This article originally appeared on theUFL.com!
Week 1 of the UFL kicked off on Friday, March 27, when the Louisville Kings hosted the Birmingham Stallions. The Stallions emerged victorious, 15-13, starting a new era for the UFL. Week 1 featured packed stadiums and record-breaking performances, along with clutch late-game drives and dominant defensive performances. The league has a totally different look as it kicks off the new season with new teams, new names, new rules and new stadiums in play. Let’s take a look at what to expect for the new-look league in 2026, with the help of some of the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Bookmark this UFL betting splits page and check back throughout the season for DraftKings Network’s ongoing coverage.
Last year, the DC Defenders defeated the Michigan Panthers to claim the 2025 league championship. DC won 58-34 behind a big game from MVP Jordan Ta’amu. Both the Defenders and Panthers were the No. 2 seed in their conference but knocked off the St. Louis Battlehawks and the Birmingham Stallions, respectively, to get to the Championship Game.
This year, the league dissolved the USFL and XFL conferences and relocated the Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats and San Antonio Brahmas to the Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings and Orlando Storm. The new teams did inherit the staff and players of the previous teams, but the new franchises are considered separate and do not inherit the history or records. The league also rebranded the Houston Roughnecks as the Houston Gamblers and the Arlington Renegades as the Dallas Renegades.
The team also changed a few key rules, banning the tush push and punts inside the 50-yard line except in the final two minutes of the half. Field goals of 60+ yards will also earn four points instead of three.
With the new landscape, which teams have the best chance to claim the title? Let’s take a look at my favorite bets from the futures market and then a quick rundown of the rest of the league.
TOP THREE PICKS
DC Defenders (+550)
The Defenders are the reigning champs and will look to live up to their name and get a second straight championship. They had the second-shortest odds of the eight teams coming into the season, but a 16-10 loss in Week 1 has pushed their odds up to +550, the fourth-shortest on the board.
Coach Shannon Harris took over the team as the interim head coach just before last year and led the team to the title. After winning UFL Coach of the Year honors, he was officially promoted to the job permanently last July.
Harris’s offense will once again be able to rely on returning QB Jordan Ta’amu, who threw for 2,153 yards and 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions in his nine regular-season games. He threw five more touchdowns in the postseason, including 390 passing yards with four touchdowns in the championship game, with a fifth score on the ground.
The 28-year-old Hawaii native is a star to build around for the Defenders, who added RB Xazavian Valladay and WR Jalen Virgil in the UFL Draft. They also added some key pieces on defense and look ready to make a strong run at back-to-back titles.
Orlando Storm (+650)
The Storm made their debut this season after replacing the San Antonio Brahmas. The Storm made some big moves and should be set to make a splash as they play in downtown Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium, which is one of the league’s new venues that shifts the focus to smaller, more intimate venues that will get fans up close to the action.
In Week 1, the Storm got a 23-16 win over the Columbus Aviators (highlighted below).
The Storm will be led by coach Anthony Becht, who was assigned to Orlando after leading the St. Louis Battlehawks for the last few seasons. While St. Louis didn’t win a title, Becht guided it to a 22-8 record over three seasons. He went 7-3 in each of his first two years before improving to 8-2 last season. Despite the Battlehawks’ dominant regular season, they lost to the Defenders in the Conference Championship.
Becht was a tight end in his NFL days and is known for a run-heavy, efficient offense. The Storm overhauled San Antonio’s roster, protecting only six players from the UFL Draft when each team was allowed to protect up to 12. The main running back for Orlando this year is expected to be Jashaun Corbin, formerly of the Patriots.
Under center, the Storm started Jack Plummer from Purdue, Cal and Louisville over former-Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 1, but DTR showed some interesting upside during his time in Cleveland, and the dual-threat QB could be a nice fit for Becht’s system. Plummer threw for 240 yards, but Corbin’s two rushing scores carried the day.
The UFL is excited to enter the Orlando market, and Becht’s experience and DTR’s upside make the Storm a sleeper team that could burst onto the scene in 2026.
Columbus Aviators (+1000)
The Aviators couldn’t navigate the Storm in the first game in the history of both franchises. I’m still high on them long-term, though, and think they could challenge as the season goes on. The Aviators have a solid foundation with the pieces they inherited from the Michigan Panthers, who were the runners-up to the Defenders last season.
The UFL moved on from Mike Nolan as the head coach and brought in Ted Ginn Jr. The new team will be closely tied to the Ohio State community, with former Buckeye QB Cardale Jones as a team ambassador in addition to Ginn’s new role as head coach.
While the team will return several key pieces, the biggest question mark will be at QB, where Jalen McClendon will take over for Bryce Perkins, who is playing this year for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. With the transition at QB, look for the Aviators to ironically rely on the ground game led by RB Toa Taua, who led the league with six rushing touchdowns in just seven games last year. In Week 1, it was Taua that carried most of the load, but Zaquandre White broke free for a long 42-yard score on one of his three carries.
The new team will play its games at Historic Crew Stadium and look to build on the Panthers’ success while establishing a new tradition of winning in Columbus. The Aviators have gotten plenty of good buzz coming into the season, and if Ginn can get the offense rolling, they could surprise some people as +1000 longshots this season.
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE
Dallas Renegades (+275): The Renegades joined the Stallions as co-favorites after an impressive 36-17 win over Houston. The Renegades are built on the strength of their defense, led by Taco Charlton, Ajene Harris and safety Qwynnterrio Cole. Rick Neuheisel will be in his first year as the head coach. Veteran QB Luis Perez provides solid stability for the offense that features receivers Tyler Vaughns and Denzel Mims.
Birmingham Stallions (+275): The Stallions had the shortest odds to win the UFL this year coming into Week 1, and they won in Louisville on Opening Night. After coming up short in their quest to win four straight titles last year, the Stallions will have a new head coach with AJ McCarron taking over for Skip Holtz, who led the team to a three-peat from 2022 to 2024.
St. Louis Battlehawks (+500): The Battledome, officially named The Dome at America’s Center, gives the Battlehawks a distinct homefield advantage. Losing Becht will be a hit to the team, and new coach Ricky Proehl has an unsettled QB situation to solve. On defense, Pita Taumoepenu returns after winning UFL Defensive Player of the Year last season on the strength of a league-leading 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. They got some revenge on DC in Week 1 and will look to lean on their defense going forward.
Louisville Kings (+1800): The Kings are a long shot to contend this season under first-year coach Chris Redman. The team inherited the roster from the 2-8 Memphis Showboats, and even though its cool new logo and great stadium will make it a fun team, it doesn’t seem likely to turn things around so quickly. The Kings hung tough in Week 1 in their opener and seem to be a gutsy group, but they don’t look ready to make a run at the championship this season.
Houston Gamblers (+4000): The Gamblers were already the longest long shot in the UFL this season, but that number got even higher after they were trounced by Dallas in Week 1. The team brought back Kevin Sumlin for a second stint with the team, and while Sumlin had success in college in Houston, he’ll need to solve the QB questions before this team is a playoff threat.
