Spring football is alive and well as the United Football League is the result of a merger between the XFL and USFL. The UFL has taken eight total teams from those two previous spring leagues, which will set up more chances to bet on football even after the NFL betting season has wrapped up. Each week, we will update this page with the best UFL picks this week and every week throughout the season.
While the UFL is relatively new, our expert handicappers have had success over the long run betting on spring football. They apply the strategies that have worked for them in this year’s UFL predictions, even if the pool of data used to make those decisions is not as deep as betting on more established sports leagues. While this lack of historic data may scare some bettors away, we see it as a chance to find extra value, which we leverage in our UFL best bets.
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Best UFL Bets This Week – UFL Championship Game
UFL Championship Best Bet: Stallions -3 (-110) over Brahmas
In the final week of the UFL season, the Birmingham Stallions will cover the spread as three-point favorites against the San Antonio Brahmas. The Stallions got off to a slow start in the USFL Division Championship Game against the Michigan Panthers but ran away with that contest in the second half. Here, we should see the Stallions win their third straight spring football league title by getting the better of a Brahmas team that did beat the Stallions in the regular season but will need to do it on a neutral field on a bigger stage this time around.
2024 UFL Best Bets Record: 20-20-1 (-1.8 units)
How We Bet on the UFL
With the UFL being a brand-new football league, there isn’t much of a frame of reference to lean on for most bettors. But our expert football handicappers do have some strategies that they use that have worked in spring football in the past. Below are a couple of the keys to handicapping a league like the UFL that the team here at ATS use to their advantage.
Roster Analysis
The most important thing bettors can do in a league like the UFL is to break down the rosters in the league thoroughly. While most people will know the biggest names in these spring leagues, it takes some more dedication to identify the strengths and weaknesses of teams at the lower end of their rosters. Our team makes sure to look at every member of every roster to find where teams might be stronger and weaker than their competition.
XFL and USFL Experience
Our UFL handicappers have put in the time breaking down the teams in this league when they were members of the XFL or USFL. For example, our own Jay Sanin has an all-time record of 37-21-2 (63.7%, +18.1 units) betting the XFL from its 2020 and 2023 seasons. At ATS, we are not just throwing darts when it comes to UFL betting or any other spring football leagues that pop up.
Types of UFL Bets We Make
While UFL betting does not feature as many options as betting on the NFL, there are still the main betting markets to choose from. Even if there are not prop betting options to choose from the way there are in bigger football leagues, that will not be a problem for us. Below is a rundown of the main bet types that we utilize when giving you our best UFL bets this week.
Point Spread Bets
The point spread is the market we put the most energy into when betting on the UFL or any other football league. This market provides a handicap for each game, leveling the playing field between the two teams no matter how big the perceived gap in talent between the teams in each game may be. Our goal is to be on the right side of the point spread in each game and to beat the closing line as often as possible.
Moneyline Bets
The moneyline is a market where the goal is to simply predict which team will win each game during the UFL season. This is not a market that we use as often as the point spread, as the moneyline odds for games can be tougher to turn a profit on than point spread odds. But when our projections call for it, we will pull the trigger on some moneyline bets so long as they provide some value.
Over/Under Bets
The over/under bet is an option pertaining to scoring, regardless of what the final outcome of each game is. The goal with this market is to predict whether the combined score of the two teams will go over or under the total set by the sportsbooks for that matchup. These are bets where understanding each team’s style of play can go a long way in placing a winning wager.
Key UFL Rules
With two football leagues merging to form the UFL, there are some rules that need to come from one league or the other. Below is a list of some of those rules, which will help bettors make decisions on which sides they should grab for each betting market throughout the UFL season.
UFL Kickoff Rules
The kickoff rules for the UFL most closely mirror those of the USFL from the last couple of seasons. Kickoffs will take place at the 20 yard line of the kicking team, which will make it harder for kicks to result in touchbacks. Ironically, the XFL’s kickoff rule did not make the cut with the UFL, but it will feature in the NFL going forward after that rule was approved by the NFL’s competition committee.
UFL PAT Rules
The PAT rules for the UFL will work the way they did in the XFL. There is no kicking after touchdowns in the UFL, as teams have to run an offensive play to try and earn additional points. After a touchdown, teams will have the option to try a two-yard conversion worth one point, a five-yard conversion worth two points, or a 10-yard conversion worth three points. This introduces a ton of added strategy to each game, which will be interesting to observe.
UFL Overtime Rules
In overtime, more XFL rules will be used in the UFL. Teams will take turns attempting two-point conversions from the five yard line. The team that scores the most points in three two-point attempts will win the game, with additional sudden death rounds set to follow until a winner is determined.
Which Teams Are in the UFL?
There are eight teams in the UFL this season, five of which came from the XFL and three of which came from the USFL. The teams in this league are as follows:
- Arlington Renegades
- Birmingham Stallions
- D.C. Defenders
- Houston Roughnecks
- Memphis Showboats
- Michigan Panthers
- San Antonio Brahmas
- St. Louis BattleHawks
The merger between the XFL and USFL also meant that there were eight teams that were left on the cutting room floor between those two leagues. Those teams that did not survive the merger are the following:
- Houston Gamblers
- New Jersey Generals
- New Orleans Breakers
- Orlando Guardians
- Philadelphia Stars
- Pittsburgh Maulers
- Seattle Sea Dragons
- Vegas Vipers
More Than Just UFL Bets
Here at ATS, we offer more than just the best UFL bets this week. Our expert sports handicappers break down everything from the biggest sports league in the world to other niche sports. Click on the links below to check out our best bets across a wide range of sports leagues.
