The Championship Game is set. The home town Las Vegas Locos will host the Florida Tuskers at Sam Boyd Stadium on Black Friday. Before the Locos pulled out the win, the Redwoods looked like they were going to pull out the upset. The home town Redwoods dominated defensively and Cory Ross was running wild until a pair of referee calls and sharper play by the Locos offense led to a narrow victory for Jim Fassel’s squad.

This result was what many fans and, even though they won’t admit it publicly, the league wanted to see. A neutral site game in year one would not have been the best result for attendance or attention for the Championship Game. As for the fans, following the Tuskers versus Locos instant classic game a few weeks back many have been clamoring for the trematch. The Locos are equally anxious for revenge after two losses to the Tuskers.

For many fans the last week of the regular season will fade into the background of the lead up to the Championship Game – but not for the Sentinels and Redwoods.

The Sentinels will look to avoid a winless fate when they face the Locos in the final game of the UFL season, while the Redwoods will look to make a statement by ruining the Tuskers perfect run.

Really, the game matters to the Tuskers and the Locos as well. The Tuskers want to go 7-0, their players and coaches have been clear about that. The Locos want to keep their momentum going and win the regular season finale to help build up more enthusiasm among the home town fans, the same fans who might give them an edge on Black Friday.

Quick Hits

Hartford and San Jose deserves an expansion team and the Redwoods should play in San Jose semi-full time, neither game was particularly well attended but the stadiums were excellent and the media welcoming… Hartford is effectively team number five in the light of our news that they have identified a coach and the Courant reporting that they have an ownership group in Northland… JP Losman has looked more and more like the QB we thought he would be going into the season, one has to think that is due to his line beginning to gel… Shane Boyd should be the starter for the Redwoods in year two and he should be allowed to toss the ball more frequently…

The announcing crews are getting better, I still prefer Natalie to Anita… The Sentinels might need a different offensive coordinator but they should stick with Ted Cottrell as Head Coach… The league continues to add sponsors and partners, which speaks well for the future of the league…

Thumb’s Up

• Jim Fassel and his team made excellent adjustments along the course of the game.
• VERSUS and HDNet continue to provide excellent coverage and the league continues excellent production.
• The San Jose and Hartford media covered the league in the manner that other media markets should.
• The product continues to improve. This is the best non-NFL football we have seen since the USFL, if not better.
• Despite the Cory Ross fumble, he has been one of the more consistent players in the league and deserves an NFL shot.

Thumb’s Down

• Dennis Green should have trusted Boyd to throw earlier in the game, the interception not withstanding.
• The advertising has to pick up for the league in year two, although we trust that it will.
• The ticket prices are a bit high for the Championship Game, the league needs to change that sooner rather than later.

Game Ball

JP Losman is showing his talent of late and despite Brook Bollinger’s superior stats I believe that he is the best QB in the league.