Unlike most teams that left the NIFL for the UIF, the Sioux City Bandits left mediocrity and came into success. After blowing out most of their competition, the team earned the second seed in the playoffs. After blowing through Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley, the Bandits met their franchise-long rivals, the Sioux Falls Storm, in the Championship game. Despite hosting the game, the Bandits lost, 40-38. The Bandits did not recover well in the following season, winning just six games. The team stumbled down the stretch, going 1-4 in their last five games. Sioux City stumbled all the way to the playoffs, and almost pulled off an upset over Rock River. However, as time expired, a final pass was underthrown at the Rock River one yard line. The Raptors, who had been leading 34-17, hung on to win, 37-33. The Bandits were a very poor team in 2008, winning just four games. The team participated in one of the highest scoring UIF games in history, a 76-73 loss at Bloomington. The team qualified for the playoffs, beating out Wichita. The team traveled to RiverCity, where for the second year in a row, the Bandits would lose by a score of 37-33.