USFL odds: How the league's inaugural weekend impacted sportsbooks
The South got the best of the North during Week 1 of the inaugural United States Football League season.
The opening week featured all interdivisional matchups, and the South Division won all four games. Let's dive into how that played out from a gambling perspective.
For more USFL odds, check out the title odds for the eight teams for the inaugural season.
Backers of the South Division teams cleaned up as the four teams – Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, New Orleans Breakers and Tampa Bay Bandits – swept their North Division foes.
Betting-wise, the Gamblers (+3.5) were the lone underdog to pull off an upset, beating the Michigan Panthers 17-12. This means favorites went both 3-1 against the spread (ATS) and straight up (SU).
USFL bettors had little data to reference for the opening weekend, FOX Bet commercial manager Jacob Blangsted-Barnor said.
"I’m hoping as time goes on, this increases though. You were asking people to bet on teams they’d never seen before, literally throwing darts blindfolded," Blangsted-Barnor said. "As time goes on and there’s some data, we hope it’ll pick up. When the NBA stops, hopefully, the USFL will take center stage."
The Stallions' 28-24 win over the New Jersey Generals in the USFL's inaugural game Saturday was the lone contest to hit the over (39.5 points). Meaning when it comes to the total, unders finished 3-1 overall.
"Great start so far for us given where the total landed for the game Saturday night," FOX Bet senior trader Paul O'Donoghue said Sunday morning.
In addition to the Gamblers-Panthers, the other under games were the Breakers beating the Philadelphia Stars 23-17 and, in a game rescheduled to Monday night, the Bandits beat the Pittsburgh Maulers 17-3.
"Just like any other new league, it's early. It may take a while to catch on (with bettors)," BetMGM director of trading Jeff Stoneback said. "Right now it's being overshadowed by the NBA playoffs."
Just like the players and coaches are learning as a team, oddsmakers are trying to get a handle on the USFL, BetMGM senior trader Tristan Davis said.
"Since this is a new league, we anticipate that there is a chance of significant line moves each week," Davis said. "Our trading team monitors news and betting action to adjust the lines as necessary."
Bettors and oddsmakers should quickly get a feel for the new league, Blangsted-Barnor said.
"Over time, scoring will increase, especially with the modified rules and as offenses take time to gel together," he said.
If you are looking to get a couple of bets down on Week 2 of the USFL, check out the opening lines here:
With the addition of licensing in New York state, fans will be able to place legal wagers on USFL games in 27 states and Washington, D.C.:
Full list of legal USFL betting states
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Illinois
Iowa
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington
Washington, D.C.
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
With betting legal in those 27 states and the District of Columbia, no start-up professional sports league has ever had legal betting available in more states than the USFL.
Looking for even more USFL content? Head over to the USFL section on the FOX Sports app and website for all the latest news, and make sure to favorite the USFL and your favorite team — or teams! — while you're there.
