2024 marks the start of the UFL, the United Football League. The launch of this new national football competition happened at a time when thirty-eight US states legalized sports wagering. Accordingly, the UFL gives Americans one more thing to bet on, and below, we supply some tips for outright UFL gambling.
What Team Is Most Likely to Claim the UFL Title
According to the most renowned US sportsbooks, FanDuel and DraftKings, the Birmingham Stallions, the winner of two South Division Championships and USFL Championships (2022 and 2023), is the team (unsurprisingly) given the best odds to lift the UFL 2024 season trophy. Much of the Alabama team’s hopes of going all the way rest on quarterback Matt Corral, who failed to make it with the New England Patriots and missed his entire rookie season at the Carolina Panthers primarily due to injury. Yet, many think he can be a game-changer for the Stallions, given that he was the 2021 Outback Bowl MVP and has shown loads of potential in the past.
The St. Louis BattleHawks and DC Defenders form a tie for second place, as they both get around +380 odds to go all the way, with the Arlington Renegades firm in the consensus fourth spot and the Houston Roughnecks as the fifth-most-probable team to win in all this season. The Roughnecks are an interesting UFL side, as they originated from the Houston Gamblers, one of the founding members of the USFL, an interesting name given that sports betting is not allowed in America’s second-largest state. Still, Roughnecks supporters can place bets from Texas for this Houston team to stand last and tall in the end at licensed offshore bookies.
UFL MVP Contenders
Since the UFL gives its players $5,500 per game, a fee also valid for its quarterbacks, it is acceptable that the league will feature a different caliber of talent than the NFL. That said, it will no doubt feature skilled individuals. Aside from the already mentioned Matt Corral, playing for Birmingham, who many are expecting to make noise in the league, other players to look out for as probable MVPs are Danny Etling, Case Cookus, AJ McCarron, Jordan Ta’amu, Luis Perez, and Tom Flacco. Naturally, the latter is the brother of famed NFL quarterback Joe Flacco.
Luis Perez will bring vast levels of experience, as he was a standout in NCAA Division II football and had a few unsuccessful NFL shots before finding success in the XFL with the Arlington Renegades. Jordan Ta’amu met Perez in last year’s XFL final when his DC Defenders lost 26 to 35. Nonetheless, Ta’amu had an impressive showing in the last XFL season, earning the honor of Offensive Player of the Year. He also led the USFL 2022 season in touchdowns and passing yardage. Hence, he is one to look out for in 2024, with many pundits predicting he will shine again.
Which Franchise Can Surprise in 2024?
Many fans believe the Showboats can cause quite a stir in the UFL inaugural season. Those claims get made chiefly on account of Memphis football lovers fancying that their Chef, Case Cookus, can cook up something special for the Showboats this year.
Cooks got waved off five NFL teams (the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Los Angeles Rams) and one CFL one (the Edmonton Elks). Thus, the California Thousand Oaks native has been around the block, noted for holding the record for most rushing touchdowns in a USFL game. With Cookus at the helm and one of the league’s best offenses, they can show more than what oddsmakers predict (+800 outright odds).
Michigan Panthers can also prove they are worth more than what people perceive, as the team owned by the Fox Corporation and the Rock’s Alpha Acquico, coached by the experienced Mike Nolan, has crafted a nifty squad. Therefore, they should present a challenge to every opposition.
Coach of the Year
Skip Holtz, the former assistant coach of Notre Dame and Colorado State and current boss of the Birmingham Stallions is (without a doubt) the frontrunner in this category. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the field and an overall head coach record of a hundred and fifty-two wins and one hundred and twenty-one losses. Winning back-to-back titles and displaying dominance while going through notable roster turnover is not a feat many can pull off in any league/sport. So, his prime position here is well-deserved.
Bob Stoops of the Arlington Renegades is Holtz’s main opposition, as this College Football Hall of Famer retired in 2019 to enter the XFL as the general manager/head coach of the Dallas Renegades. In 2023, he finished second in the South Division of the XFL with the Renegades (then the Arlington ones) and went on to win the league.
Wade Phillips is another name in the hat, a Texan who started his pro coaching career with the Oilers and has worked for the Eagles, Broncos, Bills, Falcons, Chargers, Cowboys, and Rams. He was the Roughnecks coach in 2023 but has now taken over the San Antonio Brahams hot seat.
