IFL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FEATURES A MARQUEE MATCHUP

When the Indoor Football League announced plans for the inaugural IFL Cup, there was a lot of intrigue around the indoor football world. Based on the matchups for the semifinal games, there was a chance that the championship game could be a matchup of the last two IFL champions, the Vegas Knight Hawks and the Arizona Rattlers. Throw in the much-publicized altercation involving the coaches during the May 3rd game at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada and the intrigue level skyrocketed.

And that is what we have this Sunday as the Arizona Rattlers (6-2) battle the Vegas Knight Hawks (6-1) in the championship game of the inaugural IFL Cup at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey (730pm ET Yahoo Sports).

It is a match made in "Indoor Football Heaven". 

"The league couldn't be more excited for Sunday's showdown between the last two IFL World Champions," Jared Widman, President of the IFL Business Division. "Showcasing two of our marquee franchises on Yahoo Sports is exactly the type of national spotlight we envisioned when planning the IFL Cup. With the top two teams in the Western Conference set to collide, the stage is set for a premier showcase of The Indoor War as the IFL Cup takes center stage."

After a game to remember earlier this month, it's time for an epic rematch between two great teams.

RATTLERS-KNIGHT HAWKS…THE SEQUEL

The Rattlers punched their ticket to the Championship Game with a 61-15 win over the New Mexico Chupacabras in the first semifinal on Monday afternoon. On Monday night, the Knight Hawks joined Arizona in the final with a 73-33 victory over the Orlando Predators in the second semifinal. 

That sets up the second meeting of the season between the two bitter Western Conference rivals after Vegas prevailed three weeks ago 56-42. Already trailing the defending champs by a half-game in the standings and on the short end of the head-to-head tiebreakers, the Rattlers are eager to even the score on Sunday.

"I think it's a bigger game for us than it is them," said Rattlers Head Coach Kevin Guy. "We can't afford to fall two games behind them with eight games to go. It's an important game. We have to come and be ready to play. We're playing some pretty good football right now but so are they. It's a match set up for two heavyweights to go at it."

And those two heavyweights are set for a showdown in a game that is chock full of drama.  

Not only will these teams be playing for first place in the Western Conference but they will also be battling for the right to be called the first ever IFL Cup Champions. Already with a distain for each other, there's a lot on the line this Sunday and the outcome could set the tone for what happens in the postseason.

"I expect a great game," said Knight Hawks quarterback Jayden De Laura. "That's a great team. They have great players and they have a great coach. It's been a little chippy. It's kind of crazy that I came into the league with this big rivalry. "

A rivalry that had fuel added to the fire near the end of the last meeting. 

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

In the last meeting, Guy and Vegas Head Coach Mike Davis got into a well-publicized on-field altercation. Both coaches have tried to move on from the incident saying that it was just two guys who badly want to win just letting their emotions out for the world to see. 

"We're both competitors," said Guy. "It's an emotional game. I thought that deal got blown way out of proportion. I think both of us mentally moved on. I thought the fans and the media kind of ran with that a little bit. Don't get me wrong…we want to beat each other."

At the end of the day, it's all about what happens on the field and that's why Guy and Davis are trying to downplay what happened and put the focus back on football for what should be a great game on Sunday at American Dream in the shadows of the number one media market in the country.

It's a football game with a lot on the line.

"Just another game," said Davis. "You have to play all the good teams to get to the championship…period. I don't care if it's the IFL Cup Championship or the National Championship. You're going to have to play them. So, whether you play them here or in the playoffs, you're going to have to see them. There's no running from it so you might as well button yourself up and be ready for a tough, physical game."

A contest that will take place in one of the most unique settings you will ever find in sports. 

THE BRAWL AT THE MALL

The Arena at American Dream is no stranger to sporting events. The venue has hosted hockey games and basketball games including a residency by the Harlem Globetrotters. This week, the turf has been laid over the ice for football and it's been an opportunity for the players, coaches, staff, officials and fans to experience the excitement of Indoor Football under a glass ceiling with three levels of fans looking down on the action.

Once everyone got their feet wet on Monday, not from the nearby water park at American Dream but just in terms of getting used to the surroundings, it was football business as usual. 

"I had a blast," said Rattlers quarterback Drew Powell. "It was awesome. We had a lot of fun. It was just like any other game. It didn't feel any different. It felt like a game just like in any other stadium but I think it's very unique and it's a great venue."

For the players who have played in front of thousands of fans in arenas and stadiums in the past, competing in a setting like American Dream took some getting used to. But the field was still 50 yards long and was surrounded by hockey boards with the "Cup Zone" field goal banners hanging from the upper level of the entertainment complex.  

"It was really different," said De Laura. "It was a new experience coming from playing in an indoor arena but also playing (collegiately) at Arizona and Washington State. It was different but a cool and rare experience." 

And now these two teams have a chance to pick up some hardware.

BATTLING FOR THE IFL CUP TROPHY

This is the first time that a professional football league, of any kind, is running an in-season tournament so the Indoor Football League is making history this week in New Jersey. It's a concept that already takes place in the NBA with the NBA Cup and the WNBA with the Commissioner's Cup.

The four games that make up the IFL Cup are regular season games, but now there are two teams, Vegas and Arizona, who will play for a championship.

"The reality is it's a regular season game," said Guy. "But, to do something and make history of the first time it's ever been done, you can look back on it and if this thing turns out to be something ten, fifteen, twenty years down the road, you get bragging rights of hey we won the first one."

For Vegas, coming off the first IFL National Championship in franchise history a year ago, it's an opportunity to add to their trophy case while also focusing on their primary focus down the road and that is to repeat as IFL Champions in August. 

"It will be good to win this Sunday…don't get me wrong," said De Laura. "But we want to win the main championship."

But come this Sunday night, one team will get to call themselves the IFL Cup Champions.

"I think anytime you're presented with an opportunity to be crowned champion, we want to win it," said Powell. "If it's a regular season game, we want to win it. If it's the championship game, we want to win it. We play to win every game so this is no different."

A win is a win…especially when a championship is involved. 

ANOTHER FULL DAY OF FOOTBALL AND FUN

Championship Sunday for the IFL Cup gets underway with the Consolation Game between New Mexico and Orlando (12pm ET Overnght). It's a matchup of the IFL's newest teams as the Chupacabras (1-6) look to damage the playoff hopes for the Pirates (4-3). 

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis will be on hand as an Ambassador for the IFL Cup. Bettis, part of the ownership group for an IFL expansion team in Athens, Georgia that will be join the league next season, will be handling the coin toss, meeting fans and signing autographs, and doing a halftime interview with the "Voice of the IFL" Brent Stover.

And then, following the main event between the Rattlers and Knight Hawks in the Championship Game, Bettis will be presenting the Capelli Sport IFL Cup Most Valuable Player Trophy. 

It's been a special week for the Indoor Football League bringing four teams to the New York/New Jersey area and a showcase for the sport like never before. It's been a huge undertaking for everyone involved but there is excitement about the history that the league is making with the IFL Cup.