Image: XFL
About This Quiz
We may have entered a new decade, but when it comes to sports, everything old is new again. If you weren't around for the first iteration of the XFL, a more kitschy and entertainment-heavy version of the National Football League, boy, are you in for a treat. Go back in time with us, will you?
It was 2001 and, relying on the success of the World Wrestling Federation (yes, that WWF, with notable faces like Ric Flair, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Hulk Hogan), its leadership decided to parlay that prosperity into a new sporting venture — professional football.
But, we know what you're thinking: "Hey, quizmaster, we already have professional football ... duh?" Yeah, OK, but not like this. The first (and what would be the only) season of the XFL's first attempt included a dash to the center of the field for the possession of the ball, the championship "Million Dollar Game," and players who could choose what their jerseys would say ... thus, "He Hate Me." Please, Google that when you have time.
We're now a couple of weeks into the revamped and retooled — and dare we say, more sophisticated? — version of the XFL. Which brings us to this quiz: How much do you think you know about the newest kid on the proverbial block? Can you identify the famous faces associated with the league? What rules are different from the NFL? Grab your helmet and take the field; it's time to ace this XFL quiz!
Macauley Culkin
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Vince McMahon
This is Vince McMahon's second attempt at getting the XFL off the ground. As the owner of the World Wrestling Entertainment, he made the first run at it in 2001, bringing the league back for the 2020 season.
Roger Goodell
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The ball is automatically placed on the 25.
Players can't move until the ball is caught.
In the NFL, a kickoff returner has no protection from defenders rushing at him. In the XFL, however, the returner is allowed to catch the ball before defenders can move toward his position on the field.
The returner gets a 20-yard head start.
There are no kickoffs.
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One
Two
Three
The XFL has done away with field goals for extra points. Instead, a scoring team can earn up to three additional points, depending on the placement of the ball. They can earn one point for a play from the 2-yard line, two points for a play from the 5-yard line, and three points for a play from the 10-yard line.
Four
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The one who scores the most points in five rounds
Unlike the NFL's overtime, where the team that wins possession can win the game by scoring a touchdown, the XFL plays an overtime of five rounds, with both teams obtaining possession. The team that scores the most at the end of five rounds wins.
The one who holds the ball for the greatest amount of time
The one that scores first
The one who has the ball as time expires
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30
40
45
25
The XFL is determined to speed up the pace of the game, relying on a 25-second play clock to the NFL's 40-second play clock. This lends itself to a more speedy series of downs for the offense.
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It advances 10 seconds.
It stops.
It continues to run.
Again, here's another example of the XFL thinking about the speed of the game. Unlike the NFL, when an incompletion or out-of-bounds play occurs, the XFL will keep the clock running ... and the game moving forward!
It rolls back 10 seconds.
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Two
Hey coaches and players, you better use those timeouts wisely, since you only get two — to the NFL's three. Timeouts can cause delays in a game, and, if you're watching from home, more commercials!
Three
One
Four
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A player needs both feet inbounds.
A player needs only one foot inbounds.
In the NFL, a player must get both feet down before falling out of bounds, which, if we're being honest, makes for some pretty spectacular moves. In the XFL, however, only one foot is required, much like college football.
A player needs both feet and a hand inbounds.
A player doesn't have to establish he's inbounds.
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Controller period
Commando period
Countdown period
Comeback period
Once the two-minute warning has been given in the second and fourth quarters, the XFL's rules change a bit. The game clock will stop until the ball is spotted, nearly eliminating a team from "running out the clock."
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"Xplicit"
"Xciting"
"Xtreme"
Nothing
We're a bit disappointed to tell you that the "X" in "XFL" doesn't stand for anything. McMahon did joke, however, at one time, that the "X" stood for "Xtra" and the "FL" stood for "Fun League."
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14
Six
Eight
Just like in 2001, McMahon launched the reimagined XFL with eight total teams spread across two conferences — Eastern and Western. This is a much smaller field than the NFL's 32 teams.
12
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Barry Switzer
Howard Schnellenberger
Lincoln Riley
Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops led the Sooners from 1999 to 2016 when Lincoln Riley stepped in and took over. Stoops, who came out of retirement to coach in the XFL, has said he was bored just sitting around the house. Hey! It's something to do on the weekends!
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Kevin Gilbride
After working with the Giants organization in the NFL for seven years and earning two Super Bowl rings, Gilbride will take the reins of the XFL's franchise in New York — the New York Guardians.
Mike Pope
Jason Garrett
Sean Ryan
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They were chosen by lottery.
They were recruited.
They were drafted.
They were assigned.
Before the XFL's official draft, the league office assigned a notable quarterback to each of the league's eight franchises. The goal? To give each team a recognizable face as the leader of the team.
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Devlin Hodges
Mason Rudolph
Landry Jones
Landry Jones leads the Renegades from the quarterback position after a stint in the NFL that included a stop in Pittsburgh. Jones, who was a four-year starter at the University of Oklahoma, is once again teamed with his former college coach.
Ben Roethlisberger
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New York Guardians
St. Louis BattleHawks
Tampa Bay Vipers
Boston Brewers
Sorry, Boston, you got left out of this XFL plan. Instead, the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference went to a team in our nation's capital — the DC Defenders. But, hey, Boston could always get an expansion team!
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Denver Damagers
Houston Roughnecks
The way the XFL saw it, the state of Texas was big enough to handle not one, but two XFL franchises with the Dallas Renegades and the Houston Roughnecks. It sounds like a great opportunity for an in-state rivalry.
Phoenix Snakes
Las Vegas Lobos
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J. T. Barrett
Cardale Jones
After attempting only a handful of passes in the NFL, Cardale Jones is hoping for a career resurgence in the XFL with the DC Defenders. Cardale went from deep on the depth chart to starting for the Buckeyes in 2014 and 2015.
Troy Smith
Terrelle Pryor
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20
12
With a 10-week regular season and two weeks of playoffs and a championship game, football fans will earn an additional 12 weeks of professional football games — with no "bye" weeks!
14
16
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Kony Ealy
Kony Ealy had a proficient career at the University of Missouri and entered the NFL with much hype, but things never quite worked out in his favor. Today, Ealy is playing with the Houston Roughnecks hoping, we're sure, for a second run at the NFL.
Khalil Mack
Aaron Donald
Christine Michael
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Eli Rogers
As much as we'd love to see Antonio Brown in the XFL (that's a joke), this question is all about Eli Rogers, who had a decently successful career in the NFL before injury and substance abuse violations cost him his job.
Sammy Watkins
Antonio Brown
JuJu Smith-Schuster
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Tyreek Hill
Sammy Watkins
Sammie Coates
Sammie Coates spent four seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, Browns, Texans and Chiefs before being cut before the start of the 2019 season. Coates landed on his feet in the XFL and could make another run at the NFL with some stellar production.
Demarcus Robinson
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Seattle Dragons
Los Angeles Wildcats
Of course, the "land of bright lights" is the land of Hollywood, better known as Los Angeles. The Wildcats are the city's XFL team and they share a facility with Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy.
St. Louis BattleHawks
Dallas Renegades
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New York Guardians
Seattle Dragons
Dragons are a somewhat appropriate name for a team based on a city perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Sounds a bit more intimidating than, say, a Seahawk, doesn't it? But, we're not judging.
DC Defenders
Houston Roughnecks
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Green Bay
Orlando
St. Louis
Missourians are surely still riding high after their Kansas City Chiefs won the NFL's Super Bowl, but the St. Louis area doesn't have its own NFL franchise. The BattleHawks, however, will compete with the St. Louis Blues, the city's NHL team.
Tampa
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52
Coming in at just one less than a traditional NFL team, XFL teams will include a total of 52 players on each roster, with only 46 suiting up for each game. In that regard, the two leagues are quite similar.
42
60
77
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A moon
An eagle
Lightning bolts
The DC Defenders logo features a shield background with two lightning bolts that cross one another and three stars. The XFL revealed the teams' names and logos online in the summer of 2019.
A flag
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Leftovers
The Everymen
The Niners
Team 9
The XFL created Team 9 to benefit the remainder of its eight teams, serving as a type of farm team system where athletes can be called up in the event of an injury or team opening. It is stocked with 40 additional players.
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Donations from the NFL
Tax dollars
Nationwide fundraisers
Selling stock
Vince McMahon is believed to have sold more than $100 million in World Wrestling Entertainment stock to help start Alpha Entertainment LLC, the XFL's parent company. In fact, the cost of the entire league is on McMahon's back. Whoa!
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Alcohol
Sponsors
Halftime
Cheerleaders
The XFL opted out of employing cheerleaders for each team due in part to societal pressure. League officials said that changing attitudes about cheerleader participation prompted them to forego that part of the gameday experience.
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Domestic violence
Personal conduct
Cannabis testing
Vince McMahon and the XFL have made one thing clear: There may be drug testing in the new league, but cannabis (or marijuana) won't be one of those they'll look for. This differs from McMahon's WWE, which reportedly does test for cannabis.
Targeting penalties
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Budweiser
Under Armour
Gatorade
Just before the season started, big names like Gatorade and Anheuser-Busch agreed to sign on for sponsorships with the new version of the XFL. We suspect more sponsorships will soon follow!
Nike
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Colored visors
If it wasn't one thing with OBJ, it was another. During one week of the 2019 season, he was forced to remove his colored helmet visor. But, hey, in the XFL, colored and patterned helmet visors are absolutely permitted.
Metal wristwatches
Sneakers
Custom jerseys
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San Antonio Spurs
Austin Astros
Houston Rockets
Dallas Renegades
There's probably not a much better name for a team that signifies "outlaw" than the "Renegades." At home in Dallas, the Renegades must compete with numerous other pro teams in the city, including the Cowboys, Stars and Mavericks.
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Eight minutes
Five minutes
15 minutes
10 minutes
You better hurry to the bathroom and the concession stand because there's no time to waste in the XFL's games. They've allotted only a 10-minute halftime to — you guessed it — keep the game moving.
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The team with the best record decides.
The visiting team decides.
The home team decides.
If you just love the coin toss at the start of NFL games, you're going to be disappointed here. At the start of an XFL game, the home team gets to decide whether they want to receive the ball or defer to the second half.
A coin toss decides.
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Houston Rockets
Since the National Basketball Association's Rockets play at the same time of the year that the XFL does, the Houston Roughnecks will be competing — at least economically — with another big draw in town.
Houston Astros
Houston Oilers
Houston Stars
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Omaha and Tulsa
Houston and Dallas
Seattle and Boston
New York and Los Angeles
Both New York and Los Angeles played host to XFL teams in the 2001 and rebooted 2020 seasons. In 2001, though, the teams were known as the Hitmen and the Xtreme, as opposed to the Guardians and Wildcats.
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St. Louis BattleHawks
Houston Roughnecks
Tampa Bay Vipers
The Tampa Bay Vipers are essentially playing alongside the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sharing Raymond James Stadium between the two football teams. The Vipers landed three years of rent-free usage as part of the team's lease agreement.
Dallas Renegades
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It is softer.
It has an "X" on it.
The first iteration of the XFL used a black branded ball, but the 2020 version of the league is sticking closer to its NFL "cousin" with traditional colored footballs that feature a large "X" on the ends.
It's a different color.
It weighs less.
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You Got:
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