Our latest SB Nation Reacts survey asks fans about their interest in Michigan’s other professional football team.
Welcome to another installment in SB Nation’s Reacts survey series. This week, we are asking Detroit Lions fans one question: Will you be watching the Michigan Panthers in the UFL Championship?
You may not have noticed, but near the end of March—right in between the NFL’s free agency and draft events—the United Football League (UFL) began its 10-week 2025 regular season. At 6-4, the Panthers finished in second place behind the defending UFL Champions, The Birmingham Stallions.
With only four teams in each conference, the Panthers and Stallions faced off in their division (USFL) championships last weekend, and the Panthers came away with a resounding 44-29 victory. In the other division (XFL ), the DC Defenders took down the St. Louis Battlehawks 36-18, setting up the UFL’s second league championship game—which will be played on Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
At the time of the publishing of this article, the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Michigan and have set the betting line at Panthers -3 points.
The Panthers are early week favorites, mainly because of the performance of their quarterback, Bryce Perkins, who is the league’s offensive player of the year . It’ll be interesting to see if Perkins can parlay his performance to gain interest from the NFL, similar to how the Panthers’ kicker Jake Bates drew the NFL’s eye and eventually signed a two-year contract with the Lions. Speaking of Lions connections, four players, a coach, and a general manager, all with previous ties to the Lions, will participate in this championship game.
And that brings us to this week’s question:
Will you be watching the Michigan Panthers in the UFL Championship?
- Yes, let’s find the next Jake Bates
- No, I’m waiting for Lions training camp
Let us know if you’ll be tuning in on Saturday night by voting in the survey below, and check back in later in the week (likely Saturday) for the results.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.