UFL Power Rankings: Which Week 1 winner tops the list, plus each team's MVP

With Week 1 of the 2026 UFL regular season in the books, we're introducing a new staple to our coverage.

With the help of ESPN Research, we bring you the first UFL Power Rankings, a biweekly look at how all eight teams stack up against each other.

Obviously, we have the league completely figured out at this point, and the rest of the season is just an exercise in futility. We're joking, of course. In reality, the idea is to take a very early look at who the powerhouse team -- or teams -- could be this season.

We also crown a Week 1 Most Valuable Player from each team. But, in the spirit of the boundary-pushing league, we've scrapped the MVP acronym this week and dubbed a player from each franchise as the MIPITU: Most important player in the universe!

Here's where each team stacks up after the opening week.

Jump to a team:
BIR | CLB | DAL | DC
HOU | LOU | ORL | SL

1. Dallas Renegades (1-0)

Week 1 result: Beat the Houston Gamblers 36-17

What we learned: It was a surprising to see Dallas (formerly known as Arlington) go with Austin Reed at quarterback instead of spring football veteran Luis Perez, who led the league in completion percentage last season (71.6%) and was second in passing yards (2,294). But it paid off with a dominant victory over Houston, as Dallas was the only team to score more than 23 points in Week 1.

MIPITU: QB Austin Reed. Who else but Reed, who set the UFL's single-game regular-season record for passing yards with 376, which broke the mark set by Adrian Martinez. He came up 14 yards shy of Jordan Ta'amu's 390 in the 2025 UFL Championship Game.

2. Birmingham Stallions (1-0)

Week 1 result: Beat the Louisville Kings 15-13

What we learned: Birmingham improved to 19-5 in its UFL history (including playoffs), with a 6-0 record when Matt Corral starts at quarterback. Birmingham got a go-ahead TD from Corral to Justyn Ross inside the final two minutes and benefited from two missed extra points from Jonathan Garibay.

MIPITU: WR Jaydon Mickens. Ross caught the game-winning touchdown pass, but give the nod to Mickens. Corral was 9-of-9 when targeting Mickens, with seven first downs on those passes. Corral was 12-of-21 targeting any other player.

3. Orlando Storm (1-0)

Week 1 result: Beat the Columbus Aviators 23-16

What we learned: The only one of the three new/relocated UFL franchises to come out of Week 1 with a victory and there was a lot to like about this win, including that the Storm averaged a UFL-best 6.6 yards per play in Week 1.

MIPITU: QB Jack Plummer. Since the start of 2021, Plummer has played for Purdue, California, Louisville, the NFL's Carolina Panthers and now the Storm. He's picked up a few things in his travels, as the league's most efficient QB in Week 1. He completed 77% of his passes for 11 yards per attempt, leading all quarterbacks.

4. St. Louis Battlehawks

Week 1 result: Beat the DC Defenders 16-10

What we learned: The Battlehawks improved to 10-1 in regular-season home games in their UFL history and took down the defending champion Defenders. So why not higher? They put only 16 points on the board and ranked among the bottom three teams in yards per play and on third downs. But their smothering defense, which recorded seven sacks, propelled them to victory.

MIPITU: OLB Pita Taumoepenu. The reigning UFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded 2.5 sacks on Ta'amu, a half-sack shy of the UFL single-game record. Not to mention his six tackles were second on the team. It looks like he's eyeing another trophy.

5. DC Defenders (0-1)

Week 1 result: Lost to the Battlehawks 16-10

What we learned: The first of the winless teams. Give the defending champions the benefit of the doubt after playing at the UFL's toughest road environment. The Defenders return a significant number of players from last year's team, as well as the entire coaching staff. We'll find out a lot more about them next Friday night when they're on the road again against Columbus.

MIPITU: K Matt McCrane. Respect special teams! When the UFL introduced a four-point field goal for anything 60-plus yards, we were skeptical since there wasn't a 60-yard field goal made in the league last season. McCrane did so about 16 seconds into the game.

6. Columbus Aviators (0-1)

Week 1 result: Lost to the Storm 23-16

What we learned: Columbus got within a touchdown of Orlando in their opener and had the ball in Orlando territory when time expired. The Aviators are in a rough spot in Week 2, going from playing Sunday night in Orlando to Friday night against the defending champion Defenders.

MIPITU: LB Fred Thompkins. His 10 tackles were tied for the most by any player in Week 1. He also recorded the team's only pass breakup.

7. Louisville Kings (0-1)

Week 1 result: Lost to the Stallions 15-13

What we learned: Chris Redman's crew held the powerhouse Stallions to just 15 points, but the offense put up only 13 points. However, the offense wasn't as bad as 13 points suggest. They ranked third in yards per play and third-down conversion percentage in Week 1.

MIPITU: CB Cameron Dantzler. A former NFL third-round draft pick, Dantzler made life tough on Corral and the Birmingham offense, with seven tackles (one for loss) and a pair of pass breakups. One of those came on third down in their own territory and Louisville blocked the ensuing field goal attempt.

8. Houston Gamblers (0-1)

Week 1 result: Lost to the Renegades 36-17

What we learned: Hey, you can't fool us with this name change. When they were the Houston Roughnecks last year, they finished 5-5 (winning their last two games to finish at .500). This season started with a 19-point loss to the Renegades. Now let's see if that's a one-game sample size, or if Kenny Rogers' favorite team is in for a long season.

MIPITU: WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper. In a game nearly devoid of highlights for Houston, Moreno-Cropper had just the second kickoff return TD in UFL history and also had a team-high five receptions.