In case you haven’t heard there is another spring football league ready to try and penetrate the saturated sports market. But there’s never enough games to place bets on so why not take a peek into the new yet old, or is it old yet new, United States Football League?
The old USFL was a short-lived venture back in the 1980s, but it did have its moments with the likes of Herschel Walker, Doug Flutie and Jim Kelly all getting their careers started in the league. With the NFL and college football dominating the sports landscape and sports wagering sites, there’s a place for spring football if the league is run properly with enough financial backing. And that appears to be the case for the new USFL.
Although the new operation owns the USFL trademarks, there is no association with the original league. Team names will rekindle memories of the past for those old enough to remember the New Jersey Generals and Birmingham Stallions. And those are the teams set to kick off the new venture on Saturday, April 16.
Two divisions of four teams make up the inaugural USFL season with each club playing 10 games. All regular season games will be played in Birmingham, Alabama with postseason games played at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The season starts on April 16 and concludes with the championship game on July 3.
With bettors now familiar with each team’s roster following a player draft last month, odds surfaced for each team to win the new USFL’s first championship. However, there is still plenty we don’t know so odds will be more fluid than usual throughout the course of the season. Heck, some shops even offer odds on whether or not the league will complete its first season since the last several spring leagues failed.
2022 USFL Championship Odds
Michigan Panthers +425
New Orleans Breakers +500
Tampa Bay Bandits +550
Philadelphia Stars +600
Pittsburgh Maulers +600
New Jersey Generals +650
Birmingham Stallions +700
Houston Gamblers +800
Michigan Panthers
They have an experienced coach in Jeff Fisher and the Panthers used the first pick to take former Michigan and Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson. They also have former NFL first rounder Paxton Lynch trying to resurrect his career. I guess that’s why Michigan hit the board as the early favorite to win the title. There is more, though. Former NFLers Quincy Adeboyejo and Lance Lenoir headline the group of pass catchers while previous spring league standouts Cavon Walker and Frank Ginda anchor the defense.
New Orleans Breakers
Larry Fedora hasn’t coached in several years, but when he did he was successful with a 79-62 record at Southern Miss and North Carolina. He fancies the spread offense and built the Breakers around that style with plenty of talented receivers for QB Kyle Sloter to throw to. Though he’s never played an NFL game, Sloter had impressive preseason numbers and should be a star in this league. A strong passing game should cover for expected deficiencies on the defensive side.
Tampa Bay Bandits
Having a quarterback makes things much easier on the coaching staff. Todd Haley knows that all too well since his most productive NFL seasons came as OC of the Pittsburgh Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger. With the second pick the Bandits took Jordan Ta’amu, who’s bounced around NFL practice squads the last few years. He was one of the top QBs in the XFL and can make opposing defenses pay with his athleticism. BJ Emmons was the top running back drafted and Eli Rogers is a talented pass catcher. Safety Obi Melifonwu was a second round pick of the Raiders in 2017 and has all the tools to be a star.
Philadelphia Stars
Stacked with players who put up decent numbers in college, the Stars are hoping that all translates. And with career minor league coach Bart Andrus leading the way the team should be competitive. Having “The Aaron Rodgers of DIII” at QB, yes that’s actually the nickname given Bryan Scott, should make the offense one to watch. Playing for Andrus in the Spring League, Scott was league MVP twice. Freedom Akinmoladun, a four-year starter at Nebraska, was the first defensive pick. Along with Carroll Phillips, they should give the Stars a decent pass rush.
Pittsburgh Maulers
Pittsburgh loves its football thanks to the success of the Steelers and the Maulers are hoping to build off that. They have the least known head coach in the league in Kirby Wilson, who has been an NFL assistant since 1997 winning a pair of Super Bowl rings. They might have the most well-known QB, though, in Kyle Lauletta, a draft pick of the New York Giants in 2018. He never got a chance in the NFL but was valued enough to be taken in the fourth round.
New Jersey Generals
No team and no team owner had a bigger impact on the original USFL than the Generals and Donald Trump. Things should be more laid back with Mike Riley at the helm. The coach has done it all during his career with stops in the NFL, CFL, World League and at major college programs. Former Tarleton State and indoor football QB Ben Holmes gets first crack at the offense. And we all know the story of Kurt Warner so maybe another HOF career is in the making.
Birmingham Stallions
With all regular season games played in Birmingham this season the Stallions will have home field advantage throughout the season. Led by Skip Holtz, who won 152 games in the college ranks, the team boasts a solid coaching staff. A 2018 draft pick of the Seahawks, Alex McGough was the first QB picked. During his four years at FIU, McGough threw for over 9,000 yards and 65 touchdowns. A couple of standouts from the state of Oregon give the offense some pop. Victor Bolden Jr. and Tony Brooks-James should be exciting to watch.
Houston Gamblers
One team had to be at the bottom of the odds board and the Gamblers are it. This won’t be the run-and-shoot team we saw with Jim Kelly in the original iteration, but they could be solid with Kevin Sumlin as their coach. Sumlin posted a 95-63 record in the college ranks with a number of those coming with the Texas AM program. He also has record-setting Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson running the offense.
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