Several teams had a chance to secure their postseason tickets last week, but the only team to benefit were the Stallions, who defeated the Gamblers 38-15. Birmingham can secure the regular-season South Division title in Week 10 if they beat the Showboats or the Breakers fall to the Gamblers. Meanwhile, in the USFL’s North Division, no team has secured a playoff spot, meaning all four teams are eligible to advance to the USFL playoffs.
Week 10 begins Saturday with a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. ET between the Maulers (3-6) and the Generals (3-6) in the US. The winner secures a playoff spot and could win the regular-season North Division crown if Philly loses on Sunday. Then at 4 p.m. ET, the Stallions (7-2) will look to end the Showboats (5-4) playoff hopes on FOX. On Sunday afternoon, the Breakers (6-3) will look to secure a playoff spot with a win over the Gamblers (5-4) at 4:00 p.m. ET on NBC. Closing out the USFL regular season, the Stars (4-5) and Panthers (3-6) will battle it out for the final spot in the North Division at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX at Ford Field.
Below we’ll break down the Week 10 odds and provide our predictions on which teams will face off in the USFL Playoffs.
USFL week 10 tips, predictions
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Pittsburgh Maulers with the New Jersey Generals
Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, US
- spread: Mauler +3.5 (-110); Generals -3.5 (-110)
- money line: Mauler +145; Generals -175
- About Below: 40.5
The Maulers and Generals kept their playoff dreams alive with narrow wins this past weekend. Pittsburgh capitalized on the mistakes of Panthers QB Josh Love to secure a 19-7 win, while New Jersey survived a Philly scare late in the fourth quarter to grab a four-point win. The Generals looked like the team we saw last season when they welcomed DeAndre Johnson back into the starting XI. Johnson completed 15 of 20 passes for 213 yards and had 109 QBR. Despite not having any touchdowns, the dual threat QB took care of the ball and kept the chains moving.
The Generals’ defense also put in a solid performance, keeping the Stars in the red zone on two out of six points and forcing three turnovers. If New Jersey can repeat that defensive display against a Maulers offense that’s struggling to score (16.8 points per game), the Generals will be there in the postseason. However, don’t sleep on Pittsburgh, which has an opportunistic defense. When these two teams played each other in Week 2, the Generals won 20-3. We don’t expect Saturday’s game to be a blast as the Maulers now have a stronger identity up front than they did in the first meeting. We want the Generals to win straight away and the Maulers, but either way bettors should try to make the UNDER again.
Choose: Generals 21, Maulers 18 (+3.5)
Birmingham Stallions at Memphis Showboats
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX
- spread: stallions -4.5 (-110); Show Boats +4.5 (-110)
- money line: stallions -190; Show boats +155
- About Below: 44
The Stallions secured a playoff berth and home field advantage in the playoffs but have a shot at capturing the USFL South Division crown on Saturday afternoon. Birmingham had a tough first half against the Gamblers last week but exploded in the second half en route to a 23-point win. Stallions QB Alex McGough had a few turnovers against Houston, but he didn’t let those mistakes stop him from throwing for 208 yards and a total of three touchdowns.
Showboats signal caller Cole Kelley struggled with the Breakers’ stubborn defense last week. The freshman threw three interceptions and completed just 56.1 percent of his passes for 224 yards. Kelley was also fired five times as the Memphis offense failed to achieve anything positive either in the air or on the ground. Nonetheless, the former SELA star should bounce back this week and make some plays against a Stallions defense giving up their fair share of points. Memphis won’t take on Birmingham like they did in Week 2 (42-2), but the Stallions will take the win as they get closer to their second straight USFL title.
Choose: Stallions 24 (-4.5), show boats 17
New Orleans Breakers at Houston Gamblers
Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, NBC
- spread: interrupter -4 (-110); Player +4 (-110)
- money line: breaker -175; Player +145
- About Below: 44.5
When these two teams played each other in Week 2, the Breakers won in a scoring duel 38-31. New Orleans RB Wes Hills threw 110 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, while Houston QB Kenji Bahar threw 266 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Gambler fans are hoping Bahar’s turnovers after last week’s interception and fumble, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown, won’t be a problem again.
The Breakers will be looking to pick up some more turnovers after having five takeaways in last week’s win over the Showboats. New Orleans will also look to better protect QB McLeod-Bethel Thompson, who has been sacked four times. If the Breakers can keep the pocket clean for MBT, he should be able to do some damage against the Gamblers secondary, who will be missing safety Andrew Soroh and Manny Bunch. As for the Gamblers, they’ll have to rely on star RB Mark Thompson to carry them as Bahar has thrown three interceptions in their last three games. Thompson should do some damage on the ground, but at the end of the day the Breakers have the better quarterback in this match, giving them a place in the playoffs.
Choose: Breaker 27 (-4), Gambler’s 21
Philadelphia Stars at the Michigan Panthers
Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX
- spread: Stars N/A; Panthers N/A
- money line: stars -110; Panthers -110
- About Below: 42.5
In the final game of the regular season, the Stars will look to secure a second straight playoff spot by defeating the Panthers. Michigan could have secured its ticket to the playoffs last week if it had defeated the Maulers while also losing the Stars. However, Josh Love played terribly, completing 57.6 percent of his passes for 233 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. In addition to ill-advised turnovers, Michigan, playing without Reggie Corbin, only managed 50 rushing yards.
If Corbin plays this weekend, it should give the Panthers a significant upswing against a stars-run defense that just lost three points to Generals RB Darius Victor. As for Philadelphia, they faltered from turnovers early last week and almost staged a furious comeback. QB Case Cookus was under constant pressure but made plays in the passing game. The offensive line needs to be better this weekend as the Panthers’ front seven are wild and the Sacks (24) rank first in the USFL. It won’t be a pretty game, but the Stars have the better quarterback and playmakers to return to the postseason for the second straight year.
Choose: Stars 21, Panthers 18