Spring football kicks off this weekend as the USFL returns after a 37-year break.
The league will feature all eight teams from the original USFL. All 40 regular-season games will be played in Birmingham, Alabama, so there’s no true home team in this matchup.
Kevin Sumlin and the Houston Gamblers, representing the South Division, face off with former NFL stalwart Jeff Fisher and the Michigan Panthers, hailing from the North Division.
The Panthers are betting favorites to take home the championship in the opening season of the USFL. Will they start things off with a win?
Check out our USFL picks and predictions for the Houston Gamblers and Michigan Panthers on Sunday, April 17 to find out.
Gamblers vs Panthers odds
| Houston Gamblers | Michigan Panthers | |
|---|---|---|
| +2.5 (+100) | Spread | -2.5 (-120) |
| +125 | Moneyline | -150 |
| Over 42.5 (-115) | Total | Under 42.5 (-105) |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel as of April 15, 2022.
The Panthers are a -2.5 favorite and the total for this game has been set at 43.5. You will notice a similar point spread and total across all four USFL games this weekend.
Gamblers vs Panthers predictions
Predictions made on 4/15/2022 at 6:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Gamblers vs Panthers game info
• Location: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
• Date: Sunday, April 17, 2022
• Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX, NBC, USA, FS1 or Peacock
Gamblers at Panthers betting preview
Weather
This is the early game, kicking off at noon ET. Weather in Birmingham in the morning is expected to be around 68 degrees with 5-10 mph winds and a 72% chance of rain showers. Thunderstorms are expected later in the day.
Key injuries
Gamblers: No injuries to report.
Panthers: No injuries to report.
Gamblers vs Panthers picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
The Michigan Panthers enter as 2.5-point favorites in their opening game of the season. They have lofty expectations heading into this season after betting markets opened Jeff Fisher’s squad as the favorite to win the championship. Odds currently list the Panthers as +450 to win it all, behind only the Tampa Bay Bandits (+425).
We’re under the impression that this team may be overvalued. They had the first overall selection in the draft and opted for former Ole Miss and Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson.
Patterson was likely made the first overall selection more so because of his days at Michigan than his play on the field. Paxton Lynch backs him up and is expected to be on the field for goal-line and short-yardage packages, and he may be the best quarterback on the roster — being a former first-round NFL Draft pick.
Jeff Fisher is the biggest name in the league, player or coach. He hasn’t coached at any level since 2016 and is expected to install an old-school, run-first offense. There’s a good stable of running backs for him to lean on, led by productive former Indiana Hoosier Stevie Scott III and pass-catching specialist Reggie Corbin.
The skill level is relatively impressive at the wide receiver position, led by Quincy Adeboyejo (4.42 speed at 6-foot-3, played with Patterson at Ole Miss), Lance Lenoir (rewrote the record books at Western Illinois and had success in NFL preseason), and Jeff Badet (4.27 speed).
Kevin Sumlin leads the Gamblers, who have arguably the best uniform and team name combination in the league. Clayton Thorson of Northwestern is their quarterback, while they have several speedy wide receivers led by return-specialist Isiah Zuber and former Hawaii standout JoJo Ward. Dalyn Dawkins is expected to get the bulk of the work in the backfield.
Michigan is likely overrated heading into the year, but they deserve to be the favorite in this matchup, with what appears to be a leg-up at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver while also having the more established head coach.
Sumlin took a year away from coaching in 2021 and had been a college lifer, while Fisher has plenty of professional experience. We expect that experience to shine through with a Panthers win.
Prediction: Panthers -2.5 (-120 at FanDuel)
Over/Under analysis
These Spring leagues (XFL, AAF, the Spring League) tend to be low-scoring. The offensive line play is worrisome and the quarterback play is bad, so offenses tend to be run-heavy unless they have a clear leg up.
We don’t see either one of these teams being a high scorer. Michigan arguably has the talent to do so, but that would require either Patterson or Lynch to have their most impressive performances of their career.
Jeff Fisher is as old school as they come, and we expect a ground-heavy approach offensively. That will help control the game flow and keep the clock ticking.
Sumlin is the wild card here, which is apt for a team named the Gamblers. He’s led some impressive offenses and coached quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel, Case Keenum, Drew Brees, and Drew Bledsoe. Suffice it to say, we’re not sure Clayton Thorson is next in line on that illustrious list.
The Under is the side here, as both offenses should be sluggish to start the season. Under 43.5 (-120) is available at a few books, but Under 42.5 (-110) is also available if you prefer less juice. We recommend either.
Prediction: Under 43.5 (-120 at DraftKings)
Best bet
The last time we saw Kevin Sumlin coach a football game, his Arizona Wildcats lost 70-7 to their rival Arizona State Sun Devils. We’re not placing our money behind him unless he gives us a ultimately gives us a reason to.
Sure, it’s been a while since we saw Jeff Fisher, but he coached at the highest level of the sport for a long time.
Personally, I’ll be putting a wager on every Under on the board in the opening weekend, as I expect the offenses to come out sluggish. However, the best bet for this game lies in fading Kevin Sumlin until given a reason to do otherwise. Give me the Panthers to move to 1-0 and cover this short spread.
Pick: Panthers -2.5 (-120 at FanDuel)
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