USFL - Predictions, Picks, Betting Odds & Spreads [2022]

• The first USFL matchup is scheduled for April 16 and the season will run through July 3
• There are eight teams in the USFL divided into the North and South Divisions
• The 2022 USFL season is ten weeks, then a divisional playoff and championship game

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An Introduction to the USFL

Do not adjust your dials, football fans, that USFL logo you keep seeing is not a glitch, it’s a sign that in 2022 there will finally be spring football again and a chance for sports betters to stay on a hot roll after the Super Bowl by gambling on eight teams for ten weeks and a short postseason.

To succeed where other non-NFL leagues have failed (see: WFL, XFL1-2, USFL, RFL, AAF, and the Spring League among others), this current reboot of the USFL will operate out of a central location – Birmingham, Alabama – and limit the number of teams, players, and games.

The first USFL matchup is scheduled for April 16 and the season will run through July 3, so there is still plenty of time to learn about this league, its players, coaches, and teams, and how the oddsmakers see the competition unfolding.

Here we breakdown the USFL and the upcoming season – good luck, win big!

What Is the USFL?

The United States Football League (USFL) is a pro football league owned by Fox Sports that is scheduled to begin playing a ten-week season on April 16, 2022, with Brian Woods serving as President and Daryl “Moose” Johnston as the Executive VP of Football Operations.

As opposed to attempting to compete with the NFL, the USFL will be more of a developmental league that will help hone and fine-tune the talented young players who are not quite ready to play in the Big Leagues yet but who could if given more time and high-level coaching.

The USFL is considered ‘Spring Football’ and will run while the NFL is in the middle of its offseason, but the oddsmakers are already figuring out who the favorites and underdogs are and they have begun to release their odds and predictions.

Where to Bet on USFL Legally in the US

The oddsmakers have already begun to choose their USFL favorites and underdogs, but keep in mind it’s mostly based on speculation and statistical predictions since these players and coaches and teams are relatively unproven so far.

For the best USFL odds and bet selection, check out our favorite mobile sportsbooks including DraftKings, Caesars, PointsBet, BetMGM, Hard Rock, and more, all with different odds and spreads so make sure to find the ones that make the best sense for you.

Be sure to check out our predictions article on USFL futures as well as weekly game previews that break down each matchup so you can get a better idea of which team has the best chance to win the game.

How to Watch the USFL

USFL Location

To save on crippling travel expenses, the USFL is centrally located in Birmingham, Alabama, with all forty of the league’s regular-season games scheduled to be played at one of two stadiums there:

• 32 to 35 games at Protective Stadium
• 8 to 11 games at Legion Field

The USFL postseason – the two Divisional Playoff matchups and then a North vs South Championship Game – will be held from June 25 to July 3 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio due to scheduling conflicts with the 2022 World Games.

USFL Teams

There are eight teams in the USFL, and they are split into two divisions: the North Division and the South Division, and though they are all currently based out of Birmingham, Alabama, the teams represent a nominal area where their fans are expected to emerge.

Each of these eight teams revive the name and colors of teams in the 1980s version of the USFL, a situation that was allowable since the original trademarks had been abandoned at the time the current league acquired them as their own.

USFL 2022 Players

Each of the eight USFL teams are permitted to maintain a 38-man active roster along with a 7-man practice squad.

These players were acquired via a draft that took place over two days – Feb. 22 and 23 – with each of the rounds dedicated to specific players in order to better divide the available talent pool between all eight teams.

In terms of age, reportedly the USFL will allow any player to be eligible if they’ve graduated from high school in 2020 or earlier so that in theory, a player can opt-out of college after two years and join the USFL.

USFL Head Coaches

The USFL will serve as a bit of a developmental league for head coaches and staff, as well, and some of these men are most likely using this opportunity to showcase their leadership and game planning skills for NFL owners to see.

Here are the eight new USFL head coaches who will be vying for the championship in 2022, a list that includes such NFL luminaries as Todd Haley and Jeff Fisher as well as some known college-level names including Skip Holtz and Larry Fedora.

USFL Schedule

The USFL regular season will run for ten weeks from Saturday, April 16 through Sunday, June 19 with two games played on Saturdays and two on Sundays throughout the schedule.

The best two teams from each Division will square off on Saturday, June 25 and the winners of those two matchups will play for the USFL championship on July 3, 2022.

Here is the Week 1 (April 16-17) lineup of games – don’t forget to check out our game preview for each one:

USFL 2022 Salary

The coaches and players in the USFL will make relatively good money for their work, though it pales in comparison to the multi-million dollar contracts of the NFL.

For example, players on the Active Roster will receive $45,000 for the 10-game season, or $4,500 per game, while players on the Practice Squad will receive $15,000 for the 10-game season, or $1,500 per game.

On top of that base salary, players will also receive an $850 bonus for every win and the winning players on the championship team will receive a $10,000 bonus.

Another USFL bonus will be that players and staff will be eligible to receive a “tuition-free and debt-free” college degree thanks to a partnership with Strategic Education’s Capella University and Strayer University.

USFL Lawsuit

Can’t launch a new league using an old name without some legal drama, and right now the original USFL is suing the latest version of the USFL for several reasons:

• trademark infringement
• false advertising
• false association related to their league name, logos, and uniforms

It gets tricky when it comes to what FOX is allowed to do while re-using the name ‘USFL,’ but Larry Csonka, the initial manager of “The Real USFL, LLC,” makes a valid point in terms of the brand’s worth when he said, “If the USFL doesn’t have any value, why did Fox want it?”

This lawsuit could delay the start of the USFL’s 2022 season, but chances are with this much money involved a compromise will be struck and Spring Football will launch on time and according to plan.