This Saturday, the XFL enters Week 5 of the 2023 regular season. Week 5 is when operations shut down in 2020, forcing the league into bankruptcy and resulting in a sale to the current ownership.
The Houston Roughnecks have tallied a 4-0 record in 2023, building upon their 5-0 effort from 2020. Head coach Wade Philips has Houston rolling, with no teams finishing within a touchdown of them after an entire month of play.
Naturally, the odds for betting on the Roughnecks place them as the most likely team to win the XFL Championship.
2023 XFL Championship Futures
- Houston Roughnecks +160
- DC Defenders +170
- St Louis Battlehawks +550
- Seattle Sea Dragons +800
- Arlington Renegades +1000
- San Antonio Brahmas +2000
- Vegas Vipers +3500
- Orlando Guardians +5000
Tonight on XFL Thursday Night Football, the Roughnecks will face the 2-2 Seattle Sea Dragons in Washington. The sites featured in our online sportsbook reviews favor Houston over the Sea Dragons by 4 points.
Houston Roughnecks @ Seattle Sea Dragons
- Point Spread: Houston -4.0, Seattle +4.0
- Moneyline: Houston -180, Seattle +155
- Over/Under 43.0
- 10:30 PM Tonight
If Houston can make it past Seattle unscathed, they’ll face the undefeated DC Defenders in Week 6 for a potential preview of the XFL Championship Game.
Futures odds for betting on the DC Defenders have them within ten points in the moneyline behind Houston. The 4-0 Defenders will face the North Division’s second-place team in the St. Louis Battlehawks in Week 5.
DC Defenders @ St. Louis BattleHawks
- Point Spread: DC -2.0, St. Louis +2.0
- Moneyline: DC -130, St. Louis +110
- Over/Under: 42.5
- 7:00 PM this Saturday
The point spread is very tight in the above XFL betting line, favoring DC by 2 points on the road. This isn’t just any road game, however, as St. Louis packed over 38,000 fans in their stadium for their home opener in Week 4.
There’s a strong chance that ticket sales could eclipse last week’s numbers in St. Louis, giving the Battlehawks the edge they need to soar past DC and tie up the division standings.
Betting on the Arlington Renegades and their +500 moneyline may be worth a low-dollar hedge at this point in the season. They’ve had an unlucky start to the year but could be as good of a franchise as there is in the league.
Arlington is 2-2, with their only losses coming to the Battlehawks and the Roughnecks. The Renegades are projected to lose to the San Antonio Brahmas on the road by a field goal this weekend, making the following XFL betting line our upset pick of the week.
Arlington Renegades @ San Antonio Brahmas
- Point Spread: Arlington +3.0, San Antonio -3.0
- Moneyline: Arlington +120, San Antonio -140
- Over/Under: 35.5
- 9:00 PM this Sunday
$100 dollar bets placed on the Renegades to beat the Brahmas will earn cash payouts of $220 if Arlington can get it done this Sunday night. If they do win, Arlington will climb to 3-2 and place themselves in prime position for qualifying for the XFL Playoffs.
Since there are so few franchises in play, making the postseason puts all eligible XFL teams one win away from the Championship Game. Bettors can also find themselves one win away from a massive payday if they place a bet on the eventual champion now.
ESPN, Bovada Sportsbook (Bovada Review)