The Michigan Panthers have gone to the playoffs in each of their first two spring-league seasons under Mike Nolan. Their quest to do so again will begin on the final Sunday of March.
The 2025 UFL season is kicking off on March 28, and the Panthers will be playing in the penultimate game of the league’s opening weekend. Michigan will be on the road for a matchup against the Memphis Showboats, a team coming off a 2-8 season and dealing with some turmoil ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Comparatively, the Panthers went 7-3 last season and are once again projected to contend for a playoff spot in the USFL conference. They haven’t yet gotten past the Birmingham Stallions in the postseason – nobody has, as Skip Holtz’s squad is 6-0 in the playoffs dating back to the 2022 USFL season – but if Michigan can get off to a hot start in 2025, it could give Birmingham its toughest challenge to date.
Who will win the Panthers vs. Showboats game in UFL Week 1? Here’s a look at the odds for the contest, as well as a prediction for the game.
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Michigan Panthers vs. Memphis Showboats odds, moneyline, over/under
The Panthers are slightly favored to beat the Showboats in UFL Week 1, according to the BetMGM UFL odds. Here is a look at the spread, moneyline and point total for the game.
- Spread: Panthers (-3)
- Moneyline: Panthers (-165); Showboats (+135)
- Over/under: 37.5
Panthers vs. Showboats prediction
- Michigan Panthers 23, Memphis Showboats 13
The Panthers have the upper hand in their Week 1 UFL matchup, as the Showboats enter the contest with an unusual amount of uncertainty.
Memphis’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt stepped away on Monday, citing “personal reasons” for his departure. That leaves the Showboats with just six days to get organized under interim head coach Jim Turner, who has primarily been an offensive line coach during his career.
The Showboats were already expected to break in a new full-time starting quarterback for the 2025 UFL season. Troy Williams was the team’s lone returning quarterback while Dresser Winn and former Panther E.J. Perry join him on the roster. It won’t be easy for the trio to quickly find success with Whisenhunt leaving, as he was also operating as Memphis’ offensive coordinator.
Conversely, the Panthers have retained solid continuity on their roster from season to season. Head coach Mike Nolan is entering his third UFL season while two of the team’s quarterbacks from last season, Danny Etling and Bryce Perkins, are back for 2025. Each is a dual-threat quarterback, so whoever starts will be able to stress a Memphis defense that allowed a league-high 26.4 points per game last season.
It’s not always easy to predict winners early in the spring-league seasons given the year-to-year roster turnover each team experiences. Still, Memphis’ last-minute coaching changes position Michigan as the better side to back in this matchup.
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How to watch Michigan Panthers vs. Memphis Showboats
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