2023 USFL Championship Game Betting Lines - Bet on Football

2023 USFL Championship Game Online Betting

On Saturday Night, the Birmingham Stallions will attempt to win their second consecutive USFL championship against the surprise underdog Pittsburgh Maulers. The USFL championship game will be held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Kickoff on NBC and Peacock is at 7:00 PM ET.

Birmingham head coach Skip Holtz is forging a dynasty at Birmingham. And the Stallions opened as a 6.5-point favorite to take out a gutsy but out-classed Pittsburgh team.

Last week The New Orleans Breakers and the Birmingham Stallions were the USFL's winningest teams this season and were the two highest-scoring teams. The South Division title game was the third tie-breaker in the season series between these two high-flying heavyweights.

2023 USFL Championship Game Odds

Stallions quarterback Alex McGough played at a significantly higher level, as his four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) served as the difference in the Stallions' 47-22 victory.

The South Division title match was also another head-to-head bout between two of the league's best passers: Breakers quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who led the league in passing yards (2,433), and McGough, the Stallions quarterback who led the USFL in completion percentage (67.4%), passing touchdowns (20), and passer rating (108.3) in the regular season.

Early in the game, the Breakers' defense bent but didn't break as the Stallions were forced to settle for a 41-yard field goal and an early 3-0 edge. Bethel-Thompson then bounced back in a big way on his second drive, completing a deep fade down the right sideline for a 32-yard gain that set up New Orleans with a first-and-goal from the four. He finished the drive with a scoring strike via a fade route on the next play, providing the Breakers with their first lead of the night, 7-3.

The Stallions cooked the Breakers' defense with the connection of McGough and tight end Jace Sternberger, a third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 2019 NFL Draft, on the ensuing possession. Sternberger sprung free for a 32-yard catch-and-run that advanced Birmingham to the New Orleans 30, and he freed himself again on a 17-yard crossing route that ended with six points as he waltzed into the end zone untouched. Kicker Brandon Aubrey missed the extra point, so the Stallions had to settle for a two-point advantage, 9-7.

After another field goal, McGough found the end zone again after receiver Davion Davis hauled in the football on a slant route before making a mockery of the Breakers' defense, breaking multiple tackles to conclude the play with a 36-yard score. That gave the Stallions the first two-score lead of the night, 19-7, with a little more than five minutes before halftime. The duo connected for their second touchdown together, a one-yard touchdown toss with 14 seconds left in the first half, running up their lead to 19, 26-7.

Birmingham scored 37 unanswered points in total after opening the second half with two more scores, plus Allen's second interception of Bethel-Thompson off of a deflection.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh survived one of the wildest games in USFL history, using overtime to defeat Michigan to capture the North Division title Saturday and advance to the USFL Championship game. Pittsburgh (5-6) took advantage of the USFL's overtime rules, scoring on the first two attempts in the three-attempt shootout to defeat Michigan, 31-27.

Michigan (4-7) didn't score on either of the overtime attempts -- which are two-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line -- giving Pittsburgh the 4-0 victory in overtime (each conversion is worth two points). E.J. Perry's pass to extend the game was deflected at the line of scrimmage to give Pittsburgh the victory, holding off a furious Panthers rally in the second half to force overtime.

Pittsburgh took a 27-24 lead with 44 seconds left as Troy Williams found Ishmael Hyman on a post route on fourth-and-goal. The Maulers' lead didn't last long as E.J. Perry led the Panthers down the field to allow Cole Murphy to tie the game and force overtime. Murphy drilled a 47-yard field goal with no time left in regulation to tie the game at 27-27.

Perry threw for 370 yards in the contest, rallying the Panthers from a 10-3 halftime deficit to take a 27-24 lead late in the game. Michigan took the lead on a Perry pass to Trey Quinn for 55 yards, giving the Panthers a 27-24 lead with 2:04 left. Perry also found Marcus Simms for a 72-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give Michigan the lead.

The Maulers rallied after trailing for the first time in the game (they forced three turnovers in the first half). Bailey Gaither scored a four-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 17-17, while Chris Blewitt kicked a 59-yard field goal to put Pittsburgh up 20-17 in the fourth quarter.

Williams finished 23 of 40 for 203 yards with a touchdown pass, while Perry went 23 of 38 for 370 yards and two touchdowns. Both teams combined for 701 yards of offense in a game that was supposed to feature two of the league's top defenses.

List of USFL Championship Games

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