The Philadelphia Stars take on the New Orleans Breakers in their first game of the 2022 USFL relaunch. The Breakers enter the game as slight favorites, but who will emerge victorious on the opening weekend? Let’s take a look at the odds for the Stars vs. Week 1 matchup. Breakers and let’s make a choice and a prediction.
Philadelphia Stars vs. Pick and Prediction New Orleans Breakers | USFL Week 1
- Spread: Switches -2
- money line: Crushers -125, Stars +105
- Below: 43
The stars
The Stars are led by head coach Bart Andrus, who has one of the most interesting and unique resumes I’ve ever seen. Andrus has coached high schools, D1, D2, FCS, NFL, NFL Europe, CFL, USFL, and other start-up/development leagues (including the TSL). Much of an offensive coordinator, Andrus has an opportunity here with Philadelphia, which could be a fun team to watch.
The quarterback room features Case Cookus, who has perhaps the best name in the USFL. Cookus played his college football in northern Arizona before spending brief stints with NFL practice teams.
Stars first-round pick Bryan Scott was a gold medalist with the US U-19 football team. In 2014, during the U-19 World Cup in Kuwait, Scott led the US. to gold as the team’s quarterback and was also named MVP. Scott played his college football at Occidental College in California. He was selected third overall by the Stars in the 2022 USFL Draft.
Safety Ahmad Dixon appeared in the XFL, recording 44 tackles in five games. He could be one to watch in the Stars’ secondary. Tight end Bug Howard is another recognizable name, having played four solid seasons at UNC. He caught 146 passes for more than 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns during his time with the Tar Heels.
the breakers
Larry Fedora is the head coach of the Breakers. Fedora has previously been a head coach at Southern Miss University and North Carolina.
In the first round of the USFL Draft, the Breakers selected Kyle Sloter to be their QB. Sloter had been in the NFL since 2017, when he signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent. Although Sloter played that preseason, he never played in an NFL regular-season game. In addition to the Broncos, Sloter also spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Las Vegas Raiders.
New Orleans sophomore quarterback Zach Smith played college football at Baylor before transferring to Tulsa.
Ohio State fans will remember the wide receiver Johnnie Dixonwho caught 16 touchdowns for the Buckeyes during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Meanwhile, defensive end miller, who played at Penn State, recorded 14.5 sacks during his college career. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Selection and prediction
I like Fedora and the Breakers on this one. I’m not sure what to expect from Scott playing QB or the all-star roster. That may be because he is the least known starter and it might surprise me. I’ll take the Breakers against the -2 spread.
Score prediction: Breakers 23, Stars 17
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