Professional sports leagues have been constantly tinkering with their rules to avoid tanking. MLB recently added a draft lottery, while the NBA and NHL both altered their lottery rules within the last decade to make it harder to obtain the No. 1 overall pick.
The USFL, like the NFL, entered their season with the rule that the team with the worst record will get the top pick. However, the league is changing that rule on the fly. With the 1–8 Michigan Panthers set to face the 1–8 Pittsburgh Maulers, which will decide who ends up at the bottom of the standings, USFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Daryl Johnston said the winner of that game will end up with the top pick, not the loser.