Week 8 of the USFL is upon us, and the New Orleans Breakers (5-2) are set to take on the Birmingham Stallions (7-0) on Saturday, June 4th at 12:00 pm PT. Saturday’s matchup could either solidify the Stallions as the South Division’s 1st seed or inch the Breakers one game closer to potentially stealing the 1st seed in the season’s final weeks.

Weather

Saturday’s forecast at Legion Field predicts mostly sunny skies, with a high of 88 degrees and winds up to 7 mph.

New Orleans Breakers (5-2) at Birmingham Stallions (7-0)

Kickoff: Saturday, June 4th, at 12:00 pm PT

Where: Legion Field (Birmingham, AL)

TV: FOX

Betting Odds Per FoxBet

Spread:

• New Orleans Breakers: +3
• Birmingham Stallions: -3

Moneyline:

• New Orleans Breakers: +135
• Birmingham Stallions: -175

Over/Under: 44.5

Players To Watch

Quarterback Kyle Sloter and wide receiver Jonathan Adams are surely a duo to watch for the Breakers, but running back Anthony Jones has taken over New Orleans’ rushing attack in recent weeks.

On the Stallions, quarterback J’Mar Smith and wide receiver Osirus Mitchell are prominent players to watch. However, former Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough’s had an increasing role since being signed a few weeks ago, with CJ Marable also taking a heavy share of the workload. Coach Skip Holtz has doubled down on the run game since the addition of Scarbrough, even bringing the old wishbone formation back from the past.

New Orleans Breakers – Birmingham Stallions Matchup

The Breakers have been rolling this season, losing only to the Generals in Week 5 and the Stallions in Week 3. Quarterback Kyle Sloter’s eliminated the turnover issues in their last few matchups, but their upcoming rematch with the Stallions will be their toughest game in weeks, and this time playoff seeding will be on the line.

The Stallions locked up a South Division playoff spot after their Week 7 win over the Maulers, but a loss to the Breakers in Week 8 could open the door to potentially losing the 1st seed. With how banged up the Stallions have been in recent weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how they handle these final few weeks with a number of their key players still injured.

Injury Report

New Orleans Breakers

This week, the Breakers will be without a few key players, including cornerbacks Derrick Jones and Ike Brown, defensive end Shareef Miller, and defensive tackle Djimon Brooks. However, cornerbacks Mike Stevens and Keith Washington II, along with defensive tackle Connor Christian, will be returning to the active lineup.

Birmingham Stallions

The Stallions will be missing some key players in week 8 as well, including wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr and tight end Cary Angeline. However, Birmingham will be getting one of their defensive leaders back with linebacker Scooby Wright returning to the lineup.

New Orleans Breakers – Birmingham Stallions Prediction

While the first meeting between these teams ended with a 22-13 victory from the Stallions, I expect their second matchup of the season to be a much closer game.

At this point in the year, the league’s better teams are firing on all cylinders, just playing the game rather than getting the rust off as they were at the beginning of the season. With the Stallions missing a few of their key pieces due to injury, including wide receiver Victor Bolden Jr, I expect New Orleans to deliver Birmingham their first loss of the season in Week 8

Prediction: New Orleans Breakers: 31 – Birmingham Stallions: 27

Stay with USFL News Hub to the road to the playoffs.