USFL Week 10 power rankings: Familiar face on top as regular season ends

With the 2023 regular season in the books, let's take a look at how the eight USFL teams stack up.

Four teams will head to the postseason, while the other four get an early start on summer vacation.

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Let's check out the final edition of our 2023 USFL power rankings.

[Playoff schedule, TV times, key matchups to watch, more]

1. Birmingham Stallions (8-2, 4-2 in South)

Last week: Beat Memphis, 27-20.

The Stallions look like a team that can repeat as USFL champions following their win against the Showboats last week. After four weeks of up-and-down play, the offense formed an identity around quarterback Alex McGough, finishing the season on a five-game winning streak. Looking to cement their standing as the kings of the modern USFL, the Stallions are now 19-3 (including the playoffs) since the league resumed in 2022.

2. New Orleans Breakers (7-3, 4-2 in South)

Last week: Beat Houston, 17-10.

The Breakers have shown themselves to possess the league’s most explosive offense. With McLeod Bethel-Thompson behind center, the Breakers are in position to win their first South Division Championship since the league’s return.

On top of that, Bethel-Thompson has the rare opportunity to add his second championship in less than a year. He led the Toronto Argonauts to the Grey Cup back in November and now could add another trophy with two more wins.

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3. Pittsburgh Maulers (4-6, 4-2 in North)

Last week: Beat New Jersey, 26-6.

Despite an offense that has been all but nonexistent in some weeks, the Maulers have punched their way into the playoffs with an outstanding defense coordinated by Jarren Horton and led by linebacker Kyhava Tezino on the field.

The Maulers only managed 12 offensive touchdowns in 10 regular season games, but have found just enough offense to complement their lights-out defense of late, averaging 23.8 points per game over their last four contests. That's the third-best mark in the league.

After winning just four games all season, the Maulers are one away from playing for the USFL title. They are the only team with the chance to enjoy homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, as Canton, Ohio, their HUB city, will host both the North Division Championship and USFL Championship games.

4. Michigan Panthers (4-6, 3-3 in North)

Last week: Beat Philadelphia, 23-20.

Behind outstanding special teams play and a defense led by linebacker Frank Ginda and EDGE Breeland Speaks, the Panthers vaulted into the playoffs with a win against the defending North Division champs last Sunday.

Michigan’s defense, which hasn't allowed any second-half TDs in its last three games, pitched a second-half shutout to enable the big comeback.

Former Brown quarterback E.J. Perry made his first start of the season to give the Panthers the jolt they needed to finally earn a win at Detroit’s Ford Field.

5. Houston Gamblers (5-5, 2-4 in South)

Last week: Lost to New Orleans, 17-10.

Curtis Johnson led one of the best turnarounds of the season with this Houston Gamblers franchise. While the Gamblers fell short of the playoffs, they produced the USFL’s modern leader in rushing TDs for a season, Mark Thompson, who ran into the end zone 14 times. That's more than any other team this season, and he did it in only eight games after missing the first two games with an injury.

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6. Memphis Showboats (5-5, 2-4 in South)

Last week: Lost to Birmingham, 27-20.

The Showboats are the biggest reason the 2023 season turned into one of the most competitive in league history. After beginning the season 0-3, Memphis reeled off five-straight victories to make the South Division competitive until the last weekend of the year.

No team was as aggressive on fourth down as Memphis was this season, and success on those attempts was a good indicator of the result: In five wins, they went 8-for-9 (89%) on fourth down, but in their five losses they went just 5-for-14 (36%).

7. Philadelphia Stars (4-6, 2-4 in North)

Last week: Lost to Michigan, 23-20.

Despite an explosive offense and one of the more opportunistic defenses in the league, the Stars couldn’t always summon enough of both to win more than four games this season.

The Stars went into the last three weeks with a chance to clinch a playoff berth, but they lost all three of those games. A 14-point blown lead vs. Michigan on Sunday night was the largest blown lead all season.

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8. New Jersey Generals (3-7, 3-3 in North)

Last week: Lost to Pittsburgh, 26-6.

No team suffered more from erratic quarterback play than the Generals. Mike Riley’s squad went 9-1 last season to reach the playoffs, but finished 2023 with a whimper, winning just once in the months of May and June. That gives them the unfortunate claim to the biggest win drop-off in the league this year (-6). The Generals will rue the fact that five of their seven losses this season came by one score.

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 Number One College Football Show" on YouTube.