2025 UFL Power Rankings and Best Bets

2025 UFL Championship betting odds are now live on DraftKings, and if you’re a fan of the thrilling, unpredictable action that only spring football can deliver, this is the article for you.

Consider this a broad overview of each UFL team, its coaches, quarterbacks, strengths and weaknesses, and how it stacks up as a championship bet. I’ll rank teams in order of championship potential and highlight the best value bets at the end of this article.

Of course, all the best UFL action will take place in DraftKings DFS contests (don’t worry, our 2025 UFL subscription is already live) – but power rankings are a great place to start while we wait for the league’s March 28 kickoff.

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Power Rankings

1. Birmingham Stallions (+200)

The word “dynasty” is often thrown around in sports, but it’s difficult to pinpoint a franchise more deserving of the moniker than Birmingham. Since the inception of modern spring football, the Stallions have done nothing but win championships. Including the playoffs, Birmingham has played in 36 games over the franchise’s three seasons, winning 32 of them (88% win rate) alongside back-to-back USFL Championships in 2022 and 2023 – and of course, the 2024 UFL Championship.

Spring football teams have generally been inconsistent because modern spring leagues have been marred by player and coaching turnover. But Birmingham is simply built different – HC Skip Holtz has been with the franchise since its inception, calling plays for (what will be) four consecutive seasons. The results have been remarkable; Birmingham ranked 1st in the 2024 UFL, 1st in the 2023 USFL, and 2nd in the 2022 USFL in PPG. Last season, Birmingham finished as the league’s most efficient team by YPA (7.3) and YPC (4.8). By any spring football standards, this offense has been spectacular under Holtz.

Despite losing 2024 UFL MVP Adrian Martinez to the New York Jets, Birmingham somehow upgraded their QB room in 2025. Alex McGough (the 2023 USFL MVP) is back for the Stallions. McGough posted the 2nd-best PFF passing grade of any QB in modern spring football history in 2023 (86.4), averaging a truly absurd 28.6 DraftKings FPG in his full regular season games. Sure, that’s a dropoff from the 28.9 DraftKings FPG that Martinez averaged in starts last year, but McGough is a notably more consistent passer and an equally capable rushing threat in the red zone.

The Stallions don’t just get a QB upgrade; they are also looking at some of the best roster retention in spring football. Birmingham has zero turnover in their backfield (retaining all three RBs who earned a carry last year), alongside returning 78% of their receiving production from last season, while bringing back the 2nd-most productive WR in the 2023 USFL (Davion Davis, who bounced around NFL rosters in 2024). This is an experienced and talented offense that will only be aided by a defense returning eight players who started in the UFL Championship game (including every starting defensive back).

Elite coaching, league-best QB play, and league-leading roster continuity make the case for another Birmingham championship self-evident. Sportsbooks know this (the Stallions’ +200 championship odds are the highest I’ve ever seen pre-season) because there is one consistent truth in modern spring football: Birmingham just wins.

2. Michigan Panthers (+650)

The Panthers were one of the biggest surprises of 2024. Despite entering last year with +1300 championship odds (the 2nd-worst of any team), Michigan made the playoffs, finishing the season with a 7-4 record and the 4th-most PPG (22.4).

3rd-year head coach Mike Nolan leads the team, and he made a notable improvement in 2024 by hiring OC Marcel Bellefeuille – who increased Michigan’s YPA by +14% year-over-year thanks to the air raid scheme he brought over from the now defunct Philadelphia Stars. Bellefeuille is back in 2025, and he’s been blessed with one of the most interesting QB rooms I can remember in spring football.

Danny Etling is returning the most in terms of raw spring league experience (five starts and eight total appearances last year), but Bryce Perkins gets me the most excited.

Perkins didn’t start a single game last year, as Michigan seemed satisfied with a “QB by committee” approach. But I can’t think of a quarterback I’ve seen stand out more in terms of raw efficiency than Perkins since I’ve watched spring football.

Perkins averaged 9.0 YPA (+0.6 more YPA than any other UFL QB), and finished the 2024 season as PFF’s 5th-highest graded UFL QB. He displayed elite rushing ability, averaging 91.0 rushing yards per 4 quarters (9.6 YPC). For perspective, 91.0 rushing YPG would rank as the single-best rushing season in spring football history. I don’t want to get carried away with small-sample extrapolation, but Perkins (who some readers may remember from his time with the Rams) has one of the best film and statistical profiles of the QBs currently on a spring football roster. I’d be incredibly bullish on Michigan if he’s the clear starter by Week 1.

Beyond the QB excitement and coaching continuity, Michigan returns the entirety of their 2024 starting offensive line, five of their top-seven 2024 pass catchers, and 10 defensive starters (including reigning DPOY Breeland Speaks). This is one of the few rosters that can rival Birmingham in terms of player retention – and once we factor in the potential that Perkins turns into a star QB, Michigan pops as one of the better championship bets across the league.

Note: As much as I like Michigan, I’d prefer waiting for confirmation that Perkins is their Week 1 starter before laying any championship futures on the team. Etling starting would drop the Panthers to somewhere around No. 4 in my power rankings.

3. St. Louis Battlehawks (+350)

The Battlehawks draw the biggest crowds and have historically had the highest expectations in spring football (you only need to see last year’s power rankings to see what I mean). But this feels like it could be a bit of a transitional year for St. Louis.

St. Louis retained HC Anthony Becht, but the Battlehawks’ OC from the last two seasons – Bruce Gradkowski – is now an offensive assistant with the Detroit Lions. 2023 XFL MVP AJ McCarron was released this offseason, demonstrating a true changing of the guard for the St. Louis offense.

This makes the Battlehawks arguably the toughest team to analyze. Their new offensive coordinator was just announced as Phil McGeoghan (last season’s WR coach whose only previous play-calling experience came with a Naval Academy Prep School in 2008). Their quarterback room figures to be a battle between Manny Wilkins (a hyper-aggressive rushing threat) and Max Duggan (who led TCU to a National Championship Game appearance).

But whoever wins the QB battle will have a league-best group of pass catchers to throw to. Hakeem Butler led the UFL in receiving yards last year (652), and Jahcour Pearson led all of spring football in receiving yards in 2023 (670). That pair of pass catchers would be enough for a great UFL receiving corps, but the Battlehawks also added a pair of former Round 2 picks in Denzel Mims and Andy Isabella. Across all UFL rosters, Mims and Isabella represent the WRs with the best NFL draft capital in the league (only four other WRs in the UFL were drafted before Round 6).

The Battlehawks did manage to retain 2024’s DC (Donnie Abraham) and six defensive starters from last year’s playoff game – but it’s clear this is a team searching for an identity after losing their QB and OC. I have significant faith in Becht (and the incredible group of pass catchers he’s assembled), but I can’t place real American dollars on a team with so many preseason unknowns.

4. San Antonio Brahmas (+600)

The Brahmas were one of the UFL’s biggest surprises in 2024 (though not necessarily to Fantasy Points subscribers) thanks to the league-best defense (15.3 PPG allowed) and their incredibly creative offensive coordinator (AJ Smith).

The good news for San Antonio is that they’ve retained Smith (despite rumors in UFL circles that he could get a head coaching job this offseason), but they only managed to hang onto three starters from the defense that led this team to last year’s championship game. Regarding raw defensive production, the Brahmas are losing three of their four top players from last season in terms of total pressures, and two of their top four players by total coverage snaps.

Arguably, these losses may not matter with the same stellar defensive coaching staff in place, but it’s hard to be particularly aggressive on San Antonio’s preseason ranking when combined with QB uncertainty.

Chase Garbers remains unsigned at the time of writing (though the Brahmas have retained his rights) – and he would likely be the favorite to start if San Antonio manages to sign him. With Garbers status unknown, the Brahmas are left with former Round 3 pick Kellen Mond, 2024 holdover Kevin Hogan (who only played 27 snaps), and cut candidate Jarrett Guarantano.

Mond is the most exciting of the options on the roster, largely because of his rushing ability (53.0 rushing YPG and 8 rushing TDs in his junior season). We’ve seen AJ Smith utilize rushing QBs heavily in the past – Cole McDonald averaged 8.3 rushing FPG in his two games in 2023, and Garbers averaged 1.0 red zone carry per game (4th-best among QBs who started a game last year) before San Antonio dialed back his rushing after a Week 3 injury. So, the fantasy upside for Mond is great – but if he’s still haunted by the accuracy problems that plagued him in college I’m not sure I can be particularly bullish on his offensive impact at this point.

But despite some defensive turnover and QB uncertainty, the Brahmas still profile as a strong UFL team. They have the luxury of great coaching – which can’t be discounted in the ever-changing world of spring football.

5. DC Defenders (+600)

The 2025 Defenders will feel familiar to anyone who has watched DC play over the last two seasons. They’ve retained the same quarterback (Jordan Ta’amu) and OC (Fred Kaiss) that led DC to a 14-8 record since the inception of the 2023 XFL. DC is the only team that feels relatively easy to compare to an NFL team; they are effectively a watered-down version of the Philadelphia Eagles (without the Tush Push).

The Defenders were forced to abandon the run in 2024 due to a stable of inefficient RBs. I’m sure they planned to rely on 2023 workhorse Abram Smith (who led all spring football RBs in rushing yards in 2023), but he unfortunately tore his ACL during last season’s training camp.

Thankfully for DC, Smith is back on the roster, presumably fully healthy, and he should aid the Defenders in returning to a level of pace and run-heaviness that would make a service academy blush.

I really can’t overemphasize how important the success of the ground game is to this offense. DC averaged 29.8 PPG in 2023 (the single-best offensive season in spring football history) on the back of 157 carries and 5.0 YPC from Abram Smith. In 2024, the team’s YPC dropped to 3.4 (a ~23% dip from 2023), and DC averaged just 20.9 PPG.

The defensive side of the ball will feature a hyper-aggressive blitz-heavy scheme led by DC Gregg Williams. We know Williams' style of defense generally lends itself to big plays (both for the defense and the opposing offense), which makes it an ideal defense to target for DFS game stacks, but a relatively tricky one to analyze from a team-strength perspective. At the very least, the notable player turnover within this defense suggests it could wind up as one of the more exploitable units in the UFL.

There are massive differences in how the Defenders have performed in the franchise’s two most recent seasons. I remain optimistic about this offense if Smith is a full-go in Week 1, but it’s difficult to have faith in a team that struggled massively on offense last year, especially at the current betting odds.

6. Arlington Renegades (+1100)

The 2023 XFL champions had a rough go in 2024 with a 3-7 finish, but it’s hard to blame that on the Renegades offense.

HC Bob Stoops (who was a rumored retirement candidate this offseason), OC Chuck Long, and QB Luis Perez are back in 2025 after leading Arlington to the 3rd-most PPG (24.7) and single-best PFF offensive grade (72.6) among UFL teams last season. Perez (who turned this offense around after being traded to Arlington in 2023) finished the 2024 season with the best full-season PFF passing grade (88.2) in modern spring football history – leading the UFL in passing TDs (18) and big-time throws (18). This offense managed to re-sign 72% of their 2024 receiving production (by receiving yardage share) while retaining the rights to leading pass catcher Sal Cannella (a free agent who appears to be still training to play).

But this defense needs work. Arlington allowed the 3rd-most PPG (24.9), the 2nd-most YPA (7.4), and the most YPC (4.4) in the UFL last year. Returning seven defensive starters (among other key defensive players) and the plurality of last year’s defensive coaching staff should help – but I have a feeling Arlington will be one of the defenses we target early in the year, barring a notable early-season improvement.

All that said, I can’t help but like Arlington a bit as a long-shot title bet. Perez is a fantastic spring football QB as a passer, and nearly all of his weapons from last year have been retained. This feels like one of the better values on the board at 11-1.

7. Memphis Showboats (+1500)

The Showboats represent the team with by far the most coaching turnover year-over-year, hiring Ken Whisenhunt as their HC and OC, and Jarren Horton as the team’s DC.

Whisenhunt was most recently the Chargers OC from 2016-2019 – which gives us a tangible sample of what to expect from the new spring football coach. During Whisenhunt’s four years of calling plays, Los Angeles averaged a 61% pass rate (would have ranked 5th among 2024 UFL teams) and ranked in the top-10 among NFL teams by PPG twice. His offenses moved at a brutish pace (ranking bottom-10 by plays per game in his final two seasons calling plays) and were generally spread out in terms of skill player involvement.

That makes it difficult to draw any significant conclusions from a team strength perspective. For now, I feel okay calling Whisenhunt an ‘average’ UFL play-caller (granted, I’m not particularly optimistic about a bellcow emerging here, but that’s for a different article).

The quarterback room features second-year Showboats player Troy Williams (who started three games last year) and a pair of spring football veterans, EJ Perry and Quinten Dormady.

Assuming no additional signings, the Memphis QB battle feels wide-open. All three QBs have shown an ability to manage a spring football offense, and all three QBs made at least three starts in the UFL last season. I have a hard time deciding who would be best for the Showboats’ offensive success, but I will note that Williams is the most talented rushing threat, Dormady is the most polished passer, and Perry falls a bit in the middle. But regardless of who wins the QB battle, they will – at the very least – have Fantasy Points favorite Daewood Davis to throw to.

This defense needs work. Memphis allowed 29.0 PPG last year (the most in the UFL and the 2nd-most in modern spring football history) largely due to an awful pass defense (254.7 passing YPG allowed, worst in the UFL). But I’m optimistic new DC Horton can right the ship – he coordinated the Pittsburgh Maulers defense in 2022 and 2023, culminating in an extremely impressive 17.8 PPG allowed in Pittsburgh’s final season (would have ranked 2nd-toughest in the 2024 UFL).

This team has a wider range of outcomes than any team in the UFL. I generally have doubts about older NFL names (like Whisenhunt) and their ability to adapt in modern spring football, but this team needed a complete overhaul. And since they’ve gotten one, I don’t mind making them a speculative dart throw for those looking for a viable longshot bet.

8. Houston Roughnecks (+1800)

You can find a reason to be optimistic about every team in the UFL, but I admit I struggle with the Roughnecks.

HC Curtis Johnson returns for his 3rd season as a spring football HC, and I can’t quite figure out why after a 6-14 record in his first two years with Houston. Johnson is joined by OC Eric Price – who was, unfortunately, Houston’s 2024 OC during their disastrous campaign. Last year, Houston averaged 15.8 PPG (the 3rd-worst offensive output in modern spring football history) largely because Johnson had no idea what he was doing.

Early in the year, Johnson hinted at utilizing the then-injured RB Mark Thompson as the team’s offensive MVP. He commented that Houston had a “totally different gameplan” for when Thompson returned from injury. For those who don’t remember, Thompson set the modern spring football rushing record (81.6 rushing YPG, 14 rushing TDs) and averaged 4.8 YPC (an impressive mark for spring football) in 2023.

Once Thompson returned from injury in 2024, Johnson didn’t give him the ball. Thompson never exceeded more than 13 carries in a game the year after setting the modern spring football rushing record.

You could say that’s simply a fluke or that Thompson never fully recovered from the preseason injury that cost him the first three games of the season.

I’d accept those answers, but Johnson has mismanaged every element of being a HC. He’s consistently lied in press conferences (Thompson’s usage is merely one example) and on depth charts. I’d trust the word of a death row inmate over the Roughnecks HC.

Johnson even stated that he would only use the UFL’s Super Challenge (which enables you to challenge any aspect of a single play) on an obvious missed call rather than the most important play of the game. He displayed a notable inability to adjust his offense for opponent and situation, struggled massively with 4th down decision-making, and couldn’t figure out how to put his best players in positions to succeed (Jarrett Guarantano starting over Reid Sinnett at QB early in the year is a great example).

Coaching aside, the QB room doesn’t spark much joy. Nolan Henderson is the only returning QB from last year’s team – and while Henderson displayed elite rushing ability, his league-worst 48.2 PFF passing grade doesn’t inspire much confidence. Jalan McClendon joins Henderson in Houston, but we have a big enough spring sample on McClendon (164 dropbacks, sub-54.0 PFF passing grade in every season) to say he isn’t much more than a discounted version of late-career Cam Newton. Anthony Brown (former Raven and Oregon Duck) is easily the most interesting of the group. He managed a 95.6 passer rating on 125 preseason dropbacks over the last three years, along with 708 rushing yards and 9 rushing TDs in his final season at Oregon.

I don’t want to waste any more words on this team as I feel safe declaring them the worst team in the UFL and, thus, the least likely to win a championship. I’d need something like +4000 for Houston to look like a compelling dart throw.

TL;DR (Best Value Bets in Order)

1. Michigan Panthers (+650)

2. Birmingham Stallions (+200)

3. Arlington Renegades (+1100)

*TIER BREAK*

4. Memphis Showboats (+1500)

5. San Antonio Brahmas (+600)

6. DC Defenders (+600)

7. St. Louis Battlehawks (+350)

*TIER BREAK*

8. Houston Roughnecks (+1800)