USFL Week 1 Preview and Best Bets (Archive)
Football is back and probably sooner than you expected. The USFL has been revived for 2022, and that means we have a whole new league of football to be excited about.
This weekend (Saturday, April 16th), the season begins with the season opener between the New Jersey Generals and the Birmingham Stallions.
That marks the first USFL game since the 1985 championship when Baltimore defeated Oakland 28-24.
Since then, it’s been a long time, and countless world events have happened since then. People under the age of 37 weren’t even alive back then, and many people might not have even remembered the league altogether.
With that being said, we have a brand-new season starting, and we should be excited to see the league back in action.
The 2022 USFL odds have been updated over the past couple of weeks, so let’s dive right in and see which teams you should have your eyes on for Week 1.
USFL Week 1 Matchup Analysis
Week 1 of the USFL is right around the corner, with the season opener kicking off on Saturday, April 16th.
That will mark the first time we have seen USFL action since the mid-80s, so it’s been quite some time. For our betting picks, let’s break down the four games happening on Saturday and Easter Sunday.
New Jersey Generals vs. Birmingham Stallions
Saturday, April 16, 2022 – 07:30 PM EDT at Protective Stadium
The first game of the USFL 2022 season is between the New Jersey Generals and the Birmingham Stallions.
They selected Ben Holmes with the 4th overall pick in the quarterback round and have decent playmakers in KaVontae Turpin and J'Mon Moore.
Chris Orr is a solid player for the Generals, but they find themselves as the heaviest underdog to the Stallions in the first game of the season.
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The Stallions could be a team to look out for this year. They have a tough defense and a solid quarterback duo in Alex McGough and J'Mar Davis-Smith.
Their pass defense looks like it can be a real strength with Seth Thomas and Jonathan Newsome leading the charge.
USFL Pick: Birmingham (-182) with BookMaker (visit our BookMaker Review)
Houston Gamblers vs. Michigan Panthers
Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 12:00 PM EDT at Protective Stadium
Jeff Fisher and the Michigan Panthers will be looking to lead their team to their first win of the season over the Houston Gamblers.
The Panthers being the favorite on the betting odds list says everything about this team’s potential.
As for the Gamblers, not so much. They lack a well-rounded team with few game-breaking players. It will be difficult for the Gamblers to win many games this year unless they can prove everyone wrong.
The Panthers will make it even harder to win their first game; Shea Patterson, the first player selected in the 2022 USFL draft, will lead his team to a win.
USFL Pick: Panthers (-167) with BookMaker
Philadelphia Stars vs. New Orleans Breakers
Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 04:00 PM EDT at Protective Stadium
The Stars and Breakers game is looking to be one of the tighter games for the first week of the 2022 USFL season.
As for the USFL betting odds, the Stars find themselves at (+550) for the season while the Breakers are right behind them at (+600).
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They both will be underdogs to win big games this season, and both will be looking to prove the doubters wrong this year. That makes for quite an interesting game here.
The Stars’ defense is their strong suit, but the Breakers' passing attack led by Kyle Sloter can make things interesting.
USFL Pick: Breakers (+115) with BookMaker
Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Pittsburgh Maulers
Sunday, April 17, 2022 - 08:00 PM EDT at Protective Stadium
The last game of Week 1 might as well be the best one. The Bandits are looking like one of the better teams to make your USFL predictions on this year, while the Maulers are looking pretty respectable themselves.
Jordan Ta'amu will be the biggest star to watch in this game, while his playmakers will be looking to help him out in a major way in Week 1.
Pittsburgh’s got a very well-rounded team, and Ta’amu will have to play very well if the Bandits are going to take this game.
USFL Pick: Bandits (-149) with BookMaker
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.