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.