USFL (2022) Wiki

The USFL is a professional American Football minor league that begun play in April 2022. The first season was in 2022, where the entire league was played in Birmingham, Alabama.

## History

In June 2021, it was confirmed the USFL will return with 8 teams divided into 2 divisions. The playoffs would have 4 teams with top 2 each division playing in playoffs for the USFL Championship. They confirmed the league would begin play in April 2022.

In 2021, it was confirmed FOX and NBC would be official broadcasters of the USFL with their own networks also broadcasting games, for FOX it would be US1 and FS1 and for NBC it would be Peacock.

In January 2022, it was confirmed that the league would play its entirety in Birmingham and play the playoffs in Canton. It was also confirmed that Protective Stadium and Legion Field would host regular season games. Also, the head coaches for each team were confirmed in January. In February 2022, the first USFL draft took place with 12 rounds and a supplemental draft to fill out their 45 man roster. In March 2022, the 2022 USFL schedule was released by FOX and NBC.

The first game took place on April 16, 2022 at Protective Stadium between the Birmingham Stallions and the Michigan Panthers. The Season completed in mid June 2022 and the playoffs begun in late June 2022 and the Championship was in early July 2023. After what was a great 2022 season, the league confirmed they would return in 2023. They also confirmed that there will be 2-4 hubs instead of just 1 hub.

On November 16th 2022, the USFL confirmed that the Memphis Snowboats would replace the Tampa Bay Bandits for the 2023 Season. However, USFL said that the team was going on ''hiatus'' for 2023 and will not fold fully.

## Rule changes unique to USFL

On March 23, 2022, the USFL announced an initial series of rule tweaks it would implement for its games. The league's rule variations and subsequent changes include the following:

Timing rules
* The play clock will be 35 seconds, with 25 seconds used for administrative stoppages and penalties.
* For the 2022 season's first three weeks, the game clock stopped after each incomplete pass, no matter which point of the game it occurred. Hereafter, the game clock will continue to run after a pass falls incomplete, though only during the odd-numbered quarters (1st and 3rd). This change, announced on the eve of Week 4, was adopted in an effort to reduce game lengths to 3 hours or less.
* The clock will stop for first downs after the two-minute warning in the second and fourth quarters, similar to the rule the previous incarnation of the league used.
* Halftime will be 15 minutes in length, except during the USFL Bowl championship game, when it will be 30 minutes in duration.

Kickoffs and punts
* All kickoffs will be from the kicking team's 25-yard line (as opposed to the 35-yard line in the NFL), in an effort to increase opportunities for kick returns and reduce the risk of a touchback.
* No kicking team member may line up further back than one yard behind the ball, while the receiving team must have at least eight players in the setup zone between the kicking team's 35 and 45 yard lines.
* If an untouched kick becomes dead, the ball belongs to the receiving team at that spot.
* A kicking team may not recover or touch its own kickoff beyond 20 yards from the spot of the kick.
* A trailing team can choose to execute either an onside kick under standard rules or, in lieu of a kickoff, attempt to gain 12 yards on a scrimmage play from its own 33-yard line; this "4th and 12" opportunity mirrors a similar rule used in the AAF in 2019 and Fan Controlled Football in 2021.
* On punts, gunners may not line up outside the numbers, nor can they be double-team blocked until the ball is kicked.

Standard play
* Two forward passes from behind the line of scrimmage are legal; this rule was originally introduced in the XFL in 2020. It will also mean that a pass batted back to the quarterback can be thrown again.
* An offensive lineman may advance downfield on a forward pass play in which the pass does not cross the line of scrimmage.
* A catch must be made with one foot inbounds (same as high-school & NCAA).

Penalties and officiating
* Defensive pass interference will be penalized similar to college football (15-yard penalty or spot foul if within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage)
	+ If it is determined the defensive player intentionally interfered with the receiver, the penalty will be a spot foul similar to the NFL rule.
	+ As in the NFL, no fouls for pass interference or ineligible player downfield will be called if the ball fails to cross the line of scrimmage.
* The league's "Replay Command" center, based at Fox's facilities in Los Angeles, will have the authority to overrule incorrect personal foul calls, including but not limited to roughing the passer, hits on defenseless players, face-mask penalties, and horse-collars tackles. Replay Command will also determine if a pass interference act that occurs 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage is obviously intentional.
* No chain crew will be used to determine first downs. Instead, the league uses proprietary technology similar to the NFL's Next Gen Stats. A microchip is included in each ball to help pinpoint its location and determine whether the offense has reached the line to gain. The ruling will be displayed on stadium scoreboards and television broadcasts, just as with the Hawk-Eye system used to call in-or-out balls in tennis. Though the USFL indicates that the system will ensure “first down measurements that are more accurate than ever,” Profootballtalk.com noted that the technology would not be more accurate than the traditional chain crew, because the technology has a margin of error of approximately the full length of the football.

Replay challenges
* Each coach will be allowed one replay challenge per game, and will signal their intent to challenge by throwing a red flag.
* If the challenge is not in the favor of the coach who called it, his team will lose a timeout; if successful, he will keep the challenge and receive an additional challenge.
* All challenges and replay reviews will be conducted by USFL Replay Command.
* As in the NFL, replay challenges are automatic in the last two minutes of either half and the whole overtime, as well as any scoring plays and turnovers.

Points after touchdown
* Teams will have three scrimmage-play options to attempt a point(s) after touchdown:
	+ A single-point place kick or drop kick from the 15-yard line (same as the NFL).
	+ Two-point conversion from the three-yard line (same as the NCAA).
	+ Three-point conversion from the 10-yard line, which the XFL used in both 2001 and 2020 (though neither XFL version allowed a kick-for-PAT option).
	+ After scoring their touchdown, a team must indicate whether they will go for 1, 2, or 3 points.
		- Prior to Week 5 of the first season, the scoring team's extra point decision could not be changed after a penalty or a timeout. At the request of Michigan Panthers coach Jeff Fisher (who was denied an option change in a Week 4 contest), the rule was changed so that an offensive team can use a timeout to change their extra point option, provided they have not already snapped the ball or committed a pre-snap penalty (mirroring the NFL's extra-point rule). If the defense commits a foul before the snap, the scoring team will be allowed to change its option (without losing a timeout), with penalty yardage marked off from the new option spot.
* In any variation of extra-point attempt, a defense can return a fumble, interception, or blocked kick, but will be rewarded with only two points should they reach their opponent's end zone.

Overtime
Games that are tied after regulation will be resolved with an overtime session that combines elements of college football's overtime system with penalty shootouts used in soccer and ice hockey.

* A coin toss (called by the visiting team) will determine which team will go on offense or defense first, and which end zone will be used (both offenses will attack the same end zone, just as soccer shootouts are attempted at the same goal).
* Teams will attempt three alternating two-point attempts from the two-yard line.
* Whichever team has the most points after the three tries, or after one team gains an insurmountable lead, will be the winner.
* If the teams are still tied after three attempts, teams play multiple rounds until one team scores, which wins it.
* If an offensive team turns the ball over to the defense, the ball is automatically dead and the defense cannot return the ball to their opponent's end zone.
* A team can call one timeout per try.

## Finances

The USFL after the regular season has reported to make over $20 million, from TV, Shirts and Attendances despite low attendances for most games. It is also expected to increase rapidly when the 2022 Playoffs begin.

## Seasons

2022 USFL Season

2023 USFL Season

## References

1. ↑ USFL to play first season in Birmingham
2. ↑ USFL confirm FOX and NBC and their networks will be broadcasting games for 2022
3. ↑ Regular Season USFL 2022
4. ↑ 2022 USFL Draft: All you need to know about the first draft of the USFL
5. ↑ USFL Week 1: Michigan Panthers at Birmingham Stallio ns
6. ↑ Memphis Snowboats to replace Tampa Bay Bandits for 2023 but the Bandits wont fold, USFL says
7. ↑ USFL Finance Report: Week 10 and Playoff start
8. ↑ USFL Finances to boom following the Playoff conclusion