UFL Championship Picks: Defenders vs. Panthers (Saturday)
The 2025 UFL regular season is in the books, meaning it's time for the playoffs. Last week, I went 1-1 on my two bets for the USFL Conference Championship Game between the Michigan Panthers and Birmingham Stallions.
I correctly picked the over of 46.5 points. The game finished with 73 points, one of the highest totals this year, as both teams scored 29 or more. Unfortunately, the Stallions lost the game by 15 points, failing to cover the 1.5-point spread as the favorites.
Yet, I had a solid season betting on the UFL. I had a 24-16 record during the regular season, hitting on 60% of my bets. While I had a rocky 1-3 performance on my four bets in Week 10, I totaled a 3-1 mark in each of the previous three weeks, hitting on 75% of my weekly bets six times during the year.
However, last week’s game and the regular season are in the books. Now, it’s time to move on to the UFL Championship Game. The D.C. Defenders will represent the XFL Conference against the USFL Conference Champion Michigan Panthers for all the marbles on Saturday night. It’s the final game of the 2025 UFL season, so let’s look at which side of the spread bettors should bet. Here are my top UFL picks for the championship game between the Defenders and Panthers.
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UFL Championship Picks: Defenders vs. Panthers
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Last week, the Defenders had an impressive win over the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL Conference Championship Game. Despite being underdogs in the matchup, D.C. came away with the 36-18 victory. They outscored the Battlehawks by 14 points in the first half and four in the second. The Defenders' rushing attack was outstanding, as Deon Jackson and Abram Smith combined for 174 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the win, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt against a talented defense.
Similarly, the Panthers were underdogs in the USFL Conference Championship Game against the Stallions. Despite being 1.5-point underdogs on the road, Michigan had arguably their best performance this year. They outscored Birmingham by seven in the first half and by eight in the second. Furthermore, the Panthers scored 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory after the Stallions had cut their lead to five with a touchdown catch by Jordan Thomas.
D.C. ended the regular season with a 6-4 record, finishing second in the XFL Conference. They had the top-scoring offense in the conference and the third-best unit in the UFL. The Defenders averaged 22.4 points per game during the regular season, totaling 27 or more in 40% of their matchups. Meanwhile, they only had a point differential of one point for the regular season. Yet, D.C.'s average margin of victory was 6.5 points per game.
The Panthers were arguably the most underrated team in the UFL this year. They had the highest-scoring offense in the league, averaging 24.5 points per game, scoring 25 or more in 70% of their matchups. Furthermore, Michigan scored 30 or more in three of their past six games, including a season-high 44 in last week's playoff win. More importantly, the Panthers have an average margin of victory of 12.4 points per game, including the playoff win over the Stallions.
These two teams faced off once during the regular season. The Panthers defeated the Defenders 38-14 in the Week 6 matchup in Michigan. They led from start to finish, outscoring D.C. by 11 in the first half and 13 in the second, totaling five touchdowns in the victory. Therefore, bettors shouldn't be surprised to see Michigan come away victorious again on Saturday night. Furthermore, bettors should take the Panthers minus the three-point spread.
Pick: Panthers -3 (-110)
Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.