Alt-Football Digest’s UFL Week Nine Power Rankings

Week eight of the UFL season is in the rearview mirror, and several teams are already gearing up for the playoffs. Others are playing for pride. Regardless, the jockeying for position in these all-important power rankings continues. This week, our esteemed panel consists of the following:

-Anthony Miller

-John Lewis

-Mike Mitchell

-Greg Parks

The collective rankings are based on a scoring system that awards eight points for a first place vote, seven for second, so on and so forth. The team’s ranking the previous week can be found in parenthesis after their current ranking. These will be updated each week throughout the regular season. Comments from the panel will follow each team’s place in the rankings.

The rankings after week one can be found here.

Please share your own Power Rankings and comments below!

1 (3) St. Louis Battlehawks (31 points - highest rank: 1 - lowest rank: 2)

“The Battlehawks have the best record in the UFL, so it makes sense to have them as the top team. Everyone thought the season was over with Manny Wilkins' injury, but Max Duggan has done a great job. Even better, Brandon Silvers proved he can still play at a high level if Duggan gets hurt. St. Louis is a complete team that seems destined to make and win the UFL title.” (AM)

“The Battlehawks’ depth might carry them to a UFL title.” (JL)

“The penultimate week of the 2025 UFL regular season was beneficial to the Battlehawks. Not only did St. Louis look in top form, bludgeoning the Brahmas, but they also set themselves up to legitimize homefield advantage over D.C. this coming Friday, potentially erasing an asterisk that would hover over the Hawks heading into the postseason. On top of that, Anthony Becht's group saw Plan B at quarterback, Brandon Silvers, demonstrate that he is still fully capable of assuming control if called upon. The spring league veteran showed very little rust subbing for Max Duggan. Silvers could be a pivotal insurance policy in the playoffs.” (MM)

“San Antonio could’ve been a trap game for the Battlehawks, but St. Louis did what they needed to do to keep control of the XFL Conference. With Max Duggan sitting out the second half and other backups seeing action on offense and defense, I’d expect St. Louis to play it safe this weekend as well.” (GP)

T2. (1) Michigan Panthers (26 points - highest rank: 1 - lowest rank: 3)

“There's nothing particularly negative about Michigan as Danny Etling continues to play well in Bryce Perkins' absence. It was a hard-fought loss against Birmingham that ended with a questionable fourth-down call that ultimately sealed the game. Michigan is going to challenge the Stallions in the postseason in what could be the game of the year in the UFL.” (AM)

“Everything seems to be set up for a Michigan appearance in the UFL title game. If they stay healthy (which they should assuming Mike Nolan doesn’t take a gamble with starters this week) they could break the Birmingham streak.” (JL)

“Danny Etling has held up his end of the bargain with Bryce Perkins out, but to overcome the massive hurdle of surpassing the Stallions, Michigan will need a healthy Perkins in peak form when the playoffs arrive. The truth is that it may not be enough. When push comes to shove, as evidenced in week nine, Skip Holtz and his Stallions always find a way to best Mike Nolan and the Panthers.” (MM)

“Michigan still hasn’t found a way to solve the Stallion conundrum; until they do, they’ll continue falling short of the championship. Granted, they played without Bryce Perkins, and he is a difference-maker. They better hope he’s ready for the USFL Championship Game as Michigan will have one more shot to best Birmingham, this time in the playoffs.” (GP)

T2. (4) Birmingham Stallions (26 points - highest rank: 2 - lowest rank: 4)

“If there's a will, there's a way. That mantra has worked in favor of the Stallions all season as they have fought through injury after injury to have another shot at history with a fourth straight title. With how well J'Mar Smith is playing at quarterback, the biggest question going into the playoffs is whether to start him or go back to a hopefully healthy Alex McGough.” (AM)

“Skip Holtz might put all his players in bubble wrap this week and hope for the best against Michigan next week.” (JL)

“Unlike in week eight, where the Stallions uncharacteristically slipped up late in a one-point loss to St. Louis, Birmingham returned to their typical championship clutch form against Michigan. The Stallions, like St. Louis, can now finalize the deal and eliminate any controversy by securing home-field advantage. Skip Holtz's squad also gained an added psychological edge over Mike Nolan's Panthers when they square off in the USFL conference championship.” (MM)

“The Stallions keep finding ways to win, which is what well-coached teams do. That’s an enviable quality for a team to have, especially as it heads into the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see what Birmingham does at the quarterback position over the next few weeks as players begin to get healthy.” (GP)

4. (2) D.C. Defenders (21 points - highest rank: 3 - lowest rank: 4)

“The defense in D.C. is becoming problematic. I know the game against Houston meant nothing to the Defenders, but man, something has to give. At least they have Jordan Ta'amu playing the best football of his professional career. If there is any playoff team needing a win or a somewhat strong performance from the defense to gain momentum going into the playoffs, it's the Defenders.” (AM)

“D.C. is still the longest shot on the UFL title futures board on ESPN Bet. Might be worth a few dollars. Just sayin’.” (JL)

“Much like their XFL counterpart, St. Louis, with home-field advantage in the playoffs already determined, D.C. took a preseason-like approach in week nine. However, unlike the Battlehawks, an imbalanced Defenders squad was unable to secure victory without Jordan Ta'amu. Therein lies the rub: the best aspect of D.C. in 2025 has been the combination of its leading MVP candidate QB and its offensive coordinator, Fred Kaiss. Overall, the team has been too reliant on the duo to eke out close games. D.C.'s bend but don't break defense has to stop breaking if the Defenders are to get to a UFL title game. Blake Williams' defense has allowed the second-most points in the league. D.C. could very easily be 3-6 instead of 6-3 heading into week ten if it weren't for Ta'amu and their offense.” (MM)

“D.C. stumbled this past weekend against Houston, though they rested QB Jordan Ta’amu in the second half. Mike DiLiello almost led them to a comeback victory. A couple of turnovers held them back; I don’t feel like this one will linger for the Defenders though.” (GP)

5. (5) Arlington Renegades (15 points - highest rank: 5 - lowest rank: 6)

“The Renegades' blowout win over Memphis is another reminder of the potential this team could have had all season. Luis Perez is great, Tyler Vaughns looks like an NFL receiver, and the defense stood tall for the first time in weeks. Unfortunately, their last month ruined any chance of winning their second league title in three years.” (AM)

“I hate that quarterback Luis Perez won’t see the playoffs. This team seemed to catch fire but too little, too late.” (JL)

“The Renegades have a chance to ride out the season with a .500 record after easily beating Memphis. Against the Showboats, Arlington showed what might have been this year if they had been able to close out close games against playoff-bound teams like D.C., Michigan, and Birmingham.” (MM)

“Arlington seemed like a team ripe for being upset against Memphis, and a weather delay of a few hours could’ve played into the hands of the Showboats. In the end, however, the Renegades took care of business against a lesser team. WR Tyler Vaughns has really come on in making big plays the last few weeks.” (GP)

6. (6) Houston Roughnecks (13 points - highest rank: 5 - lowest rank: 6)

“Roughnecks head coach Curtis Johnson put his quarterback, Jalan McClendon, in a difficult position where a field goal and running the clock out would have been enough for a win against D.C. Instead, McClendon fumbled the ball when he was doing his job to score a touchdown, and Houston nearly lost the game. This team has shown massive improvement, but they are still winning the game despite their head coach's questionable decisions.” (AM)

“I keep wondering what would have happened had Jalan McClendon been the starter all season and the coaching staff had been different.” (JL)

“The fact that Houston has a chance to finish 2025 without a losing record is an impressive accomplishment. Thanks to improved play at QB with Jalan McClendon and on the offensive line with Tom Cable leading the charge, the Roughnecks have been competitive in spite of head coach C.J. Johnson, who nearly blew another game with poor management against D.C. With the team in position to take a two-score lead with time expiring, the Roughnecks almost fumbled the game away with poor play-calling. The Defenders nearly stole one late thanks to the gaffe. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Houston, but it's clear what has held them back.” (MM)

“Houston will miss out on the playoffs this year, but they have their quarterback in Jalan McClendon. That’s more than they could say heading into last off-season. They’ll also finish as the most-improved team by record this year. Curtis Johnson may have just earned himself another year at the helm.” (GP)

7. (7) Memphis Showboats (7 points - highest rank: 7 - lowest rank: 8)

“Showboats interim head coach Jim Turner is going to give all his quarterbacks a shot, which is fine, but none of them have been able to build consistency week by week. Memphis might be playing their last game in front of the tens of fans who attend the games.” (AM)

“I think we might see the last of the Showboats as a franchise after week 10. I hoped for better all the way around this season.” (JL)

“The Showboats, thanks to an equally feeble San Antonio, haven't been the worst in show this season. But they are close. For the better part of nine weeks, they have been outmanned and outcoached. As a result, it's not surprising that very few people in Memphis (2,044 fans announced) showed up for what could be the team's last home game.” (MM)

“The future of the Showboats in Memphis is murky after drawing just over 2,000 fans, albeit in shoddy weather conditions. Head coach Jim Turner has decided to get a look at all of his quarterbacks over the last three weeks, and thus far none have made a strong case to go into the off-season as the unquestioned starter.” (GP)

8. (8) San Antonio Brahmas (5 points - highest rank: 7 - lowest rank: 8)

“Maybe an upset win over the Renegades will build some momentum going into 2026? Otherwise, the Brahmas need a roster makeover in the offseason.” (AM)

“What’s the phrase? Every setback is a setup for a comeback?” (JL)

“The Brahmas' already brutal season is continuing to worsen. They were barely competitive against St. Louis. At 1-8, San Antonio has scored the fewest points and allowed the most in the league, a duality that succinctly explains their record. The Brahmas lost their best offensive and defensive coach during this season, but the truth is they lost their mojo when they melted down in the UFL championship game a year ago. They haven't been the same since.” (MM)

“Jashaun Corbin has been a breakout star for the Brahmas at running back; just too late. Kellen Mond played well given the circumstances in his first start in several weeks. He was never the team’s biggest problem anyway. The defense has cratered this season, even after wholesale changes along the line and in the backfield.” (GP)