UFL Week 10: Why Real Football Fans Will Watch

SABrahmabullpen
May 30
3 min read

San Antonio Snap Count

Week 10 of the UFL season is here, but with playoff locations and teams already set, casual fans may ask themselves: are the games worth watching?

The league's transaction report has been entering enough on its own. The league reported over 40 player transactions in the past four days involving notable players, such as Lonnie Phelps, who was traded from the San Antonio Brahmas to the Houston Roughnecks. Popular players such as Bryce Perkins and Matthew Colburn were moved from the inactive to the active players list for Michigan.

If you are a real football fan like readers of the Snap Count and followers of United Football Media, you will be tuned in as usual, even though we know many of our favorite players will not take the field this week. I propose that if you choose not to watch week ten games because teams are preparing for the playoffs and saving their key starters, you are what we call a "casual" football fan. If you fall into this category of fan, I suggest you seek professional help from a certified "Real Football" fan, commonly referred to as a "UFL" fan.

Now you may be asking, "How can someone tell the difference between the two types of fans?" The answer is so simple that many people miss seeing it at first glance. For instance, an NFL fan may avoid watching a game that does not have regular or postseason playoff implications, especially if their favorite team's starting quarterback is listed as the third-string "emergency use" QB, while being healthy. A real football fan tunes in to see players such as Rocky Lombardi get his first start for the Panthers.

Lombardi has been listed on the Panthers' roster all season as a backup, but he is no stranger to the gridiron. He "played three seasons at Michigan State from 2018 to 2020, where he appeared in 22 games and led Michigan State to upset wins over Purdue in 2018 and Michigan and Northwestern in 2020. His performance against the Wolverines in 2020 is considered an all-timer for Michigan State." (Bondy, 2025) Real fans will tune in to see if Rocky can recapture the magic this weekend.

Lombardi Photo https://msuspartans.com/sports/football/roster/rocky-lombardi/10476

Football fans tune into the games to get a glimpse of future UFL or even NFL talent, and will see just that when watching the Defenders versus Battlehawks game Friday night. Mike DiLiello will get his first start of the season because Jordan Ta'amu, DC's typical starting quarterback and league leader in passing yards, is listed as their third-string emergency quarterback. DiLiello who played for Austin Peay and is their "career leader in passing yards (5,611), passing touchdowns (49), completion percentage (64.1), pass efficiency (149.7), passing yards per game (244.0), total offense (6,260), touchdowns responsible for (62), and total offense per game (272.2) … His 13 career rushing touchdowns are also the second-most by a quarterback in program history, and he ranks fourth in program history in pass attempts (690) and pass completions (442). He didn stop setting records there, he also set a program-record with eight 300-yard passing games in his career. DiLiello is the only Austin Peay quarterback to throw for 2,000-plus yards in multiple seasons." (Austin Peay State University, 2022)

Austin Peay State University. (2022). Retrieved from Austin Peay Athletics: https://letsgopeay.com/sports/football/roster/mike-diliello/10372

Lombardi and DiLiello are just two quick examples of players who add to the UFL's 2025 storyline. I tend to agree with Tim Brando, who said in an interview with David Smoak on the 365 Sports YouTube Channel, "If you are a football junky the UFL is a good watch." Brando believes that the United Football League offers more value to the NFL than college football does as a developmental and innovative resource. His opinion is a breath of fresh air for alternative sports media members who have been screaming this from the rooftops these past few years.

Whether or not everyone agrees with Brando and me, it is clear that week 10 is set up as the ultimate film session for evaluating talent via live-action football. These games are invaluable reps that cannot be simulated in practice sessions. I'm excited to get to the Alamodome this Sunday at 11 AM and watch the Brahmas fight for their first home win of the season and begin laying the groundwork for their 2026 season. Maybe NFL coaches, media personnel, and fans alike will get their first glimpse of next year's UFL player of the year or future NFL phenom. Who knows, maybe that player will be wearing the home team's Yellow and Black.