Halfway through the season and the UFL continues to amuse and surprise the public. DC has found its stride, Birmingham is trying its best to make the glue factory look tolerable, St. Louis made a push for a playoff spot, Becht failed in his second revenge game, Houston edged Columbus in a battle of 1-3 teams, Louisville's revamped operation upset Dallas, and the Renegades in one week regretted the Perez trade.
Attendance talk returned to dominate conversation. The league drew one of its lowest totals in spring football history. Birmingham, expectedly, suffered a significant decline without a concert and whiplash from its scoreless output versus Orlando. Houston's market looks deader than the Challenger. Dallas' turnout has disappointed, too. Spring football and Texas are heading for a divorce.
DC 45, Birmingham 28
The Stallions' losing streak moved to four games after the Defenders rolled into Birmingham and smacked around the hapless AJ McCarrons. Dorian Thompson-Robinson provided a spark for the anemic offense but the Defenders were too all-around powerful for a one-week turnaround.
Birmingham cut the lead to 21-19 on a touchdown run but the two-point conversion failed. DC pulled what the Skip Holtz Stallions used to do and broke away with a long unanswered stretch of 24 points. DTR finished the game with a garbage time touchdown.
Will DTR turn the season around? He looked capable. The Stallions' fan base has to cling to anything in this cliff-fall season.
St. Louis 25, Orlando 17
The final unbeaten UFL team has fallen and the 1972 Dolphins can crack open the sparkling apple juice. Becht could not go 2-for-2 in revenge games. The Battlehawks moved to 3-2 overall and made a giant step towards another playoff bid.
The trade for Luis Perez headlined the weekly news but the short turnaround left him on the bench. Harrison Frost threw for 185 yards and a touchdown but his two INTs leave the door left open for the Spring King. St. Louis darted to an 18-0 halftime lead. Ryan Sanburn made two field goals but missed two extra points in the ultimate UFL dichotomy.
The Battlehawks stretched their lead to 25-0. Then, the Storm appeared on the horizon with two third quarter touchdowns. St. Louis' defense continued to hold firm before Orlando kicked a field goal with 1:57 left. The Storm converted the first 4th and 12 of the season. Orlando drove to the STL 39 before three straight incompletions ended the comeback chance. UFL defense: run the same blitz and prosper aka my CFB 26 strategy.
Columbus 13, Houston 17
A close score doesn't equal a great game. The two 1-3 teams did nothing but dull eyes and bore brains. Houston blunted Columbus' chances at a winning streak with a narrow victory. At 2-3, the Gamblers are technically in playoff contention. Technically, I have a chance to marry Sydney Sweeney. My odds are more likely.
Most of the game's "action," occurred in the first half. Houston went up 14-0 before allowing two Columbus touchdowns. The shaky kicking that has characterized the 2026 UFL season returned again with a missed XP, allowing a 14-13 halftime lead for the Gamblers.
Houston tacked on a 23-yard field goal at the start of the final stanza. The margin proved decisive. Columbus drove into the red zone but stalled. Then the drive crashed as Ryan Coe missed a 29-yard field goal. Columbus had a final chance but the long shot failed.
Louisville 47, Dallas 25
Dallas went from 3-0 and the class of the league to 3-2 and looking discombobulated after taking beatings from Columbus and Louisville. Austin Reed's MVP campaign crashed harder than AJ McCarron's bid for lieutenant governor. He tossed four picks - two that went for defensive touchdowns.
The Kings strolled to a 16-0 lead and never really looked back. Dallas did cut the score to 19-13 but Louisville started rolling again and the revamped Kings, who traded Bean, cut state favorite Snell, and removed two lineman, suddenly turned into the football version of Secretariat. Dallas scored a touchdown on the final play of game for the 47-25 tally.
Dallas could turn to a veteran backup quarterback in Luis Perez but they, or the league, traded him. Now, the Renegades have to hope Reed's slump is an aberration and not the new reality. If the league figured him out, Dallas might become the UFL's Cowboys.
Power Rankings
1. DC - The Defenders have shaken off their ugly Week 1 loss and look ready to repeat as league's champions. Plus, Audi Field will host the title game. The Commanderskins could never.
2. St. Louis - The Battlehawks have the only win over DC and removed Orlando from the ranks of the unbeatens. Rivalry renewal in the United Bowl?
3. Orlando - The Storm are 4-1 but their wins have come across the weak sisters. Orlando needs a win against a good team.
4. Dallas - The Renegades cling to the final playoff spot for now. They need some soul searching or a rescinded trade.
5. Louisville - The Kings might have found something in Chandler Rogers and their new-flanged defense. Two pick sixes won't happen every game.
6. Houston - The Gamblers have somehow won two games. Miracles still occur.
7. Columbus - Airplane food>the Aviators
8. Birmingham - DTR might have something. AJ doesn't. The Stallions might stay in Birmingham, after all.
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