Welcome to the second year of the USFL. The XFL has been entertaining this year. Hopefully, the USFL will have similar success. Last year we saw two teams run away with their division titles, as the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions both had 9-1 records.
However, the Generals were knocked out of the first round of playoffs by the Philadelphia Stars 19-14. Meanwhile, the Stallions handled the New Orleans Breakers with a 31-17 win. The championship matchup was competitive, with the Stallions winning 33-30.
The USFL will again have eight teams in 2023. While seven of them will return, the Tampa Bay Bandits relocated to Memphis and became the Showboats. Last year the Bandits had a 4-6 record and finished third in the South Division.
Hopefully, Week 1 gives viewers four exciting matchups. However, there are always bets to make regardless of the matchup, so let's look at some potential USFL bets you should make this week.
Best USFL Bets for Week 1
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Philadelphia Stars at Memphis Showboats
Welcome to the USFL, Memphis. Last year the team finished with a 4-6 record in Tampa Bay. While the team moved, bettors shouldn't expect them to be much better this season. DraftKings have them with the third lowest odds to win the USFL Championship this year at +700. The only two teams with longer odds are the Houston Gamblers (+950) and the Pittsburgh Maulers (+1200). Those two teams had a 4-16 combined record last year. More importantly, the Showboats only won one of their final five matchups in 2022 and that win came in Week 8 over the Gamblers, 13-3.
While the Generals ran away with the North Division Title last year, the Stars were impressive. Despite finishing three games behind New Jersey, Philadelphia scored 30 more points during the regular season. Furthermore, the Stars led the USFL in scoring last year, averaging 26.2 points per game. More importantly, they got the 19-14 win in the playoffs to represent the North Division in the USFL Championship Game.
Despite the Stars playing in the Championship Game last year, they are less than a field goal favorite over a team that relocated during the offseason. Furthermore, Philadelphia had a 3-2 record on the road last year, the third-best in the USFL. While this matchup shouldn't be a double-digit blowout, expect the Stars to cover the 2.5-point spread.
Pick: Stars -2.5 (-110)
New Jersey Generals at Birmingham Stallions
The NFL has a long tradition of having the reigning Super Bowl champions host the opening regular season matchup the following year. Thankfully the USFL followed their lead and did similarly. More importantly, they gave us an excellent Week 1 matchup between the top two teams from last season as the teams had identical 9-1 records in 2022. Last year these two teams met in Week 1, with the Stallions getting the 28-24 victory.
Following the Week 1 loss to Birmingham, New Jersey went on a nine-game winning streak to end the regular season. However, the Stallions ultimately won the championship last year, while the Generals got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. However, don't think the Generals forgot about their playoff loss last year and expect them to be motivated to come in and prove they are the best team in the USFL.
This matchup between two elite teams could be the game of the year, however, New Jersey isn't getting the respect they deserve. Furthermore, we have seen reigning champions show up flat and not prepared time and time again in the first game of the following season. Could Birmingham win this Week 1 matchup like they did last year? Yes, but don't be surprised if New Jersey covers the five-point spread like they did a year ago.
Pick: Generals +5 (-110)
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.