Just because the NFL season is over following Kansas City’s dramatic win in Super Bowl LVII, it doesn’t mean professional football is taking a seven-month siesta. The XFL season gets started this weekend with all eight teams in action. The first game of the third iteration of the league takes place on Saturday when the Vegas Vipers visit the Arlington Renegades on ABC. ESPN will air the Orlando Guardians at Houston Roughnecks matchup on Saturday night. The four other teams get their season started on Sunday when the St. Louis Battlehawks visit the San Antonio Brahmas on ABC and the Seattle Sea Dragons visit the DC Defenders on ESPN.
There are plenty of unknowns both on the field and at the betting window with this venture putting bettors on equal footing with oddsmakers and sportsbooks. If you think you can get a betting angle from the 2020 season that was shuttered after five weeks due to COVID you can forget about it. While most of the team names remain the same the rosters and coaching staffs are completely different. This is like a brand new league starting for the third time. And hopefully for The Rock it’s a charm.
The league won’t fail due to a lack of television coverage. All 43 games will air on a combination of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and FX. Football at the NFL and collegiate level takes a massive handle at sportsbooks which the XFL is attempting to cash in on. Spreads and totals are available for each of the opening games and futures odds has Houston as the current favorite to win the XFL championship. Game odds will be vanilla for the first few weeks of the XFL season until teams separate from each other. San Antonio is the biggest favorite on the Week 1 board laying 2.5 points to St. Louis with no total higher than 38 points.
XFL Week 1 Schedule
Saturday, February 18
Vegas Vipers vs Arlington Renegades, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Opening Line: Arlington -2, O/U 38
There’s a lot we don’t know about the teams since we haven’t seen them in action yet. We do know the Renegades have an experienced coach in Bob Stoops, the only holdover from 2020. Vegas has some of the most recognizable talent in former Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant and 2016 NFL sack leader Vic Beasley. The Renegades have home field advantage with every team training and practicing there before heading off to their games. Arlington also stocked up in the trenches on both sides in a move designed to own the line of scrimmage. They may not have the names but they have the horses.
Prediction: Arlington -2 / UNDER 38
Orlando Guardians vs Houston Roughnecks, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/FX)
Opening Line: Houston -1, O/U 36.5
Don’t bank on Houston having the same success they had in 2020 when they were 5-0 before the season was canceled. PJ Walker led that team earning him a shot with Carolina in the NFL. And the rest of the roster is different as well, though oddsmakers have Houston as the title favorite. Veteran NFL coach Wade Phillips gives the club some street cred and as a result, with all things equal, I like him and his club over first-year head coach Terrell Buckley and the Guardians.
Prediction: Houston -1 / UNDER 36.5
Sunday, February 19
St. Louis Battlehawks vs San Antonio Brahmas, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Opening Line: St. Louis -2.5, O/U 37
Without an established coach another way of getting some respect is with a quarterback who can play. St. Louis has former NFLer A.J. McCarron on its roster giving them respect out of the chute. McCarron won back to back BCS National Championships while at Alabama and spent eight seasons as a backup in the NFL. The Brahmas are an entirely new team in the league with former NFL player Hines Ward as head coach. They added RB Kalen Ballage to the roster along with former Notre Dame signal-caller Jack Coan building an offense that should score points.
Prediction: San Antonio +2.5 / OVER 37
Seattle Sea Dragons vs DC Defenders, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Opening Line: DC -1.5, O/U 36.5
Since we have nothing but names to go off in Week 1 we might as well take a look at Seattle, which boasts perhaps the most experienced coaching staff. Jim Haslett, who won NFL COY back in the day with New Orleans, has June Jones as his OC. Jones put together potent offenses during his collegiate days at Hawai’i and had the Renegades at 5-0 in 2020 before the season shut down. Most recently with the Dallas Cowboys Ben DiNucci is the likely starting QB with explosive but puzzling Josh Gordon giving Jones the pieces for a potent offense.
Prediction: Seattle +1.5 / OVER 36.5
