The Houston Gamblers and Michigan Panthers kick off the 2023 USFL season on Sunday when they clash at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis. It will be the first of two games that day at the stadium. Both teams struggled in 2022, as the Panthers finished third in the North Division with a 2-8 record. The Gamblers, meanwhile, went 3-7 in the South Division. Houston posted a 17-12 win over Michigan in last year's season opener.

Michigan is listed as the 1-point favorite at Caesars Sportsbook for the game which kicks off at noon ET. The over/under, or the number of points Vegas expects will be scored, is 38.5 in the latest Panthers vs. Gamblers odds. Before making any Panthers vs. Gamblers picks or USFL predictions, check out what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt predicts.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007. He is a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and knows the game from a player's perspective. Hunt's dedication to analysis of all levels of college and professional football helped him start the USFL season 24-18 last year and he's also off to a fast 21-11 start on his XFL spread picks this season. 

Hunt knows The Panthers appear to be set at quarterback with two solid options. Former Nevada standout Carson Strong, who was signed in March, is pushing last year's starter Josh Love. Michigan values a solid quarterback after leading the USFL in passing a year ago. Love, who began last season with the Pittsburgh Maulers, finished the season with the Panthers. He passed for 791 yards and four touchdowns and four picks. Strong played well for Nevada during his collegiate career, finishing with 9.379 yards and 74 touchdowns. He was intercepted 19 times.

Hunt also knows the Houston offense is led by quarterback Kenji Bahar, who is looking to improve in his second year with the team. The former undrafted free agent who had signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 before joining the Gamblers last spring, played in seven games last year, including three starts. In those starts, the Gamblers went 2-1. In parts of seven games, Bahar completed 61 of 100 passes for 541 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Now, Hunt has locked in another confident against-the-spread pick for Panthers vs. Gamblers. We can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Panthers vs. Gamblers? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Panthers vs. Gamblers spread to jump on, all from a red-hot football expert.