- The Michigan Panthers are three point favorites over the DC Defenders in the 2025 UFL Championship.
- Michigan won the only meeting between the two this season 38-14.
ST. LOUIS – The UFL Championship is upon us and it will be between the DC Defenders and the Michigan Panthers to decide who will win the title for the 2025 season.
Defenders vs Panthers Game Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders | +3.0 (-105) | +140 | O 50.0 (-105) |
| Panthers | -3.0 (-115) | -165 | U 50.0 (-105) |
Legal sports betting sites list the Panthers as three point favorites in the championship game with -165 odds to win outright.
Here’s why the best bet is for the Panthers to cover the three point spread at -115 odds.
Head To Head History
Each team went 6-4 this season, both finishing second in their conference before advancing to the championship.
The two teams played against each other one time this season and it was a beatdown in favor of the Panthers, who won by a final score of 38-14 at Ford Field.
Jordan Ta’amu, the front runner for league MVP, had a solid game, throwing for 259 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. However, he completed just 52.8% of his passes, leaving some efficiency to be desired.
Panthers’ QB Bryce Perkins was extremely efficient, completing 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns while adding 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The teams also played one time during the 2024 season, which resulted in a 22-9 win for Michigan.
Michigan’s Dominant Ground Game
The Panthers’ rush attack ranks amongst the best in the league, finishing second in total rushing yards and rushing touchdowns only behind the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Michigan boasts a three-headed rushing attack with running backs Nate McCrary and Toa Taua who finished fifth and sixth respectively in rushing yards with over 350 yards apiece, and quarterback Bryce Perkins tacking on 269 yards himself, good for 14th best in the league.
Taua led the league in rushing touchdowns with six and Perkins was right behind him with five of his own. The pair combined for four rushing touchdowns in their win over the Birmingham Stallions in the conference championship.
Perkins was stellar in the passing game against Birmingham, completing 20 of his 25 pass attempts for 238 yards and a touchdown.
In their meeting against the Defenders this season, Michigan rushed for 213 yards on 38 attempts (5.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns.
The Defenders were a middling team in terms of stopping the run, allowing the fourth most rushing yards out of the eight teams in the UFL with 1,178 rushing yards allowed through ten games. Michigan led the league in least rushing yards allowed with 809 yards.
It has been proven before that in spring football, you’re only as good as your run game. Take last season’s UFL Championship for example, where the Stallions beat the San Antonio Brahmas 25-0 behind a 210-yard rushing performance while passing for just 98 yards.
