- The Memphis Showboats are hosting the Philadelphia Stars to kick off the 2023 USFL season and Philly is expected to be favored.
- The Birmingham Stallions and the NJ Generals are tied as the favorite to win the 2023 championship with +300 odds.
- Birmingham won the 2022 USFL championship, after opening up the season tied with the second longest odds at +700.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – With the USFL getting ready to kick off, bettors can benefit from understanding all opening day information, trends from the 2022 season, and how the rules differ from the NFL.
There are many ways to bet on USFL Year 2 after being revived, including future wagers on the championship game and game lines for the first week.
2023 USFL Futures
- Birmingham Stallions +300
- New Jersey Generals +300
- Philadelphia Stars +500
- New Orleans Breakers +500
- Memphis Showboats +500
- Houston Gamblers +600
- Michigan Panthers +650
- Pittsburgh Maulers +700
With the league kicking off in 17 days, here are 17 things to know about the USFL broken down into three categories:
Opening Day Info
1. Memphis will officially join the USFL as the Showboats, as the Tampa Bay Bandits relocated site for 2023. The first edition of the USFL had a Memphis team in the league.
2. The USFL will kick off with the 2022 runner up (Philadelphia Stars) taking on the newly relocated Showboats in Memphis for their inaugural home debut.
3. Winning the 2022 championship, the Birmingham Stallions have opened up 2023 tied as the favorite with +300 odds to repeat. The Houston Gamblers are the second team with +300 odds for 2023.
4. The Houston Gamblers had the worst record in 2022 in the South Division at 3-7 but have hired Curtis Johnson as their head coach for 2023. Johnson has 37 years of coaching experience and is a big part of the odds moving in their favor for the upcoming season.
5. The Pittsburgh Maulers have opened with the longest odds to win the 2023 USFL championship with +700 odds after finishing with only one win and the worst record in 2022.
6. One of Pittsburgh’s biggest acquisitions for the 2023 season was signing former first round pick Ruben Foster. The former 49ers linebacker is only 28 years old and stopped playing in the NFL due to off-field issues.
7. While Malik Cunningham was drafted by Birmingham and could elevate the Stallion's offense, he said he had no interest in playing in the USFL and had his focus on the NFL Draft but the Stallions still have the shortest odds to win it all.
2022 Season Trends/Outcome
8. The Birmingham Stallions were tied for the second longest championship odds during the 2022 USFL preseason with +700 odds. Birmingham ended up defeating the Philadelphia Stars by a score of 33-30 in the 2022 championship game.
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9. The Philadelphia Stars opened the 2022 season with +550 championship odds but finished the regular season with a 6-4 record. Escaping the semifinals, Philly almost won the championship as a postseason underdog.
10. The Michigan Panthers were tied for the best odds to win it all during the 2022 USFL preseason but ended the season with the second worst record in the league at 2-8.
11. Birmingham started the season 6-0 against the spread but failed to cover in the last four games of the regular season.
12. Birmingham finished as the best team ATS, going 6-4, and Michigan and Tampa Bay were tied with the worst record ATS, going 4-6.
13. Even with the worst record in the South Division at 3-7, Houston managed to cover the spread in 50% of their 2022 games.
What Makes the USFL Different Than the NFL?
14. Similar to the XFL, the USFL gives teams the chance to score one point, two points, or three points after a touchdown is scored. The number of points for the PAT will depend on the distance from the endzone that the team lines up, greatly affecting USFL over unders.
15. Onside kicks can be attempted through the traditional NFL means of kicking off at the 25 yard line or by trying to convert a 4th and 12 from their own 33 yard line. This plays most into live betting the USFL.
16. Similar to college football, overtime will be a shootout between teams with each team having three plays to run from the two yard line. The teams will go back and forth and the team with the most points will win. If the game is tied after each team’s three plays, sudden death will take over.
17. In order to increase the action and potential for an entertaining event, the USFL allows two forwarded passes to be thrown during every single game for both teams.
Which USFL Teams Were the Best ATS In 2022?
Bettors can get an edge from online sportsbooks for betting on the 2023 USFL season by knowing the ATS records from every team from 2022. As the Tampa Bay Bandits have relocated to Memphis, the ATS record for the Showboats can be found under TB for 2022.
2022 USFL ATS Records
| Team: | Record: |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | 6-4 |
| Houston | 5-5 |
| New Orleans | 5-4-1 |
| Philadelphia | 5-4-1 |
| New Jersey | 5-4-1 |
| Pittsburgh | 4-5-1 |
| Michigan | 4-6 |
| Tampa Bay (now the Memphis Showboats) | 4-6 |
Ben has always been a huge sports fan who loves to keep up with all things NBA and NFL. He is a Editing, Writing, and Media major at Florida State University and enjoys spending his free time watching sports and hanging out.
