Birmingham Stallions, Jordan Thompson, celebrating a tackle in the USFL Championship (Photo by Donald Page/UFL/Getty Images).
This week, in unlocking the UFL, we will discuss my final game recap for the 2024 UFL season—the USFL Championship! The Birmingham Stallions and Michigan Panthers faced off on Alabama soil at 3 p.m. on June 8th. Who won? We’ll talk about that. We will also see if I guessed the right teams winning the XFL and the USFL championship, and I will make one final prediction for the UFL championship. Hang on to your seats, folks; this article is covering a lot of ground!
The USFL Championship Recap
If you’ll miss my content on the UFL as much as I’ll miss writing about it, I have a solution. Catch all of our UFL magic here, where we cover weeks and weeks of games. Do not miss the excellent recap of the UFL championship here at The Forkball next week. Now let’s get into that USFL championship.
1st Half
Things in the first quarter were on the Michigan Panthers side. The fans of the underdogs and every team the Stallions beat over the course of the course of the season went wild. Between a TD and two field goals from the Panthers, the Stallions were losing by 12 points. PK Jake Bates got the field goals in from 53 and 42 yards out, which is no easy task.
In the second quarter, the Stallions did get on the board with a kick, but my nominee as the USFL championship MVP, Jake Bates, answered with another fiery field goal. It was the first of two field goals he had in the quarter. Mr. Fumble Fingers QB Adrian Martinez gave Bates his second three-pointer. Martinez found himself during the quarter, getting a TD and another field goal, which had the score at 18-12 at halftime.
2nd Half
The third quarter is renamed “Mr. Fumble Fingers” because each team had a full roster of them. There were six shameful turnovers, three on both sides, in a combination of forced fumbles and interceptions. There was finally a little action at the end from Birmingham when Daniel Isom got a pick-6 after an interception, leaving the score at an even 18 on both sides.
Martinez got replaced in his own championship game, which is embarrassing. Apparently not that embarrassing, because he still won league MVP, which I have thoughts about. The new QB on duty, Matt Corral, provided some much-needed momentum for what is normally a talented team. Between another interception and two successful TDs, the Stallions were back on top, leaving the score a regrettable 31-18.
Last Week’s Prediction Accuracy
My championship game predictions from last week can be found here. This is the last time we talk about my questionable record at predicting the outcomes of games. Will I have the confidence to do it again next year? That is unclear at this time.
I was wrong. Patterns don’t matter at all. The San Antonio Brahmas spent another week in the Bahamas after shuttling St. Louis to their final loss of the season. I guessed the Stallions won, and they did, of course. That leaves me with a 50% record. At least it wasn’t 0%. A roastable record, but not Tom Brady Roast bad.
My Final UFL 2024 Season Prediction
Who will win the UFL championship? This is a tough one. I will need the fans to weigh in because it could easily go either way. Who do you think will win? My common-sense side says the Birmingham Stallions are going to win effortlessly. My contrarian side says the San Antonio Brahmas are the only team that has defeated the Stallions this year, so maybe they can do it again.
I’ve supported the underdog too many times this year, so I’m going to guess that the Birmingham Stallions will take this win too. Catch the game next week on Sunday, June 16th, at 5 p.m. ET in St. Louis, Missouri, at The Dome at America’s Center.
