We're into the home stretch of the 2022 USFL season, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape.
Two teams — the Birmingham Stallions and New Jersey Generals — have already clinched playoff berths. The Generals earned theirs by beating the Bandits in Week 7 while the Stallions advanced thanks to the Generals' win and their win over the Maulers. Birmingham remains undefeated at 7-0.
Now, there are just two playoff spots remaining to be clinched. The Philadelphia Stars and New Orleans Breakers have the inside track to earn those spots, as the Stars have a three-game lead in the race for second in the North Division while the Breakers are up two games on the Tampa Bay Bandits in the South Division.
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Both the Stars and the Breakers can clinch passage to the postseason in Week 8. Philadelphia needs only to win its game against Michigan while New Orleans will have to beat the undefeated Stallions and get a bit of help from the Houston Gamblers, who are the only team officially eliminated from the playoff race to date.
Here's everything to know about the USFL's Week 8 schedule, including how to watch and live stream all four of the games.
USFL schedule Week 8: What games are on today?
Here's the full schedule for the eighth week of the 2022 USFL season, including how to watch each game live.
Friday, June 3
| Game | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Generals (6-1) vs.Pittsburgh Maulers (1-6) | 8 p.m. | USA,fuboTV |
Saturday, June 4
| Game | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Stallions (7-0) vs. New Orleans Breakers (5-2) | 3 p.m. | Fox,fuboTV |
Sunday, June 5
| Game | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel |
| Philadelphia Stars (4-3) vs. Michigan Panthers (1-6) | Noon | Fox,fuboTV |
| Tampa Bay Bandits (3-4) vs. Houston Gamblers (1-6) | 4 p.m. | Peaco*ck |
Friday USFL game's TV channel, live stream
Here's how to watch the USFL game that will be played on Friday.
Generals vs. Maulers
- Kickoff:8 p.m. ET
- TV channel:USA
- Live stream:fuboTV
- Odds (via Sports Interaction):Generals -8.5 (-120) | Maulers +8.5 (-120)
New Jersey has already clinched a spot in the 2022 USFL playoffs, but the Generals have a chance to clinch first place in the North Division with a win and a Stars loss this week. So, they are still playing for something and will look to ride their elite running game and strong defense to a seventh consecutive win. It will certainly help if quarterback De'Andre Johnson returns after missing time with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, the Maulers have just one win on the season and are still struggling at the quarterback spot. Last week, coach Kirby Wilson benched Vad Lee late in Pittsburgh's loss to the Stallions and put Roland Rivers III into the game. One will need to step up to keep pace with the Generals, though the Maulers' defense could keep them in the game early.
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Saturday USFL game's TV channel, live stream
Here's how to watch the USFL game that will be played on Saturday.
Stallions vs. Breakers
- Kickoff:3 p.m. ET
- TV channel:Fox
- Live stream:fuboTV
- Odds (via Sports Interaction):Stallions -3 (-120) | Breakers +3 (-120)
Once again, the Stallions are playing in the game of the week, and the Breakers figure to be the only team that stand a chance of beating them. Birmingham has one of the most balanced teams in the USFL and has been particularly good at forcing but not committing turnovers. They lead the league with a plus-five turnover margin and have a top-three running game that allows them to control the ball on offense.
Meanwhile, the Breakers are one of the top-three teams in the USFL and have an explosive offense led by the USFL passing leader Kyle Sloter. Running backs Anthony Jones and Jordan Ellis have stepped up in recent weeks, too, so the Breakers have good balance. They just need to avoid allowing big plays on defense when blitzing and turning the ball over frequently on offense.
When these two teams first met in Week 3, the Stallions won 22-13. The Breakers should be motivated to get revenge and end Birmingham's winning streak, so it should be a close game, especially if New Orleans' offense plays better than they did in the first meeting.
Sunday USFL games TV channels, live streams
Here's how to watch the two USFL games that will be played on Sunday.
Stars vs. Panthers
- Kickoff:Noon ET
- TV channel:Fox
- Live stream:fuboTV
- Odds (via Sports Interaction):Stars -5.5 (-120) | Panthers +5.5 (-120)
This game represents the Panthers' last chance to stay in the playoff race. They need to win out and see the Stars lose out to make it to Canton. It's unlikely, but Michigan at least controls its own destiny in Week 8. Josh Love looked good at quarterback for the Panthers, whose running game continued to do well against New Orleans last week. They just need to be able to finish a game, as they lost in overtime last week.
As for the Stars, they rode a strong offensive performance to a come-from-behind win over the Gamblers. A win would clinch them a top-two spot in the North Division and a trip to the playoffs where they would play New Jersey. The experienced Bart Andrus knows that, so expect squad to come out strong against Michigan.
Bandits vs. Gamblers
- Kickoff:4 p.m. ET
- Live stream:Peaco*ck
- Odds (via Sports Interaction):Bandits -4.5 (-130) | Gamblers +4.5 (-110)
The Bandits are two games back of the Breakers and lost to them head-to-head in their first meeting. This will be a must-win game for them either way, as they will either need to stay two games back of the Breakers or will have a chance to cut their deficit to one game ahead of their Week 9 clash.
The turnover battle will be the thing to watch in this contest. Tampa Bay has struggled with turnovers this season and has posted a minus-10 turnover margin, by far the worst in the USFL. Meanwhile, the Gamblers, despite their 1-6 record, have a plus-four turnover margin, good for the second in the league. Jordan Ta'amu will need to be sharp for Tampa Bay to win and stay in the playoff race.
