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| Nathan Branch, LDE, Memphis Showboats (92) |
The USFL/WFL has had five different franchises win the World Bowl in six seasons. Anybody want to go for six out of seven?
The
Memphis Showboats went from wild-card playoff entrant to World Bowl champions last season. The Showboats had a significant roster turnover during the offseason, and it remains to be seen how all those changes will affect the reigning champions.
We do know the Showboats are getting older — 13 players with nine or more years of pro experience, including World Bowl MVP QB Antonio Wilson (15), LDE Nathan Branch (11), CB Richard Glasgow (11), formerly of the Georgia Force, and RB Gregory Shea (9). So the window may not be closed for Memphis, but it may only be open for a bit longer.
The Showboats will face some significant competition in the Southwest Division, the
Oklahoma Outlaws and
San Antonio Gunslingers. Oklahoma was 14-2 last season and the No. 1 seed entering the playoffs, but lost to Memphis and must now enter the 1980 season with a rookie head coach (RoyceR) and a 10th-year QB (Dale Brown). The Gunslingers (9-7) were only a game behind Memphis (10-6) when the 1979 regular season ended. The rebuilding
Houston Gamblers (3-13) will be a year older and a year wiser.
The USFL/WFL regular season begins Friday with some outstanding matchups, including the
Portland Storm at
Denver Gold,
Oklahoma Outlaws at
San Antonio Gunslingers, and
Baltimore Stars at
Pittsburgh Maulers.
A look at the other divisions:
Pacific Division
The
Los Angeles Express (11-5) won the World Bowl two seasons ago and have claimed four consecutive division titles. LAX will be the heavy favorite to make it five in a row. The
Honolulu Hawaiians (8-8) have been at .500, one game over .500, or one game under .500 for five of their six seasons. The
Southern California Sun (5-11) set a franchise record for victories last season, finishing third at the expense of the
San Jose SaberCats (2-14).
West Division
The West is perennially the most entertaining division race. In 1979, four teams finished the season within one game of each other. There hasn't been a big gap in the standings since 1975. The
Portland Storm (9-7) won the division on the final day of the regular season, the same day the
Denver Gold (9-7) lost the title and missed the playoffs. That could turn around in 1980, but the
Arizona Wranglers (8-8) and
Oakland Invaders (8-8) will also have something to say about it.
Midwest Division
The
Cleveland Thunderbolts (12-4) continue to assert themselves and are on the cusp of winning a World Bowl. The two-time World Bowl champion
Detroit Wheels (12-4), meanwhile, are beginning to show their age as well as the psychological effects from the uncertainty of their coaching situation. The
Chicago Blitz (7-9) and
Michigan Panthers (5-9) continue to gain ground on Detroit and might provoke an interesting three-way race for second place behind Cleveland.
Southeast Division
The
Tampa Bay Bandits (13-3) are 63-7 in their last 70 regular-season games, but somehow are still seeking their first league championship. In fact, no National Conference team has won the World Bowl since the
Florida Blazers took World Bowl I. Maybe it's time for the National Conference, and the Bandits, to assert themselves? The
Orlando Renegades (10-6) just missed the 1979 playoffs, while the Blazers (6-10) and
Jacksonville Bulls (2-14) look toward a brighter future.
South Division
The
New Orleans VooDoo (10-6) and
Shreveport Steamer (10-6) battled wire-to-wire last season. Both made the playoffs, but both lost in the first round. In fact, South Division teams are 0-5 in the playoffs against teams outside their division since the VooDoo made it to the World Bowl in 1976. The
Birmingham Stallions (4-12) are getting their act together under former Oakland coach Wolveraider and the
Georgia Force (4-12) have embarked upon rebuilding under former coach (now new coach) tribewriter.
Atlantic Division
The
Pittsburgh Maulers (13-3), like Tampa Bay, should have a World Bowl trophy in their case by now. The Maulers have won six division titles in a row. The
Baltimore Stars (8-8) and
Washington Federals (7-9) are both making up ground, but both may be one more season away from knocking off Pittsburgh. If the
Charlotte Hornets go 1-15 this season, they will have nearly created the perfect bell curve on their victory chart — 1, 2, 3, 6, 3, 2, and 1.
East Division
The
New Jersey Generals (13-3) closed the regular season with 10 consecutive wins, then played their way into the World Bowl for the first time. They would love to go back, but must get there through Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh again.The
New York Stars (12-4) have a new coach, brxnivy, who hopes to get them farther than they got under the departed tribewriter. The
Philadelphia Bell (7-9) set a franchise record for victories last season and could challenge New York for second place. The
Boston Breakers (1-15) began the slow, painful process of reconstructing an aging roster by taking CB Charles Bowles with the first pick of the draft.
