'Bear Bets': Geoff Scwhartz's best bets and gambling guide for UFL Week 9
Bear Bets is back!
FOX Sports' digital gambling show returned this week to discuss the penultimate week of the UFL season.
With Chris "The Bear" Fallica out on vacation, Geoff Schwartz dropped his favorite picks for the weekend and gave a tip on one question from this week's FOX Super 6 contest.
Let's get right into the action.
Michigan Panthers (-3) vs. Houston Roughnecks (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, FOX and the FOX Sports app)
Schwartz: "I like Michigan a lot in this game. As with most matchups in Week 9, we already saw these two teams play each other earlier in the season. Michigan won that one, 34-20. Michigan's 6-2 with a good defense and a good run game. Houston's 1-7, and it just doesn't score. Houston's averaging just 15 points per game. Obviously, not good enough to win a lot of football games. It's why they have one win.
"Michigan has a great rushing offense, second in the UFL. It can run the football, control the clock with Matthew Colburn and Wes Hills geared toward ball control and keep Houston's offense — which can't score anyway — off the field.
"Michigan's defense is good. They're good enough to slow down a Houston offense that can't do anything. Houston's offense has the least amount of first downs in the league. They're not great at converting third downs, just about 37%. So, I think we go with Michigan's defense and its run game here to shut down Houston."
PICK: Michigan (-3) to win by more than 3 points
UFL MVP Power Rankings: St. Louis Battlehawks WR Hakeem Butler makes his way on the list in Week 8!
St. Louis Battlehawks (-3.5) vs. Arlington Renegades (Saturday, noon ET, ABC)
Schwartz: "St. Louis is at 6-2 and, to me, is the second-best team in the UFL. Arlington is 1-7 and is really having a tough time putting together wins. Arlington is losing a bit differently than Houston, though. It at least is scoring points.
"St. Louis lost a heartbreaker in Week 1 in a comeback that we saw in the fourth quarter. They lost to Birmingham a few weeks ago. Otherwise, they've really kind of crushed everyone else. AJ McCarron leads the way on offense for the Battlehawks. He's second in passing yards, first in passing touchdowns, while the Renegades' passing defense is the worst in the UFL in yards allowed and yards per attempt.
"Arlington has a great passing game. It's No. 1 in the UFL in passing yards. But the Battlehawks' passing defense is fantastic. So, I think this is a bad matchup for Arlington. It fights every week. It's kind of close in some games, but St. Louis is rolling."
PICK: St. Louis (-3.5) to win by more than 3.5 points
Favorite FOX Super 6 question: Which team will score the most touchdowns in Week 9?
Schwartz: "I like the DC Defenders. They're playing Memphis, who has allowed the most touchdowns in all of the UFL. It's allowed 32 touchdowns. The next worst is 21. Memphis allows a ton of points. The DC Defenders aren't great offensively, but everyone plays well against Memphis. Last thing on Memphis, it's allowed 241 points this season. The next team is at 198."
PICK: DC Defenders to score the most touchdowns in the UFL in Week 9
