Welcome to another edition of the USFL, a football league which will carry us from the spring to the summer. Last year, Skip Holtz and the Birmingham Stallions defeated the Philadelphia Stars in the championship, but much has changed over the last nine months.
Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora, Kirby Wilson and Jeff Fisher are out as head coaches, the Tampa Bay Bandits are now the Memphis Showboats and the Pittsburgh Maulers have ditched their purple color scheme to fall in line with the rest of the professional Pittsburgh teams, and will now rock the black and gold. Additionally, plenty of former USFL stars will not be back this year, as they are either in the NFL or XFL.
Betting on games in a league that is unfamiliar to everyone is ridiculous to some and fun to others. Rumor has it sportsbooks always have the edge, but how could they have the edge in this kind of situation? Maybe — just maybe — they don’t.
I went 4-0 ATS in Week 1 of the XFL this year. Let’s see how I fare in the USFL. For our CBS Sports’ USFL season preview, click here, and you can view the full 2023 schedule here. On to the picks.
All odds are via Caesars Sportsbook
Philadelphia Stars (-2.5) at Memphis Showboats
Time, date: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
Game location: Memphis
The Stars upset the New Jersey Generals to get into the championship game last year, as Philly caught fire late in the season. Quarterback Case Cookus broke his leg in that final game, but he is back to shine for the Stars.
The Showboats, on the other hand, went 4-6 last year when they were the Tampa Bay Bandits, despite many expecting them to be one of the best teams in the league. Memphis lost its quarterback in Jordan Ta’amu, who’s now in the XFL. It instead will start the hometown boy Brady White.
With Philly bringing back some important pieces, I’m going to lay the points.
The pick: Stars -2.5
Projected score: Stars 20-16
New Jersey Generals at Birmingham Stallions (-5)
Time, date: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
Game location: Birmingham
The Generals were tied for the best regular-season record in the league last year at 9-1, but were upset in the playoffs. They had the Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. The OPOY, running back Darius Victor, is back, while the MVP, KaVontae Turpin, is not. Running back Trey Williams is returning to the fold, too, and he helped the Generals average a league-high 160.6 yards on the ground in 2022. Add in De’Andre Johnson at quarterback, and you can expect plenty of rushing attempts from New Jersey.
Holtz’s Stallions return about 80% of last year’s roster, which is absolutely frightening. Quarterback J’Mar Smith, running back Bo Scarbrough and linebacker Scooby Wright are the stars to keep an eye on. “Shark Dog” was undoubtedly the most fun player in the entire league last year.
This may be the game of the week. I like Stallions on the moneyline more, but I’ll lay the points with the reigning champions.
The pick: Stallions -5
Projected score: Stallions 26-20
Michigan Panthers at Houston Gamblers (PICK)
Time, date: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET (NBC)
Game location: Memphis
The Panthers have a new head coach in Mike Nolan. They played a handful of quarterbacks last year, but hopefully have found some consistency with either Josh Love or Carson Strong. Keep an eye on wide receiver Trey Quinn, who can be a star in this league if he has someone who can throw him the football. Expect Michigan to rely on running back Reggie Corbin, who was a top five rusher last year.
The Gamblers return running back Mark Thompson, whose success last year led to a tryout with the Green Bay Packers. Kenji Bahar, Montell Cozart and Terry Wilson are the quarterbacks.
This game is a pick’em for good reason. Give me Michigan to win a low-scoring affair.
The pick: Panthers
Projected score: Panthers 13-10
Pittsburgh Maulers at New Orleans Breakers (-3.5)
Time, date: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Game location: Birmingham
The Maulers offense was hard to watch last year, and it’s unknown who the quarterback will be. My best guess is James Morgan out of Florida International University. Expect them to run the ball with Garrett Groshek and Madre London, who both were on the team last year. One headline for Pittsburgh is the return of linebacker Reuben Foster to the gridiron. The former first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers is back playing football after suffering a terrible knee injury with the then-Washington Football Team.
The Breakers no longer have Kyle Sloter on roster, so new coach John DeFilippo will be working in a new quarterback. The offense may struggle early, but the defense looks good on paper. With all that being said, I’m going to take Pittsburgh to cover the small number.
The pick: Maulers +3.5
Projected score: Breakers 17-14
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Author: Jordan Dajani
April 13, 2023 | 12:38 pm
