Birmingham, St. Louis Shaping Up as Contenders in UFL
UFL Outright Odds: Stallions Futures Favorite at +300
Are you ready for some football?
The UFL — the product of a merger between the XFL and USFL — makes its anticipated debut on Saturday. The 2024 UFL schedule kicks off with a matchup featuring two of the newly formed league’s best teams, the Arlington Renegades and Birmingham Stallions.
Eight teams are set to play a 10-game schedule, with the championship slated for June 16.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down the UFL outright odds for this inaugural season.
THE FAVORITE
Birmingham Stallions (+300)
Birmingham won USFL titles in 2022 and 2023. The merger may complicate the bid for three-peat, but the Stallions remain in good hands with Skip Holtz, the son of College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz.
Alex McGough is now with the NFL’s Packers, so J’Mar Smith will be asked to take over at quarterback ahead of former Ole Miss star Matt Corral. The Stallions also return leading rusher CJ Marable.
At +300, the Stallions are the UFL outright odds favorites.
TOP CONTENDERS
St. Louis Battlehawks (+350)
Anthony Becht returns after coaching St. Louis to a 7-3 record in the XFL last year.
Quarterback A.J. McCarron is also back after spending part of the NFL season with Cincinnati. McCarron signed with the Bengals’ practice squad in September and joined the active roster on Dec. 4, appearing in two games (4-of-5 passing, 19 yards) as a backup.
McCarron, a former two-time NCAA champion at Alabama, threw for 2,150 yards and an XFL-record 24 touchdowns for the Battlehawks last season.
D.C. Defenders (+380)
With 2023 XFL Coach of the Year Reggie Barlow back in the fold, optimism is high in D.C. The Defenders went 9-1 during the regular season and made the championship game, where they lost 35-26 to Arlington.
Jordan Ta’amu won XFL Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 1,878 yards and 14 touchdowns compared to only three interceptions.
Arlington Renegades (+475)
Bob Stoops is just 6-9 as Arlington’s coach, but he led the team into the XFL playoffs last season at 4-6 and saw them surprisingly win the title.
Luiz Perez, the MVP of the championship game, returns at quarterback. The Renegades also have 2015 NFL first-round pick Vic Beasley and former All-Pro punter Marquette King.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
Houston Roughnecks (+650)
Curtis Johnson led the USFL’s Houston Gamblers (rebranded as the Roughnecks) to a 5-5 mark last season.
Reid Sinnett is set to take over at quarterback, replacing 2023 starter Kenji Bahar. Sinnett started one game with San Antonio, throwing for 97 yards with one touchdown and one interception before sustaining a season-ending injury. He also had a brief stint with the Bengals prior to being released.
Linebacker Reuben Foster, a 2017 NFL first-round pick, headlines the defense.
Memphis Showboats (+800)
John DeFilippo is now at the helm after coaching the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers last season. Prior to that, DeFilippo was an offensive assistant for more than two decades at the college and NFL levels.
The Showboats also have a new quarterback in Case Cookus. In the previous two years with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, Cookus passed for 3,629 yards and 27 touchdowns.
LONGSHOTS
Michigan Panthers (+1300)
Mike Nolan, the former 49ers head coach and a longtime defensive coordinator, went 4-6 with the USFL’s Panthers last season. He’ll need to settle on a quarterback, as Davis Cheek, Danny Etling, Brian Lewerke and E.J. Perry are all competing for the job.
San Antonio Brahmas (+1400)
At +1400, San Antonio is the biggest longshot of any UFL team.
Wade Phillips was brought in to coach after guiding the XFL’s Roughnecks to a Western Division championship. The 76-year-old Phillips certainly doesn’t lack experience, having spent nearly 50 years on NFL sidelines as a defensive coordinator and head coach.
Tom Flacco — the younger brother of NFL quarterback Joe Flacco — will compete with Quinten Dormady and Chase Garbers for the quarterback job. Dormady passed for 1,507 yards and 10 touchdowns with the XFL’s Guardians last season.
For UFL Outright odds, betting analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine and experience the excitement with UFL Odds!.
