It is the second-to-last week of the regular season in the United States Football League, and the play has certainly been more intriguing in the last month. All the playoff spots but one are set, although some jockeying can still go on. The teams are still surprising us with their active and inactive players, making betting on this league a rollercoaster. However, now we are 2 months into the USFL season, it is becoming a little easier to know what to expect weekly down at Protective Stadium.
It wasn’t the best week for our player props last week, but we did hit 2 of the 3 game bets and we try to hit all 4
games this week! Here are your best bets for the USFL in Week 9.
How to watch the USFL in Week 9
The opening matchup this weekend will see the New Jersey Generals taking on the Michigan Panthers, with kickoff set for 1:00 pm ET on Saturday, June 11.
- New Jersey Generals vs Michigan Panthers, 1:00 pm ET, Saturday, June 11, NBC
- Houston Gamblers vs Birmingham Stallions, 6:00 pm ET, Saturday, June 11, USA
- Tampa Bay Bandits vs New Orleans Breakers, 4:00 pm ET, Sunday, June 12, FOX
- Philadelphia vs Pittsburgh Maulers, 7:30 pm ET, Sunday, June 12, FS1
New Jersey Generals -7.5 over Michigan Panthers (-110)
This one could get ugly. The Generals have a playoff berth wrapped up but need one more win to secure the division title. Their offense has been playing much better of late as they have scored 26 or more points in 3 of the last 4 weeks. Their defense is also tops in the league, allowing just 16 points a game and the fewest rushing yards by a mile. The Panthers are going in the wrong direction. They have had a different quarterback in 3 straight games, and the defense nearly allowed a 50-burger last week to the Stars. Their strength this season has been running the ball, and that plays right into the hands of New Jersey. I can’t see this one staying close, and the Generals should win this one going away. I would give 10 points in this game without batting an eye.
Houston Gamblers vs Birmingham Stallions over 43.5 points (-110)
Just on averages alone, this one should hit the over by a couple of points as the Stallions are scoring 25 points per game and the Gamblers come in at 20. Birmingham was stifled last week by a tough Breakers defense, but that should be different this week. The Gamblers allow the most points and passing yards per game, and they allow the second-most rushing yards. They lost their starting quarterback, Clayton Thorson, last week, but Kenji Bahar came in and wasn’t awful by USFL backup quarterback standards. He also proved that he could run the ball with 49 yards on the ground. With a week to prepare, the offense should improve especially if they get running back Mark Thompson back. This is tied for the lowest total on the board and these teams should have no trouble hitting it.
Bo Scarbrough (Stallions) over 67.5 rushing yards (-110)
I had too much love for Scarbrough last week and not enough respect for the Breakers defense and he fell short of this prop. I’m going right back to the well with Scarbrough again for Week 9, though. Scarbrough had back-to-back 100-yard games before last week’s mini-dud, and this week he gets the worst defense in the USFL. Well, in fairness, the Gamblers give up the second-most rushing yards, behind the Philadelphia Stars, but the defense as a whole is awful. While most guys have been playing all season, Scarbrough should still have fresh legs after playing only three-and-a-half games. This week I totally expect him to have another huge game and bust this prop.
New Orleans Breakers -3.5 over Tampa Bay Bandits (-110)
The Breakers should be much better than their record indicates, they have just had a couple of bad games and at times they seem to suffer from a lack of focus which has led to a couple of losses. However, they do have one of the best defenses in the USFL, a two-headed running back approach, a solid quarterback, and two very good receivers. The Bandits are the biggest frauds in the league. They also have a pretty good defense and what should have been the best quarterback in the league. It seems that the Bandits can only beat the really bad teams in the league though, and crumble whenever they play someone good. The Breakers have lost only to the Stallions and Generals,
the best teams in the league, and probably should have ended Birmingham’s perfect season last week. New Orleans rocked Tampa Bay 34-3 in Week 2 and while I don’t expect it to be that one-sided again, I have no doubt that the Breakers should win this game easily.
Philadelphia Stars -8.5 over Pittsburgh Maulers (-110)
It is now Week 9, and we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from each team. The Stars have got better almost weekly, while the Maulers have been one of the worst teams in the league from Week 1. Pittsburgh has used several different quarterbacks, and I’m not sure any of them are any good. Roland Rivers might be the best one, but again that bar is pretty low. Their running attack is okay, and their defense is pretty awful. Philadelphia isn’t emulating the 1985 Chicago Bears by any stretch, but their offense is high-powered. Case Cookus has grown before our eyes after being forced into action with the injury to Bryan Scott. He had one of the best games of anyone all season last week with 5 touchdowns and nearly 400 total yards. Matt Colburn has become a weapon at running back, and I don’t think the Maulers have a hope of stopping this offense. I don’t see them putting up 46 points again, but I have no doubt that Philadelphia is going to have a great offensive day and their defense should do well enough against the inept Pittsburgh offense to cover the spread.
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