Wednesday, March 20, 2019

1982 Conference Championships: Worst to First?

The chances are 50 percent in favor of someone in the USFL/WFL going worst-to-first this season.

Of the four teams remaining in the playoffs, three finished last in their division within recent memory:

  • Michigan Panthers: Finished last in the Midwest Division in 1981
  • New Orleans VooDoo: Finished last in the South Division in 1981
  • Houston Gamblers: Finished last in the Southwest Division in 1979

What does this mean? It means somebody has really been coaching 'em up. All three coaches (Hellbringer, setherick, greyghost1225) have already gotten at least one vote for Coach of the Year in the ongoing 1982 All-Pro Team balloting.

The New Jersey Generals have actually never finished last in the East Division. They did miss the playoffs in 1974 and 1976, but have qualified for the postseason in each of the last six seasons.

A capsule look at Friday's conference championship games follows.

American Conference

Michigan Panthers (11-5) at Houston Gamblers (15-1)

Both teams are looking for their first-ever World Bowl appearance.

Daniel McCormack
Houston's only loss came to the Oklahoma Outlaws in Week 9, so the Gamblers have won eight in a row, averaging 41 points per game in that span. The Memphis Showboats were able to shut down Houston's attack in the divisional round, but the Gamblers escaped with a 13-10 victory on Daniel McCormack's 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. After Memphis turned the ball over on downs, Houston ran out the final 2:51 (thanks in part to a third-down pass interference penalty on the Showboats).

The Panthers survived the Midwest Division meatgrinder by ending the season on a four-game win streak, then followed up with a wild-card win over Denver and a divisional round win over Honolulu that snapped the Hawaiians' 10-game win streak. During its current six-game string, Michigan has given up only one TD and 28 total points. The Hawaiians threw 72 passes, and six were intercepted, including three by CB Robert Kimball one returned 48 yards for a TD by CB Timothy Hunziker.

Michigan leads the regular-season series with Houston, 4-3, but the Gamblers won, 43-14, in their last meeting (1981). MFN has labeled Houston a 9-point favorite.

National Conference

New Orleans VooDoo (13-3) at New Jersey Generals (14-2)

Jim LeClair
These teams are no strangers to big games. New Jersey is the defending World Bowl champions after falling in the title game two seasons earlier. New Orleans qualified for both World Bowl III and World Bowl VII.

New Jersey's defense has not allowed a TD in its last six games, including a 34-6 pummeling of the Birmingham Stallions in the divisional round. The Generals surrendered only 189 net yards and veteran SLB Jim LeClair returned an interception 31 yards for his team's final score. New Jersey is 6-2 in its last eight playoff games.

New Orleans won six in a row before losing its Week 16 game to Birmingham, then bounced back to edge the Jacksonville Bulls, 7-3, in the divisional round. The VooDoo punted 10 times and were intercepted three times, yet won because Jacksonville drives that began at the New Orleans 35- and 17-yard lines netted the Bulls only one field goal. Bruno Wilson's 5-yard pass to Joseph Baker accounted for the game's only TD.

New Jersey leads the regular-season series, 3-1, including a 14-0 shutout to end the 1981 season. MFN has the Generals as a 7-point favorite.







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