antonio Brahmas (1-9) Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A Jashaun Corbin ended the season with the UFL rushing title after picking up 55 yards on 10 rushes in the final week of the season. But that's about all the Brahmas will take with them in a season where former head coach Wade Phillips stepped down and Payton Pardee was thrust into the interim head coaching role. The Brahmas, who made the UFL title game a year ago, will enter this offseason looking to rebuild into a team capable of playing in the 2026 postseason. 7. Memphis Showboats (2-8) Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A Not unlike the Brahmas, the Showboats dealt with head coach Ken Whisenhunt stepping down before a third of the season was finished. 6. Houston Roughnecks (5-5) Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A CJ Johnson should be a candidate for UFL Coach of the Year. The Roughnecks won four of their last six games this season. Johnson's decision to play and then stay with QB Jalan McClendon was one of the biggest reasons why the Roughnecks get to go into the offseason without a losing record. 5. Arlington Renegades (5-5) Current odds to win 2025 title: N/A After completing 26 of 32 passes for 283 yards in the Renegades' Week 10 win over the Brahmas, Luis Perez won the UFL passing title with 2,298 yards while completing more than 70% of his passes this season. He has been the most consistent QB in the league, and he has shown himself to be one of the two best QBs in the league over the past three weeks. The Renegades scored 20 points in the second quarter and held that advantage until the Brahmas scored their final points of the season in the fourth quarter. 4. DC Defenders (6-4) Current odds to win 2025 title: +450 In a sloppy-field, rain-delayed final game of the season and with presumptive MVP Jordan Ta'amu on the sideline, the Defenders' offense looked like a shell of itself. Even so, backup QB Mike DiLiello accounted for 202 total yards and a touchdown against the regular-season XFL Conference champion Battlehawks. As this game acted as a preliminary for the XFL Conference Championship Game, no one was expected to show much. Interim coach Shannon Harris didn't want to jeopardize the health of his star player before the postseason, and that's understandable. But that also means the Defenders bring a two-game losing streak with them to St. Louis. 3. Michigan Panthers (6-4) Current odds to win 2025 title: +255 Without QB Bryce Perkins, the Panthers missed the kind of playmaking that led to them qualifying for the USFL Conference Championship Game. Backups Danny Etling and Rocky Lombardi completed just 13 of 30 passes for 124 yards with two interceptions. The Panthers take a two-game losing streak into the postseason against the defending UFL and three-time spring football league champion Stallions. 2. Birmingham Stallions (7-3) Current odds to win 2025 title: +235 Behind two pick-sixes from linebacker Tae Crowder, the Stallions left no doubt about how they're rounding into form right when they need to with two games left to play for a possible fourth consecutive spring football championship. After playing five different quarterbacks in a 10-week season, Skip Holtz looks to have found his postseason starter in J'Mar Smith, who finished 13-of-17 for 127 yards with a touchdown in a Week 10 win over Memphis. The Stallions have won four of their last five, with their only loss coming by a single point to the Battlehawks. 1. St. Louis Battlehawks (8-2) Current odds to win 2025 title: +200 The Battlehawks cemented their position as the best team in the regular season in 2025 with a workmanlike win against the second-best team in the XFL Conference and their starting quarterback, Max Duggan, on the bench. Quarterback Brandon Silvers needed to attempt just eight passes in the win, while the Battlehawk defense held the Defenders to just two points in the first three quarters of their final home game. With the XFL and UFL championship games taking place in St. Louis, the Battlehawks would benefit from home field advantage for the entirety of the playoffs. All they have to do is win. RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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Fox Sports
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 UFL Power Rankings: Panthers on the rise, Defenders slide after Week 6
Week 6 of the 2025 UFL season was filled with plenty of thrilling results, including a statement win by the Michigan Panthers . The opening two games of the weekend were decided by a combined seven points, as the Battlehawks topped the Renegades on Friday night, 12-6, while the Roughnecks survived against the Showboats, 21-20, in a dramatic contest on Saturday. The most notable result of the weekend came on Sunday as the Panthers cruised to a 38-14 victory over the Defenders, while the Stallions closed out the weekend with a dominant 26-3 win over the Brahmas. With that, it's time for my updated UFL Power Rankings following a jam-packed Week 6: 8. San Antonio Brahmas (1-5) Week 6 result: Lost to Birmingham, 26-3 Interim coach Payton Pardee was looking for a spark for his team's offense, giving Kevin Hogan his first start for the Brahmas this season. Hogan played well, completing 17 of 26 passes for 179 yards with an interception, but he could only do so much with a rushing attack that garnered just 24 yards in the game. The Brahmas needed a win against Birmingham to give themselves a realistic shot at getting back to the playoffs. But with four games left to play and three games out of first place in the XFL, San Antonio will find it difficult to play postseason football after winning the conference title last season. 7. Memphis Showboats (1-5) Week 6 result: Lost to Houston, 21-20 Dressen Winn completed 22 of 34 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his second start of the season. But the Showboats fell a possession short. Now, Memphis is in the same predicament that the Brahmas are in, looking at the standings three games back with four weeks left to play. While Dee Anderson caught five passes for 47 yards, star wideout Jonathan Adams caught just two of five targeted passes in a game where the Showboats could've used his big-play ability. 6. Houston Roughnecks (3-3) Week 6 result: Defeated Memphis, 21-20 The Roughnecks have become a different team with Jalan McClendon at quarterback. The former NC State and Baylor QB completed 20 of 28 passes for 149 yards with a touchdown in a 21-20 win over Memphis. McClendon's impact on the team has made the offense functional, opportunistic and has put the Roughnecks in position to achieve a winning record after the halfway mark of the season. The Roughnecks scored 11 points off of turnovers, and the offense played turnover-free football, allowing its defense to stay in a game that came down to the final minutes before Houston walked away with the win. 5. Birmingham Stallions (4-2) Week 6 result: Defeated San Antonio, 26-3 Though Case Cookus started the game, the Stallions needed to play a different quarterback due to injury for the fourth game in six weeks. Still, Cookus and backup Andrew Peasley were more than enough for the Stallions to secure a 23-point win against San Antonio. Cookus played his best game of the season, completing 16 of 23 passes for 166 passing yards and two touchdowns. Kicker Harrison Mevis put the game out of reach for the Brahmas with field goals of 49 and 50 yards in the third quarter, while the Stallion defense didn't allow a single third-down conversion — holding San Antonio to 0-for-10 — and notched more sacks (four) than it allowed points (three). 4. DC Defenders (4-2) Week 6 result: Lost to Michigan, 38-14 Despite another great performance by quarterback Jordan Ta'amu, who completed 19 of 36 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a brilliant nine-catch, 144-yard receiving day from wide receiver Chris Rowland, the Defenders were summarily sacked by the Panthers. The loss moved the Defenders into a tie for first place as the team's rush defense was exposed on Saturday. The Defenders gave up more than 200 rushing yards while the team gave up 90 yards in penalties. Interim head coach Shannon Harris will find plenty for his defense to fix before this weekend, but the Defenders are still in good shape to win the XFL Conference, if they can regain their form. 3. Arlington Renegades (3-3) Week 6 result: Lost to St. Louis, 12-6 The Renegades committed four turnovers, including three lost fumbles, in what was a one-score game with their most immediate competition for the second playoff spot in the XFL Conference. On a weekend filled with games that had major playoff implications, the Renegade offense couldn't run or throw the ball with efficiency. Kalen Ballage, the league's leading rusher heading into Week 6, finished with nine rushes for just 30 yards. While the Renegade defense played admirably, allowing just 171 total yards, one big play was enough to dash their chances of a win. 2. St. Louis Battlehawks (4-2) Week 6 result: Defeated Arlington, 12-6 Hakeem Butler made the difference. His 30-yard touchdown grab was the only TD scored in the contest. Since returning to the field in Week 5, the reigning UFL Offensive Player of the Year has recorded three catches and all three have resulted in TDs. The Battlehawks earned a win against an Arlington team that is also vying for a spot in the XFL playoffs. Former TCU QB Max Duggan completed just seven passes for 93 yards while the St. Louis' offense converted just three of 13 third-down conversion attempts. Meanwhile, St. Louis' defense took advantage of its prodigious crowd advantage and recorded 5.5 sacks and an interception against Arlington. 1. Michigan Panthers (4-2) Week 6 result: Defeated DC, 38-14 Bryce Perkins put together his best performance of the season, and the rest of the Panthers joined him. Perkins completed 13 of 18 passes for 188 yards, rushed for 76 yards on nine carries and proved responsible for three touchdowns in a dominant win over what was the best team in the UFL through the first half of the season. Running back Toa Taua led all rushers with 94 yards on 19 carries as the Panthers rolled for 213 yards on the ground. The Michigan defense allowed just two scores on nine Defender drives and gave its offense an average starting field position at its own 42-yard line. By contrast, the Defenders began with an average starting field position at their own 22-yard line. RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience United Football League recommended Get more from United Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
