The Super Bowl has come and gone, and the 2019 NFL Draft isn’t until late April. Football fans will have some offseason action to watch beginning in 2019, however, as the Alliance of American Football kicks off its inaugural season this weekend.

How is the game different from the NFL?

The are a number of rule changes designed to make the game considerably quicker than an average NFL game. You can see a primer on the rules here.

• There are no extra points, only two-point conversions. Teams must go for two after every touchdown.
• There are no kickoffs. Teams will start on their own 25-yard line after an opponent has scored a touchdown, or a half is beginning.
• Because there are no kickoffs, the AAF will allow teams to attempt to keep the ball after a score via an “onside conversion,” but only in lopsided games.  Per the AAF: “If a team is trailing by 17 points or more inside of five minutes remaining in a game, they must convert a fourth-and-12 from their 28 in order to keep the ball.”
• Only five defensive players may rush the quarterback – including linemen. If a player is lined up on the line of scrimmage, they count as one of the five potential rushers.
• If a game goes to overtime, each team will get one possession in 1st-and-goal scenario from the 10-yard line. If the game is still tied after the overtime period in the regular season, the result will be a tie. In the playoffs, additional periods will be played. Teams are not allowed to kick a field goal in overtime.
• The play clock is 35 seconds, down from 40 seconds in the NFL.
• In addition to the referees on the field, each AAF game will have a “Sky Judge” that reviews plays from the booth. Via the AAF: “The AAF will have a ninth member of the officiating crew, called a sky judge who will be in the press box and can instantly correct “obvious and egregious” officiating errors. The sky judge will use real-time technology to correct clear errors involving player safety anytime during a game and pass interference inside of five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

What are the teams?

There are a total of eight teams split into Eastern and Western conferences. Each team has a 52-player roster, and will play a 10-game regular season, which will end April 14th. The top two teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs.

Eastern Conference:

Orlando Apollos

Venue: Spectrum Stadium
Coach: Steve Spurrier

Atlanta Legends

Venue: Georgia State Stadium
Coach: Kevin Coyle

Memphis Express

Venue: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Coach: Mike Singletary

Birmingham Iron

Venue: Legion Field Stadium
Coach: Tim Lewis

Western Conference:

Salt Lake Stallions

Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
Coach: Dennis Erickson

Arizona Hotshots

Venue: Sun Devil Stadium
Coach: Rick Neuheisel

San Diego Fleet

Venue: San Diego County Credit Union Stadium
Coach: Mike Martz

San Antonio Commanders

Venue: Alamodome
Coach: Mike Riley

Week 1 schedule:

Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET: Atlanta Legends at Orlando Apollos – CBS

Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET: San Diego Fleet at San Antonio Commanders – CBS

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. ET: Memphis Express at Birmingham Iron – CBS Sports Network

Sunday, 8:00 p.m. ET: Salt Lake Stallions at Arizona Hotshots – NFL Network