• by David Goetzl , March 10, 2009

The latest would-be challenger to the NFL has signed a deal with Versus to carry its debut season this fall. The Comcast network will air a weekly United Football League game Thursday nights during the league's two-month season.

Unlike previous unsuccessful NFL competitors--the USFL and XFL to name two--the UFL is opting to hold its season in the fall when interest in football is at its peak, rather than after the NFL season winds down.

The four-team league is banking, in part, on consumer hunger for a home team in three large markets without an NFL franchise: Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando. San Francisco, a market with two NFL teams, will also have an entrant.

The UFL season will run from Oct. 8 through the title game on Thanksgiving weekend.

Versus executive Marc Fein said the UFL has a "sound plan," perhaps drawing a contrast between the USFL (which counted Donald Trump as an owner) and the XFL (an aborted joint venture between NBC Universal and the WWE).

League commissioner Michael Huyghue is a former executive with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.

Versus is in 75 million homes, and the UFL brings another programming genre to its lineup, which includes the NHL, hunting and fishing, cycling and auto racing.