With two weeks remaining in the 2022 USFL season one playoff spot remains. The teams fighting for the berth will take the field against each other in Sunday’s early game with the New Orleans Breakers having a chance to clinch with a win over Tampa Bay and the right to face Birmingham again. New Orleans blew a chance to hand the Stallions their first loss of the season but you can expect a bounce back against a team they beat 34-3 in Week 3. The 31-point pasting of Tampa is the largest in the league.
The Breakers were a 2.5-point dog in that first contest and they are laying 3.5-points for the rematch. Tampa climbed back to .500 ending a two-game losing streak in the process with their 13-3 win over Houston to keep their playoff hopes alive. They will have to play much better to beat New Orleans. Jordan Ta’amu threw for less than 100 yards and they managed just one touchdown against a team that surrenders the second-most points in the USFL.
Birmingham’s quest for an undefeated season remained with a 10-9 win over the Breakers. A late field goal was the difference and the defense clinched the game with its third interception to thwart the Breakers final drive. The Stallions are good and they’ve been lucky too. Four of their wins have come by six points or less and they failed to cover the last two games after opening 6-0 ATS. They hit the board as the biggest favorite of the season laying 12.5-points in their matchup with Houston, which has dropped seven straight.
The Philadelphia Stars became the third team to make reservations for Canton with their 46-24 win over Michigan. Philly put up a league-high point total and is averaging nearly 39 points in winning and covering its last three games. They’ve cashed the OVER in five straight games and in six of their eight contests. The Stars close the betting week with a tilt against Pittsburgh as an 8.5-point favorite.
Let’s take a look at the Week 9 matchups.
New Jersey Generals (7-1) vs. Michigan Panthers (1-7)
Saturday, June 11, 1 p.m. ET (NBC)
Opening Line: New Jersey -8, O/U 47
With New Jersey locking up a playoff spot and the Panthers going through the motions, bettors are facing a dilemma. The question is will the Generals take it easy to avoid injuries? Well, that’s hard to do with a limited roster and New Jersey is a well-balanced club with the best offense and defense. The Panthers deserve a better record but stumbled through injuries, bad luck and inconsistent play. Paxton Lynch reclaimed the starting QB job after recovering from injury and the release of Shea Patterson, and he’s shown signs of why he was an NFL draft pick. The teams played a close game in Week 2 with New Jersey winning 10-6. We should see more scoring but not enough to reach the total. And the Panthers have been close with five of their setbacks by seven points or less. I’ll take the points.
Prediction: Michigan +8 / UNDER 47
Houston Gamblers (1-7) vs. Birmingham Stallions (8-0)
Saturday, June 11, 6 p.m. ET (USA)
Opening Line: Birmingham -12.5, O/U 43
That they’re undefeated tells us a lot about Birmingham. The Stallions are good, but they’ve also had luck on their side. They had three turnovers and two missed field goals and still beat a good New Orleans team despite some offensive hiccups. J’Mar Smith completed just over half his passes and the club put up its lowest point total. They are beatable and if the Gamblers needed something to play for handing Birmingham its first loss is it. With QB Clayton Thorson, Mike Thomas and Isaiah Zuber all sidelined last week the Gamblers couldn’t generate offense. They managed just 244 yards in the 13-3 loss to Tampa but did a number defensively holding Jordan Ta’amu to fewer than 100 yards passing. The offense will likely have problems but the D is good enough to stay within the spread.
Prediction: Houston +12.5 / UNDER 43
Tampa Bay Bandits (4-4) vs. New Orleans Breakers (5-3)
Sunday, June 12, 4 p.m. ET (FOX)
Opening Line: New Orleans -3.5, O/U 43
I’m not sold on Tampa Bay and with a chance to secure a playoff spot New Orleans will play better than last week’s debacle. All of Tampa’s win are against the three teams with a 1-7 record and they’ve been thoroughly whooped in their four losses. The Bandits managed just 13 points against one of the worst defensive teams last week and there hasn’t been much improvement since New Orleans’ 34-3 win in Week 2. Though I expect this game to be closer, taking the Breakers minus the points almost seems like a gift.
Prediction: New Orleans -3.5 / UNDER 43
Philadelphia Stars (5-3) vs. Pittsburgh Maulers (1-7)
Sunday, June 12, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Opening Line: Philadelphia -8.5, O/U 47
We didn’t expect Philadelphia to become an offensive juggernaut after the loss of Bryan Scott. But that’s the beauty of leagues like the USFL where stars can emerge from nowhere. Case Cookus was electric last week completing 20 of 26 for 247 yards and four TDs without a pick. He also had 102 yards rushing with a 79-yard scoring dash. Unlike Pittsburgh’s Vad Lee, who was benched shortly after leading the Maulers to their only win, Cookus has gotten better over his last three starts with the Stars averaging 38.7 points in those games. Pittsburgh is last in the USFL in scoring and while Philly’s defense isn’t the best, it’s strong enough to contain the pop-gun attack.
Prediction: Philadelphia -8.5 / UNDER 47
