Football is back! Just five days after Super Bowl LIII, gridiron fans can take comfort in the fact that football is back on Saturday in the form of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) — and the opening games are on national TV (CBS)!
What is the Alliance of American Football?
The AAF is an eight-team league that “is high-quality professional football fueled by a dynamic Alliance between players, fans and the game”, according to the league’s official website. The league kicks off its inaugural season on Feb. 9, 2019, and consists of a 10-week regular season, followed by semifinal games on April 20-21 and the championship on April 27. The league was founded by NFL Hall of Famer Bill Polian and TV and film producer Charlie Ebersol.
The Alliance begins. #JoinTheAlliance pic.twitter.com/oGnt9fBOl8
— The Alliance (@TheAAF) February 3, 2019
What are the teams?
The AAF’s eight teams for its first season are:
- Arizona Hotshots
- Atlanta Legends
- Birmingham Iron
- Memphis Express
- Orlando Apollos
- Salt Lake Stallions
- San Antonio Commanders
- San Diego Fleet
The Alliance of American Football launches in February, and we just unveiled our uniforms. Check them out! #JoinTheAlliance ???? pic.twitter.com/F7uBDo6mNE
— The Alliance (@TheAAF) November 27, 2018
New league, new look. Check out The Alliance of American Football’s inaugural season uniforms ???? #JoinTheAlliance pic.twitter.com/G2RvjLVkLS
— The Alliance (@TheAAF) November 27, 2018
What are the rules of the AAF?
The AAF will resemble traditional American football but there are some differences to NFL rules, most of which are aimed at speeding up the game:
- No kickoffs! The team that gets the ball simply starts on its own 25.
- That also means no onside kicks. Teams can instead try an “onside conversion”, meaning they must convert a fourth-and-12 from its own 28-yard line to keep the ball. Teams can only try an onside conversion inside of five minutes remaining in the game, or if they are trailing by 17 or more.
- No point-after attempts. Teams must go for two every time.
- Field goals are permitted, but not in overtime.
- The addition of the “SkyJudge” referee, whose job it is to use real-time technology to correct missed calls that concern player safety and to correct pass interference calls inside of five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
- Coach’s challenges: Each team gets two for the game. No additional challenges for getting one right.
- Overtime rules: Each team gets the ball once and its first-and-goal from the 10. You must score a touchdown and go for two. Games can end in ties.
- No blitzing! No more than five players can rush on passing plays and those rushers can only line up from a position no more than two yards outside the widest offensive lineman and more than five yards from the line of scrammage. This is what the league is calling the "defensive pressure box." So what does this mean? No delayed blitzes. No corner blitzes. Basically no exotic blitzes. And the punishment for illegal blitzing is severe: a 15-yard illegal defense penalty.
- A 35-second play clock, as opposed to the NFL's 40-second play clock.
Can you bet on the AAF?
Absolutely — why else would we be writing about it? Here are the odds to win the AAF Championship from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook:
Alliance of American Football futures from our friends @SuperBookUSA: pic.twitter.com/3yBr78S0Kf
— Covers (@Covers) February 5, 2019
Who is playing in the AAF?
The biggest names in the AAF aren’t actually players, they’re coaches:
- Arizona: Rick Neuheisel
- Atlanta: Kevin Coyle
- Birmingham: Tim Lewis
- Memphis: Mike Singletary
- Orlando: Steve Spurrier
- Salt Lake: Dennis Erickson
- San Antonio: Mike Riley
- San Diego: Mike Martz
There will be some recognizable names on the field as well:
- Arizona: QB Trevor Knight, K Nick Folk
- Atlanta: QB Aaron Murray, RB Denard Robinson
- Birmingham: QB Blake Sims, RB Trent Richardson
- Memphis: QB Christian Hackenberg, RB Zac Stacy
- Orlando: QB Garrett Gilbert, QB Stephen Morris
- Salt Lake: QB Matt Linehan, RB Matt Asiata
- San Antonio: QB Dustin Vaughan, RB David Cobb
- San Diego: QB Mike Bercovici, WR Nelson Spruce
Some might be wondering what happened to Josh Johnson after the San Diego Fleet drafted him first overall. Well, his late-season audition with the Washington Redskins went a little too well, as far as Fleet fans are concerned, as Washington apparently plans to re-sign Johnson for the 2019 NFL season.
How can I watch the AAF?
Streamers, this is the league for you. The AAF’s official website says that “fans will be able to stream Alliance matchups live via the free Alliance app”. The app is now available for download and is meant to be interactive with its "pick the next play" feature.
CBS will air the inaugural games on Saturday, Feb. 9th at 8 p.m. ET (San Diego at San Antonio and Atlanta at Orlando). Throughout the season, games will air on CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, TNT, and Bleacher Report Live.
The 2019 Alliance of American Football Inaugural Season Schedule is here ????#JoinTheAlliance pic.twitter.com/sK40g8x9Wb
— The Alliance (@TheAAF) October 16, 2018
AAF Week 1 Odds
Let's start with a disclaimer: This is Week 1 of a brand-new league and there wasn't a preseason. There is next to nothing to go off of here if you're looking to handicap these games. That also means oddsmakers don't have much to go off of either, however. Because of that, you'll notice that all the home teams are favored and the totals are all similar (odds are from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook on Feb. 7).
- Atlanta Legends at Orlando Apollos (-5, 53.5)
- San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders (-5, 54)
- Memphis Express at Birmingham Iron (-3.5, 51.5)
- Salt Lake Stallions at Arizona Hotshot (-3.5, 53.5)
If you're betting Week 1 of the AAF, tread lightly. We'll dig into each game next week once we have some actual information to use for handicapping the sides. The league rules, however, are clearly designed for games to be shootouts as the defenses can't blitz and the offenses have to get a play off in 35 seconds. The Over could be the way to go for Week 1.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on Feb. 6 and updated on Feb. 9.
