The USFL/WFL begins its fifth season May 8. This league prides itself on competitive balance (26 of 32 teams have made at least one playoff appearance), but the Detroit Wheels apparently never got that memo.
Detroit will be seeking its third consecutive championship after having outlasted the Tampa Bay Bandits, 29-22, in World Bowl IV. The Wheels return almost all of the key players from that team, including former league MVP Mario Valencia and offensive Rookie of the Year TE Zachary Powell. Detroit added 90-rated running back Matthew Mitchell in a trade with Orlando. The Wheels have 11 players rated 80 or higher.
But, they also have 14 players with eight or more pro seasons of mileage, so maybe age will eventually catch up to them and balance can be restored to the force ... I mean the top of the league (sorry, this is May 4 after all).
The league welcomes three new coaches in Big Poppa (Oklahoma Outlaws), chermy10 (Washington Federals), and Jaybo911 (Philadelphia Bell). Coach adamsneeka (Jacksonville Bulls) came in at the end of last season.
A quick look, by divisions.
Midwest Division
Detroit is riding a 26-game overall win streak, so that brings us to a question. How good would the
Cleveland Thunderbolts be in any other division? Pretty good, we are guessing. LDE Jim Zarate was the defensive Rookie of the Year on a team that has won 24 games in two seasons under coach jabillups85 but is 0-2 in the playoffs. The
Michigan Panthers continue to add young studs to their roster. Michigan beat the
Chicago Blitz for the first time last season and could pass them in the 1978 standings. Former MVP Daniel McKee's quarterback rating has declined three consecutive seasons.
Southwest Division
The
Oklahoma Outlaws won their first division title and made their first playoff appearance last season under a rookie head coach. With a seasoned veteran coach taking over, and the league's all-time receiving leader (WR Dusty Heckman) still in place, the Outlaws could be setting up for a long run of success. The
San Antonio Gunslingers won the first three division titles, then totally fell off the wagon last season (5-11). Look for a bounce-back season from San Antonio. The
Memphis Showboats have perhaps the league's most exciting player in RB/KR Gregory Shea and just need some stability to field a contender. The
Houston Gamblers could get there if they could just win a game inside their division. Houston is 4-20 (.167) all-time against Southwest teams, 13-27 (.325) against everybody else.
West Division
The
Arizona Wranglers won their first division title and made their first playoff appearance last year, but had to go into the postseason without injured QB Jerry Montalvo. If they stay healthy, the Wranglers could go farther this season. The
Oakland Invaders, who won World Bowl II, still have many of those stars in place and should battle Arizona and the
Portland Storm for the top of the division. The Storm missed the playoffs for the first time in 1977, but, like Oakland, still have plenty of stars in place. The
Denver Gold have been hindered by playing in a loaded division, but doubled their victory total from 1976 (3-13 to 6-10), beat Portland and took Arizona down to the wire twice.
Pacific Division
The
Los Angeles Express have won the last two division crowns, but have run into Detroit twice in the playoffs and come to a screeching halt. Maybe this is the year? Seth Wynn ran for 1,370 yard for LAX last season and WR Robert Herrera accumulated 2,160 receiving yards. The
Honolulu Hawaiians and
San Jose SaberCats tied for second place in the division last season at 8-8 and could do so again this time around. Honolulu's starting defensive front four combined for 60 sacks. San Jose will contend as long as The Unbreakable David Schmitt remains their QB. His QBR has improved from 60 to 82 to 88 in three pro seasons. The
Southern California Sun keep trying different directions in hopes of gaining some forward momentum.
Southeast Division
By the time you read this, the
Tampa Bay Bandits will have clinched the division title. Tampa Bay was 2 minutes away from winning the World Bowl last season and are a combined 30-2 over the last two regular seasons. The
Orlando Renegades have gone into semi-rebuilding mode, trading away veterans like Mitchell and CB Michael Ellis (New York Stars). The
Jacksonville Bulls and
Florida Blazers continue to build their franchises in hopes of catching Tampa Bay someday.
South Division
The
Shreveport Steamer front office threw a big retirement party recently ... for players on another team. When the
Birmingham Stallions lost three of the league's all-time best (QB Agustin Crook, OT Ben Arnold, WR Bruno Fredericks), it certainly increased the changes of Shreveport repeating as division champ. The
Georgia Force were only one win away from the playoffs and could be right there again. We don't know what to make of the
New Orleans VooDoo. They were in the World Bowl two seasons ago, then fell to 1-15 last season. So, you tell me.
Atlantic Division
After 11 games last season, the
Baltimore Stars were 8-3 and the
Pittsburgh Maulers were 6-4-1. Suddenly, one team shifted into "drive," the other into "reverse." Baltimore lost five in a row while Pittsburgh won five in a row to claim its fourth consecutive division title. Maybe the Stars can hang on a while longer this time around, but the Maulers will be favored to make it five straight. The
Charlotte Hornets have improved their record three consecutive years under coach UKRAIN and could battle Baltimore for second place this season. The
Washington Federals have begun the process under a new head coach and this team has enough talent to make that rebuild a quick one.
East Division
The
New Jersey Generals started off 2-5, then won eight in a row and knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs. The Generals are likely to capture that momentum again and reclaim the division title. The
New York Stars have won the last two division crowns, but were whupped by New Jersey in the teams' second meeting last season, a game that showcased their deficiencies. The
Boston Breakers drafted the oldest team in the league in 1974 and now have more grandfathers in their locker room than anyone else in the USFL/WFL — 24 players with 9 or more pro seasons. BUT, they were darn good in 1974. The
Philadelphia Bell begins the long road back under a new coach, and have plenty of solid young players to build around.
