RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
My preseason 2025 UFL power rankings were upended when three of the four XFL Conference teams won their season openers, with two teams scoring at least 30 points and one pulling off the weekend’s biggest upset.
[MORE: What is the UFL? Everything to know about the 2025 United Football League]
That said, it’s time for my second power rankings of the season:
Current odds to win 2025 title: +3500
The Roughnecks have lost 10 of their past 11 games. They struggled to stop the Battlehawks and to move the ball in Week 1. Receiver Justin Hall showed himself to be Houston’s most prolific playmaker with five catches for 40 yards, but head coach Curtis Johnson has a lot to figure out with an offense that turned the ball over twice, amassed just 170 total yards and 11 first downs and couldn’t get on the board in garbage time — down 31-0.
Current odds to win 2025 title: +3000
Six days after Ken Whisenhunt stepped down as the head coach of the Showboats, Jim Wilson stepped up and was forced to begin making decisions and answering questions about how competitive Memphis would be after losing Whisenhunt so close to the start of the season.
Serving as the team’s interim head coach, Wilson still needs to find out whether E.J. Perry or Troy Williams is the answer at quarterback. Each made plays and each made mistakes. Williams completed 8 of 11 passes for 104 yards with an interception, while Perry completed just 10 of 17 with an interception and the Showboats’ only passing score.
No matter who wins the QB battle, he’ll have a playmaker on the numbers in wideout Jonathan Adams, who was the best offensive player on the field for Memphis with six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Current odds to win 2025 title: +1700
Donald De La Haye made a 39-yard field goal in Week 1, which was his first field goal since high school — nearly a decade ago. It was the first points scored for the Brahmas this season but one of the only highlights for a team that looked largely outmatched and overwhelmed, especially offensively.
In his first UFL start, former Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond completed just 17 of 31 passes for 135 yards. The San Antonio rushing attack fared a bit better, picking up 105 yards on 20 attempts, but the Brahmas didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter when they trailed by more than four touchdowns.
San Antonio Brahmas vs. Arlington Renegades Highlights
Current odds to win 2025 title: +275
The Stallions could not protect their quarterback — who took eight sacks and nearly rushed for more yards (84) than he passed for (89) — in the Week 1 loss. It’s not a good look for a team that lost only once in 2024.
Heading into this season, Skip Holtz’s Stallions were the favorite to win the UFL title and continue their dynastic run with a fourth consecutive spring pro football championship. After Sunday’s loss, though, there’s plenty of work to do before they find themselves competing at the level Stallions fans have grown accustomed to seeing.
The Stallions’ defense performed admirably, though, with former Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder leading the team in tackles with 11 and a pass defended.
Birmingham Stallions vs. D.C. Defenders Highlights
Current odds to win 2025 title: +450
Quarterback Bryce Perkins was excellent for the Panthers, completing 16 of 19 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Perkins looked primed to be the full-time signal-caller for Mike Nolan’s team despite splitting time with Danny Etling.
Perkins was helped by a typically stingy Panthers defense, which once again had talisman Frank Ginda lead the team in tackles (11). Safety Kai Nacua sealed the double-digit victory with an 80-yard pick-six at Simmons Liberty Bank Stadium. It was an impressive and methodical win on the road against a conference rival for the Panthers, who have made the playoffs each of the past three years in the legacy USFL and XFL.
Michigan Panthers vs. Memphis Showboats Highlights
Current odds to win 2025 title: +450
Kalen Ballage enjoyed a breakout day that included a 77-yard rushing score and over 100 first-half rushing yards. With that score, Arlington already topped the most points it scored against San Antonio in each outing (15) in 2024.
Ballage’s nine rushing attempts for 110 yards and De’Veon Smith’s three carries for 3 yards with three rushing touchdowns were indicative of the Renegades’ rout of the defending XFL Conference champion Brahmas. The defense proved to be aggressive and formidable, especially the secondary. San Antonio was held to just 135 passing yards on 17 completions.
Current odds to win 2025 title: +300
The Battlehawks wasted no time in their record-setting romp to open the 2025 season, setting a league record for rushing yards in a game (273) that included 115 yards from RB Jarveon Howard, who made a 74-yard house call.
All-UFL tailback Jacob Saylors scored the season’s first touchdown and added 98 rushing yards and another 47 yards on four catches. Quarterback Manny Wilkins passed for 189 yards and rushed for 43 yards and two scores.
The Battlehawks put up 460 yards — good for the second-most in history in a single game — and leaped to a 25-0 lead before St. Louis’ defense surrendered its only score. For a franchise that finished just 1-3 on the road last year, getting a season-opening win on the road is huge. Anthony Becht’s team begins 1-0 for the second time in three years.
St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Houston Roughnecks Highlights
Current odds to win 2025 title: +450
The Defenders became the first team to defeat the defending champion Stallions this season, and they did it with style at Audi Field. Despite Birmingham boasting 2023 USFL MVP Alex McGough at quarterback and a bevy of offensive weapons, interim head coach Shannon Harris’ squad sacked Birmingham’s QB eight times in the win.
Linebacker Anthony Hines III was the most outstanding playmaker (six tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery) in a game where the Defenders controlled the Stallions’ offense, shutting Holtz’s team out entirely in the second half.
The Defenders allowed just 138 total yards — 2.7 yards per play and a mere 0.7 yards per pass attempt. McGough completed just 10 of 23 passes for 89 yards, while Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu threw for 211 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the most impressive win of Week 1.
Harris managed to make a lasting impression in his first game as a professional football coach with a win against the most successful franchise and head coach in the UFL, former USFL, or former XFL.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
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