USFL Championship 2022: Winner Betting Odds, Analysis and Pick

Trying to fill the NFL void in the Spring, the 2022 USFL Regular Season will kick off on Saturday, April 15 as the 8-team league with franchises located in the East, Midwest, and South begin play this weekend with the 2022 NFL Regular Season now 148 days away.

The inaugural USFL 2022 Regular Season will last 10 weeks (April 16 to June 19) with the top two teams in the North Division and South Division playing in divisional title games on Saturday, June 25 with the 2022 USFL Championship Game on Sunday, July 3, 2022.

USFL Beginning Play This Saturday With Four Games

The USFL announced its first-ever Postseason will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Turf Nation) in Canton, Ohio, the sacred site of the NFL Hall of Fame with the North and South championships on June 25 and the USFL Championship Game on July 3.

Led by the National Spring Football League, this modern incarnation of the USFL has no connection to the old USFL (1983-1985) and the league is headquartered in the heart of Southern football country in the United States in Birmingham, Alabama.

And one freaky thing about this league?

The entire inaugural 2022 USFL season will be played in Birmingham at Protective Stadium (UAB, FieldTurf), and Legion Field (Auburn, FieldTurf) so no need to handicap Homefield advantage in Year One of the new USFL.

Of course, unless you are the Birmingham Stallions, or one of their opponents playing in the state of Alabama during the 10-week Regular Season where the Spring and early Summer seasons mean very warm weather with extremely high Humidity, good for Points.

There will be eight teams in the USFL who will play in the North (Michigan Panthers, Philadelphia Stars, New Jersey Generals, and Pittsburgh Maulers) and South (Tampa Bay Bandits, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers, and Birmingham Stallions) divisions.

The Commissioner of the USFL is Brian Woods and the new professional league will try to incorporate Technology into the product including using sensors in the football to accurately measure First Downs as well as a player on each team wearing a Helmet Cam.

The new USFL owns the old trademark logo of the old USFL, but this league isn’t associated with the XFL or Eighties USFL product where Herschel Walker starred for the New Jersey Generals and Donald Trump bought the New Jersey Generals in 1983.

But the league tanked after three seasons as chronic egomaniac, plastic fork Pizza eater and former US President Trump demanded that the fledgling league try to compete directly with the well-established NFL in the Fall season. Final Score? NFL 1 USFL 0.

This will be the fourth launch of a league in the USA called the USFL with two other attempts made in 1945 and 2010. Week 1 of 2022 USFL Schedule will see four games played with the opener on Saturday and three back-to-back-to-back games on Sunday.

Here are the opening numbers to win the 2022 USFL Championship from popular online sportsbook BetUS with the Michigan Panthers priced at 4/1 to win the 2022 USFL Championship (+375 at BetOnline), so shop around for the best Futures (Outsights) odds).

2022 USFL Championship Winner Odds

• Michigan Panthers +400
• Tampa Bay Bandits +450
• Philadelphia Stars +550
• Houston Gamblers +600
• New Jersey Generals +600
• New Orleans Breakers +600
• Pittsburgh Maulers +600
• Birmingham Stallions +700

USFL Week 1 Point Spreads and Totals

Saturday, April 16, 2022

• New Jersey Generals vs. Birmingham Stallions
• Site: Protective Stadium (FieldTurf), Birmingham, Alabama
• Time: 7:30 pm EDT/6:30 pm CDT/4:30 pm PDT
• TV: NBC, Fox, Peacock
• Point Spread: Stallions -3½ -110
• Moneyline: Stallions -167
• Total: 42½

Sunday, April 17, 2022

• Houston Gamblers vs. Michigan Panthers
• Site: Protective Stadium (FieldTurf), Birmingham, Alabama
• Time: 12 pm EDT/11 am CDT/9 am PDT
• TV: NBC, Peacock
• Point Spread: Panthers -3½ -110
• Moneyline: Panthers -167
• Total: 43½

• Philadelphia Stars vs. New Orleans Breakers
• Site: Protective Stadium (FieldTurf), Birmingham, Alabama
• Time: 4 pm EDT/3 pm CDT/1 pm PDT
• TV: USA Network
• Point Spread: Breakers -2½ -110
• Moneyline: Panthers -149
• Total: 44½

• Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Pittsburgh Maulers
• Site: Protective Stadium (FieldTurf), Birmingham, Alabama
• Time: 8 pm EDT/7 pm CDT/5 pm PDT
• TV: FS1
• Point Spread: Bandits -2½ -110
• Moneyline: Panthers -213
• Total: 42½

What Is the USFL, Who Are the Head Coaches, Key Players?

The United States Football League (USFL), is a new professional football league which is owned by FOX Sports designed to fill the gap in Spring and Summer for pro football fans in the US who enjoy the NFL but maybe aren’t into the XFL, the CFL, or Arena Football.

Former Dallas Cowboys FB Daryl “Moose” Johnston will be the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the USFL which will somewhat serve as developmental league for the NFL for players, coaches and officials. Here is the full 2022 USFL Schedule.

The Players in the USFL on an active roster will be paid $45,000 for the 10-week season with players on the Practice Squad earning $15,000 for the season, or $1,500 a game. The median annual wage in the US in 2019 was $34,248.45 according to SSA.

And for every Win a team gets in the USFL, players will receive an $850 bonus with the winning players on a USFL championship team getting an extra $10,000 prize should he be on the team that wins the 2022 USFL Championship Game in Canton on Sunday, July 3.

Players in the USFL will also be eligible to get college degrees ”Tuition-free and Debt-free” via a unique partnership with Strategic Education’s Capella University and Strayer University, so this is a league trying to be creative and progressive on and off the field.

USFL Rosters will have 38 players on them with 7-man Practice Squads and all eight of the new teams in the league were created by a two-day Draft from February 22 to February 23 and any player who has graduated from High School is eligible to play in the USFL.

The Head Coaches in the South Division of the USFL are a well-known and experienced group of old men and includes Skip Holtz (Birmingham Stallions), Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers), Larry Fedora (New Orleans Breakers), and Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits).

And the Head Coaches in the USFL in the North Division are some well-known names in Jeff Fisher (Michigan Panthers), former Oregon State Head Coach Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), Bart Andrus (Philadelphia Stars) and Kirby Wilson (Pittsburgh Maulers).

USFL North Division

Michigan Panthers 4/1

The Panthers (4/1 to win 2022 USFL Championship, BetUS) have a couple of decent QBs in Shea Patterson and Paxton Lynch so Michigan Head Coach Jeff Fisher has some depth at the most important position and also much more, making them oddsmakers favorites.

On Offense, the Panthers feature RBs Reggie Corbin, Cameron Scarlett, and Stevie Scott III and WRs Jeff Bedet, Ray Bolden, Devin Ross, Lance Lenoir, and Ole Miss product and former New England Patriots Practice Squad member Quincy Adeboyejo.

The Panthers won the first USFL championship back in 1983 with QB Bobby Hebert (Saints) and WR Anthony Carter (University of Michigan) key cogs on the Offense and Michigan will start playing in Detroit next year in the 2023 USFL Regular Season.

Philadelphia Stars +550

The Stars (+550 to win 2022 USFL Championship) won the second USFL championship in 1984 and also have a good QB in 26-year-old Bryan Scott, a former two-time TSL MVP and Occidental product who threw for 77 TDs and 1,205 yards in four years in college.

Scott’s key target will be WR Brennan Eagles (6-4, 229), a Texas product who had 60 Receptions for around 1,000 Yards with 11 TDs for the Longhorns, so Philadelphia Head Coach Bart Andrus has two decent key position players which he can build around.

Besides Eagles, Scott will have WRs Maurice Alexander, Devin Gray, Diondre Overton, and Jordan Suell to look for in the City of Brotherly Love And Flying Footballs In The Air.

New Jersey Generals 6/1

The Generals (6/1 to win 2022 USFL Championship) are also a former old USFL name and feature QB Ben Holmes (DII Tarleton State), former Ohio State RB Mike Weber, RB Darius Victor, and Tight End Nick Truesdell (6-5) along with a corps of very tall Wide Receivers.

Pittsburgh Maulers 6/1

Head Coach Kirby Wilson and the Maulers (6/1 to win 2022 USFL Championship) have first pick Kyle Lauletta and Josh Love at QB and RBs Garrett Groshek and De’Veon Smith and WR Jeff Thomas, a speedster who starred in NCAAF with the Miami Hurricanes.

USFL South Division

Tampa Bay Bandits +450

The Bandits (+450 to win 2022 USFL Championship) and QB Jordan Ta’amu are the oddsmakers’ favorites in the South Division and for KC Chiefs HC Todd Haley who will lead the Bandits who have 29 players who have been on NFL Roster before, a high in the USFL.

Houston Gamblers 6/1

The Bandits (6/1 to win 2022 USFL Championship) are the only team in the USFL who are from west of the Mississippi River and the old USFL version of the Gamblers gave us Jim Kelly, Mouse Davis, and Jack Pardee who brought the Run ‘n’ Shoot Offense to the NFL.

Former Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson will be the main man in H-Town for Head Coach Kevin Sumlin who has WRs JoJo Ward (Hawaii), Isaiah Zuber (Patriots), Tyler Simmons (Georgia), and Anthony Ratliff-Williams (North Carolina) to work with.

New Orleans Breakers 6/1

The Breakers (6/1 to win the 2022 USFL Championship) have QB Kyle Sloter, a 28-year-old who will be spearheading Head Coach Larry Fedora’s Offense in the Big Easy, along with RB Jordan Ellis and WRs Jonathan Adams, Johnnie Dixon, and Chad Williams.

Birmingham Stallions 7/1

The Stallions (7/1 to win the 2022 USFL Championship) and Head Coach Skip Holtz will have the theoretical Homefield Advantage in 2022 with all games at Protective Stadium and Birmingham will look to QB Alex McGough of J’Mar Davis-Smith (Louisiana Tech).

Whereas oddsmakers give Home teams around 3 points for a perceived edge as a host in the NFL, don’t expect the Stallions to get much value at all in the betting numbers (for now at least) with Birmingham new and other teams not intimidated by the Alabama reality.

Unique USFL Rules and Realities

• Kickoffs will be from the 25-yard line.
• Kicking teams can’t recover or touch their own KO past 20 yards from the spot of Kick.
• Teams will be allowed to pass (forward) two times on the same play.
• Microchip Sensors in the Footballs and no Chain Crews to measure First Downs.
• OT will consist of teams attempting three alternating two-point tries; whoever has the most points after the three tries will be the winner. If still tied after three attempts, overtime becomes sudden death and the next successful attempt ends the game.
• Trailing teams can choose to execute either an onside kick under standard rules or, in lieu of a kickoff, attempt to gain 12 yards on a scrimmage play from the Offense’s 33-yard line.
• Teams will have three options after TDs: 1—PAT for 1 point from the 15-yard line, 2—2-point Conversion from the 2-yard line; 3—3-point Conversion from the 10-yard line.

Where to Watch USFL on TV and Streaming Services

TV partners for the USFL are very strong and include NBC, FOX, FS1, the USA Network, and the Peacock and fuboTV streaming services. All games will be played on Saturday and Sunday, so this is a weekend league with all teams east of the Mississippi but Houston.

Fox Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks has deemed this relaunch of the USFL as “a landmark day for football fans and Fox Sports.” Yawn. At least we can bet on it? On Tuesday, the broadcast teams for the inaugural USFL season were announced.

Where to Legally Bet Online on the USFL

With sports betting now legal in 30 states in the US, if you want to wager on Straight Bets on Point Spreads, Moneylines, Totals, Parlays or the 2022 United States Football League (USFL) Championship game-winner, try one of the most trusted online sportsbooks.