It seems that any time there is pro football, betting lines will follow at online sportsbooks. That wisdom has held true this week as USFL betting lines for the 2023 season are now taking action.
The 18-friendly USFL betting sites that we feature here at SB18 have each created odds on all Week 1 games. Minimal difference in the odds is offered between the top sportsbook sites, indicating hesitancy due to the lack of data available on each team.
That will all change after the Week 1 USFL schedule is in the books. Here are the games that are happening this weekend.
USFL Schedule For Week 1
- Philadelphia Stars vs. Memphis Showboats Saturday 4:30 PM FOX (Stars -2.5)
- New Jersey Generals vs. Birmingham Stallions Saturday 7:30 PM FOX (Stallions -5.5)
- Michigan Panthers vs. Houston Gamblers Sunday 12:00 PM NBC (EVEN)
- Pittsburgh Maulers vs. New Orleans Breakers 6:30 PM FS1 (Breakers -4.0)
These opening games are airing over the final weeks of the 2023 XFL season. Here is what the XFL has on the docket for this weekend.
XFL Schedule For Week 9
- Vegas Vipers @ Houston Roughnecks Saturday 12:30 PM ABC (Roughnecks -7.0)
- Orlando Guardians @ San Antonio Brahmas Saturday 7:00 PM ESPN2 (Brahmas -2.0)
- Arlington Renegades @ DC Defenders Sunday 12:00 PM ESPN (Defenders -8.5)
- Seattle Sea Dragons @ St. Louis Battlehawks Sunday 3:00 PM ESPN (Battlehawks -1.0)
Lines for betting on the XFL are commonplace at the sportsbooks we frequent now that they’re nearly done with the season. The DC Defenders have only lost one game so far and are the leader in the XFL futures odds for the most likely team to hoist the 2023 championship trophy.
DC is favored by almost 9 points over the Arlington Renegades, a team that ranks second in the XFL South Division and is a likely playoff contender.
The XFL’s television ratings are low and have been vulnerable to other top-flight sports because viewership suffered greatly when opposed to the March Madness Tournament.
The USFL has been marketing the league well during the offseason, but will those rising tides elevate all boats? Time will tell because there is also the potential for market saturation.
Betting On The 2023 NFL Draft
Another pro football betting option that is dominating the action at online sportsbooks is 2023 NFL Draft betting. The first selection will come off the boards at 8:10 PM on April 27th, but 18+ gamblers can lay some action on the odds right now.
The top two first-round picks are expected to be quarterbacks, with Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson projected to go to the Arizona Cardinals at 3. Alabama QB Bryce Young has leaped to the front of the NFL Draft odds in recent days. However, his rising stock appears to be largely based on the number of wagers coming in on him.
The number one draft pick had been assumed to be Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, but bettors’ actions over the past week have knocked him down to the second overall quarterback. If Young is drafted by the Carolina Panthers at number 1, Stroud will almost certainly go to the Houston Texans at number 2.
FOX Sports, NBC Sports, ESPN, Bovada (Bovada.LV Review)