If the Michigan Panthers defeat the Birmingham Stallions on Saturday afternoon, they will win the USFL Conference title for the United Football League‘s 2025 season.

And that is all they will win. In two weeks, the Panthers will be back in Birmingham for the USFL Conference Championship Game to decide which team will play for the league crown against the winner of the XFL Conference Championship Game.

Normally, the right to host the USFL Conference Championship Game would be on the line on Saturday. With both teams qualified for the playoffs, Michigan has a one-game lead on the Stallions with two weeks remaining in the regular season. But Birmingham beat the Panthers 21-12 on April 4 and would hold the tiebreaker over Michigan by completing a season sweep on Saturday.

That what’s-at-stake recount is meaningless, though, because Ford Field, the Panthers’ home stadium, is not available on June 8 to host the USFL Conference Championship Game. So Protective Stadium gets that event, even if the Stallions finish behind Michigan in the final standings.

The UFL has a similar situation in its XFL Conference. The DC Defenders and St. Louis Battlehawks have secured the playoff positions and are tied for the conference lead. They’re set to play on May 30, the final Friday night game of the season. But homefield advantage will not be at stake.

The Defenders’ Audi Field is not available to host the XFL Conference Championship Game, so it will be played at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis on June 8 regardless of the final standings.

“The disappointing thing for us as a league,” said Daryl “Moose” Johnston, the UFL executive vice president of football operations, during an appearance on WJOX-FM’s “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” on Tuesday, “is we’re going into Week 9 with the Michigan-Birmingham game, which is massive, and we really can’t sell it in a way that this is for homefield, this is a huge game, you got to be there, you got to tune in because, unfortunately, whatever happens in that game, the conference championship will be played in Birmingham.

“And the exact same thing Week 10, when we’ve got St. Louis at DC. We could be talking about the final week of the regular season with homefield on the line, and that’s not a narrative that we can dip into. It’s been very frustrating for us as a league, and as you enter into the season you cross your fingers and hope that the worst-case scenario doesn’t come true. …

“We could have had two incredible regular-season games that now are maybe, from a strategic standpoint and wanting to be as healthy as you possibly can be going into the playoffs, maybe not your marquee players on that field.”

Michigan quarterback Bryce Perkins missed Saturday’s 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks because of an ankle injury. The Panthers’ practice report listed Perkins as a full participant on Tuesday. But he has not practiced since, and Danny Etling will be under center again for Michigan against the Stallions.

Birmingham knows something about quarterback injuries. A Dunkin’ employee when the season started, J’Mar Smith will make his second start this season as Birmingham’s QB when the Stallions take on the Panthers at 2 p.m. CDT Saturday at Protective Stadium. ABC will televise the game.

Smith follows Alex McGough, Matt Corral and Case Cookus as starting quarterbacks for Birmingham this season. McGough is back from injured reserve, but not ready to play. Cookus and his backup, Andrew Peasley, have returned from their injuries and will be in uniform on Saturday, according to the team’s active and inactive lists.

While Saturday’s game might be meaningless in the championship picture and there could be some gamesmanship involved, Stallions coach Skip Holtz said the Michigan-Birmingham clash did mean something to the players and the coaches.

“I think there’s a little bit of ‘How much do you show?’ in this game compared to how much you show in Week 11,” Holtz said on Thursday during an appearance on WJOX-FM’s “3-Man Front.” “Do you run plays this week to set up Week 11, etc.? But I think the obligation we have, because every player on this roster wants to win – don’t get me wrong. They all want to win, but people are like, ‘Do you rest? What really motivates your guys?’ Our players are here, every play that they have on film is a résumé. And all of them are aspiring to try to continue to play this game, and they don’t want to try to explain to an NFL team, ‘Well, that game didn’t really count because we were already in the playoffs, so I really didn’t play hard.’ That isn’t going to go over well.

“You’re going to have two highly motivated teams because, yeah, we play to win, we play for the ultimate prize, but every time they step on that field, it’s part of their résumé that they’re putting together for their film for their future. And so I think both teams are going to be very motivated. There is a little bit of scheme work that’s happening on both sides. Obviously, OK, what are we going to do? Maybe we run this this week and that Week 11, so there’s going to be some of that going on. But what you’re trying to do is give your players the best opportunity to go out and showcase their talents and abilities.”

The Stallions will be holding Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday with free hot dogs and sodas for season-ticket holders starting at 12:30 p.m. in the Miller Deck. The Billy Gant Band will perform in a pregame concert.

Celebrating Stanley the Stallion’s birthday will be mascots from other area teams, and free Mayfield ice cream will be available after the game at the northeast stadium gate. There also will be Piggly Wiggly giveaways during the game.

The Stallions also are offering a ticket bundle for $20 that provides admission to Saturday’s contest and the USFL Conference Championship Game, which will be played at 2 p.m. June 8 at Protective Stadium. Tickets can be purchased online.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.