The UFL currently consists of eight teams, four from the pre-merger XFL and four from the pre-merger USFL.
Despite a ratings dip in season two, the league appears to be lining up potential expansion squads for when (or if) it gets to season three.
UFLNewsHub’s Mark Perry noticed this past weekend that USFL Enterprises LLC (which owns the USFL side of the UFL) filed trademark applications around four original USFL teams: The Oakland Invaders, the Philadelphia Stars, the New Jersey Generals, and the Tampa Bay Bandits.
Pro Football Talk confirmed the filings, which were made on May 6.
The Generals and Stars were teams in the pre-merger USFL and would give the league a Northeastern rivalry. The Bandits played in that version of the USFL for the first season but became the Memphis Showboats in the second season (and still play in the UFL). The Invaders were a team in the original version of the USFL (1983-1985), losing in the 1985 USFL Championship.
As PFT noted, Oakland makes sense, as the league has seen success with franchises in cities that the NFL has abandoned.
The league announced last November that it was accepting proposals from prospective markets for expansion teams.
Of course, this is all speculation until actual expansion plans are announced. Not to mention that TV ratings have been moving in the wrong direction this season, and a very lackluster end to the regular season is sure to drag them down further. A third season isn’t guaranteed.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.