USFL playoffs are set: Everything to know on Generals-Stars, Stallions-Breakers

With one week remaining in the regular season, the USFL playoff field is set.

Everything was finalized when the New Orleans Breakers beat the Tampa Bay Bandits 17-6 on Sunday, a result that eliminated the Bandits from contention and handed the final berth available to the Breakers.

The Breakers will be the No. 2 seed in the South, joining Birmingham, which earned the No. 1 seed by virtue of its 8-1 record. In the North, top-seeded New Jersey joins No. 2 seed Philadelphia.

The playoffs, which will be held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, begin with the semifinals on Saturday, June 25. The USFL has not yet announced which teams will play in which TV slot, but here is the schedule:

Semifinal 1: 3 p.m. ET on FOX.

Semifinal 2: 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

The winners will then play in the USFL Championship Game on Sunday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Tickets for the USFL playoffs and championship games are on sale at United States Football League (USFL) (hofvillage.com).

Here are the key things to know about the semifinal matchups.

North matchup: No. 1 New Jersey Generals vs. No. 2 Philadelphia Stars

Records: Generals, 8-1; Stars, 6-3.

Current streak: Generals, W8; Stars, W4.

Head-to-head: The Generals beat the Stars 24-16 in Week 3. The teams meet again in Week 10, one week before their semifinal matchup.

Points for/against: Generals, 206-159; Stars, 239-217.

Leading passer: Generals, Luis Perez (1,062 yards on 71% completions, six touchdowns, one interception); Stars, Case Cookus (1,090 yards on 63.4%, 10 TDs, four INTs).

Generals QB Luis Perez finds Darrius Shepherd for TD

New Jersey Generals quarterback Luis Perez connected with Darrius Shepherd for a go-ahead touchdown over the Michigan Panthers on Saturday.

Leading rusher: Generals, Darius Victor (543 yards, 4.5 yards per carry, nine TDs); Stars, Matthew Colburn (418 yards, 4.5 YPC, seven TDs).

Leading receiver: Generals, KaVontae Turpin (472 yards, 12.1 yards per reception, four TDs); Stars, Jordan Suell (339 yards, 10.9 YPR, two TDs).

Leading tackler: Generals, Dravon Askew-Henry, S (36 tackles, two INTs); Stars, Jordan Moore, LB (51 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks).

Other notables: Turpin is not only a dangerous receiver but also difficult to corral on kick returns. He is second in the league in punt return average (15.3) and is the only player to return one for a touchdown this season. … Victor (nine) and Colburn (seven) have scored the most rushing touchdowns in the league. … Cookus has compiled his passing numbers in only five starts. He started the season as Philly’s backup behind Bryan Scott, taking over the job after Scott was injured. … Philly DB Channing Stribling leads the league in interceptions (seven).

South matchup: No. 1 Birmingham Stallions vs. No. 2 New Orleans Breakers

Records: Stallions, 8-1; Breakers 6-3.

Current streak: Stallions, L1; Breakers, W1.

Head-to-head: The Stallions swept the season series with the Breakers, winning 22-13 in Week 3 and 10-9 in Week 8.

Points for/against: Stallions, 213-151; Breakers, 193-144.

Kyle Sloter’s journey from NFL to the USFL

Kyle Sloter has tried out for 26 different NFL teams and talks about what it’s actually like inside of NFL camps and takes that knowledge with him to the USFL and to the New Orleans Breakers.

Leading passer: Stallions, J’Mar Smith (1,501 yards on 55.4% completions, 10 TDs, five INTs); Breakers, Kyle Sloter (1,798 yards on 57.7% completions, nine TDs, 11 INTs).

Leading rusher: Stallions, CJ Marable (354 yards, 3.8 YPC, four TDs); Breakers, Jordan Ellis (564 yards, 4.0 YPC, four TDs).

Leading receiver: Stallions, Marlon Williams (444 yards, 15.3 YPR, three TDs); Breakers, Jonathan Adams (398 yards, 13.3 YPR, three TDs).

Leading tackler: Stallions, DeMarquis Gates, LB (57 total tackles, 10 TFL, 5.5 sacks); Breakers, Vontae Diggs, LB (66 total tackles, five TFL, two sacks).

Bo Scarbrough’s leadership on full display for Stallions

Bo Scarbrough became a leader immediate upon joining the Stallions midseason. He talks about the mindset he goes into every game with and what he learned as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Other notables: Sloter has shown a knack for making clutch plays and his passing total is tops in the league, but his 11 interceptions are also tied for the most in the league. … Marable’s rushing numbers have taken a hit since the Stallions signed Bo Scarbrough midseason. Scarbrough has rushed for 314 yards in five games (four starts). … Gates leads the league in tackles for loss, with 10.