USFL Best Bets for Week 1

We have some football to look forward to this weekend! The USFL is starting with its eight-team league. I’m not 100% sure what to expect with this and there are a lot of players that I don’t recognize from anywhere. I do think it has the potential to be a fun league and very enjoyable. I’d only use a word of caution, if your typical unit size is $100, I’d drop it down to about half for at least the first week, if not a little while longer.

New Jersey Generals vs. Birmingham Stallions

Based on championship odds, the Generals do not appear to be a team that we should count on to be a serious contender. They selected Ben Holmes fourth overall for their quarterback. Holmes seems like a pretty safe quarterback in that he doesn’t make that many mistakes. In two college years at Tarleton, he had 62 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. The Stallions took quarterback Alex McGough, a quarterback that was in the Seahawks organization. They also have the same odds to win the championship as the Generals. I’d take the Stallions at -2.5 in this one as I think their quarterback is going to be better in a competitive game.

Houston Gamblers vs. Michigan Panthers

This one should be a little clearer in my opinion. The Panthers are the favorite to win the championship and the Gamblers are the last of the three teams with the worst odds to win the championship. If those odds are correct, and without seeing much on the teams/players to go on, we have to use the information available. I think the Panthers are the side here at -2.5 -120. They got the exact quarterback they wanted, having the first overall pick. Shea Patterson played for the Michigan Wolverines and was with the Chiefs for a while. The Gamblers do have a decent quarterback in Clayton Thorson that bounced around the NFL for a while. I just think the safer play is the Panthers in this.

Tampa Bay Bandits vs Pittsburgh Maulers

I think this game probably goes over the total. Todd Haley is the Bandits coach and he is one of the two former NFL coaches that have a team. I am not sure that Haley will have the skill players needed to really make an impact on the game/league immediately, but of all the teams, his might be the most offensive-minded and that should be enough to give them a chance to score points. It may also mean he is more aggressive with the onside kick rules or three-point plays. I will take the over 41.5 in this game.  

Again, bet with caution for a couple of weeks on these as we feel the teams out and learn more about the league.