The new Alliance of American Football is almost ready for kickoff (the two season-openers, San Diego-San Antonio and Atlanta-Orlando, are both on CBS at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, with regional coverage, and can be streamed on CBS All Access). So, what exactly is the AAF? Well, you may have come across some news about former NFL quarterbacks finding new homes, if you've been reading football headlines recently,

CBS Sports Network aired a QB Draft with lead analysis from Kurt Warner, for instance, and in that draft, familiar names like Christian Hackenberg, Josh Johnson (who ended up playing for the Washington Redskins in a few games late in the 2018 NFL season) and Aaron Murray were selected as if starting their NFL careers afresh.

Those quarterbacks -- and countless other players -- are actually preparing to suit up for the AAF, a brand new league set to debut on Saturday.

If you're like most football fans, however, and you're still trying to figure out just what the heck AAF really is, well, you've come to the right place. Here, we've got all the details you need to get ready for the games this weekend (and we've even got Power Rankings):

So what is the AAF?

AAF stands for Alliance of American Football, which was announced in March by co-founders Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian, the latter of whom spent decades working as an NFL executive. It is an eight-team league that exists to both complement the NFL during the offseason and showcase local, developing talent. Its leadership board features former NFL players Jared Allen, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, and its mission is to provide "high-quality professional football fueled by a dynamic Alliance between players, fans and the game." And if you want to see out who we've got in the Week 1 games, check out our picks.

What are the teams?

The AAF's inaugural eight franchises are as follows:

Arizona Hotshots

Atlanta Legends

Birmingham Iron

Memphis Express

Orlando Apollos

Salt Lake Stallions

San Antonio Commanders

San Diego Fleet

Who are some notable coaches and players?

The AAF used a QB Draft to allow each of the eight teams an opportunity to either protect allocated quarterbacks or pick one from another region, with those quarterbacks first signing directly to the AAF. Before the draft, dozens of other players had already joined the league, with Hines Ward hinting this fall that "big names" remain on the AAF's radar.

Before any players signed to the league, the AAF also announced head coaches for all eight of its original teams.

Here's a rundown of some of the most notable names on each team entering 2019:

Team: Arizona Hotshots

Coach: Rick Neuheisel

Players: QB Trevor Knight

Team: Atlanta Legends

Coach: Kevin Coyle

Players: QB Aaron Murray, QB Matt Simms, WR Stephen Hill

Team: Birmingham Iron

Coach: Tim Lewis

Players: QB Blake Sims, QB Scott Tolzien, RB Trent Richardson, CB JaCorey Shepherd, K Nick Novak

Team: Memphis Express

Coach: Mike Singletary

Players: QB Christian Hackenberg, QB Zach Mettenberger, RB Zac Stacy, WR Chris Givens

Team: Orlando Apollos

Coach: Steve Spurrier

Players: QB Garrett Gilbert, QB Stephen Morris, WR Frankie Hammond, DB Will Hill

Team: Salt Lake Stallions

Coach: Dennis Erickson

Players: QB B.J. Daniels, QB Garrett Grayson, RB Matt Asiata

Team: San Antonio Commanders

Coach: Mike Riley

Players: RB David Cobb, RB Daryl Richardson

Team: San Diego Fleet

Coach: Mike Martz

Players: QB Josh Johnson, RB Bishop Sankey

When will they start playing?

The AAF's 10-week, 40-game regular season begins Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. ET from Spectrum Stadium in Florida, where the Orlando Apollos will host the Atlanta Legends; and from The Alamodome in Texas, where the San Antonio Commanders will host the San Diego Fleet.

CBS is scheduled to broadcast the AAF's Feb. 9 Opening Day, with regional coverage (and you can stream the games on CBS All Access), while CBS Sports Network will then carry one AAF game each week throughout the season (stream those games on CBS Sports Network or on fuboTV, try for free).