It’s shaping up to be another interesting week in the Canadian Football League.
Week 3 will start with perhaps the biggest underachiever — the Calgary Stampeders — visiting the biggest surprise so far — the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — Thursday night. That’ll be followed by a clash between East rivals Toronto and Montreal Friday night in Montreal, a meeting between the winless Roughriders and Tiger-Cats Saturday afternoon in Hamilton and a tilt between the 0-2 Lions and 2-0 Eskimos Saturday night in Edmonton.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re thinking about putting down a bet or two on this week’s contests. (All odds are provided by Pinnacle Sports)
Calgary at Winnipeg (+3, 52.5)
Before the season began, the point spread on this game would likely have been around a touchdown. The Stampeders, after all, were Grey Cup preseason favourites, while the Bombers were coming off a woeful 4-14 campaign. So while it might seem odd to see the undefeated Blue Bombers as underdogs on their home field, it makes sense to us.
Calgary has looked mediocre in its first two games, falling to Toronto at home in the season opener and then scratching out a two-point win over the Lions in Week 2. You know Henry Burris and the Stamps will start clicking soon. The question is how soon?
Winnipeg notoriously plays the Stampeders tough at Canad Inns Stadium. The Blue Bombers have downed Calgary in four of the past five meetings in Winnipeg, with their only loss coming last year by three points.
Calgary’s hungry for a better effort this week, while the Bombers are playing with plenty of confidence. We think the oddsmakers have it right with this point spread. If you’re thinking about playing the total, consider that Winnipeg allowed just 16 points in each of its first two games. That Calgary offence, however, put up 32 points last week and is known to be explosive.
OUR PICK: Pass
Toronto at Montreal (-10.5, 53)
You can never be quite sure what you’re going to get when these two rivals collide. Take last year, for example, when the Alouettes won three of the five meetings between the clubs by a combined margin of 69 points. Toronto’s two wins, however, came by a combined 41 points.
Montreal has yet to put together a full 60 minutes of football. In their opener, the Alouettes surged out to a huge halftime lead before holding on to down the Lions by four. Last week, Montreal and Saskatchewan were tied at halftime before the Als pulled away for a 14-point win.
Toronto’s defence has kept the Argos in their first two games and keyed a Week 1 upset in Calgary. The Argos have yet to surrender more than 22 points in a game.
If you believe in trends, Montreal has covered the spread in four of its last five home games against Toronto, and nine of the past 11 meetings overall.
OUR PICK: Under
Saskatchewan at Hamilton (-2.5, 51.5)
Motivation won’t be an issue for either of these teams as they each seek their first win of the season.
Both have been disappointments so far, not just being winless but also in the way they’ve played. Saskatchewan has dropped a pair of 14-point decisions while Hamilton lost its home opener by eight, then was trounced 28-10 last week in Edmonton.
Home field is almost always an advantage in sports, but being on the road can be a good thing for teams that are struggling. The Roughriders won’t get booed if they get off to a bad start Friday, while the Ti-Cats might, and it’s often easier to stay focused when staying together in a hotel than separately at your own homes.
When these two teams get together, fireworks tend to ensue. The over is 9-2-1 the last 12 times the Roughriders have visited Hamilton, and just seven of the last 28 meetings overall have stayed under the total. We’re not sure that will change any time soon with a Roughriders defence that allowed 42 and 39 points in its first two games.
OUR PICK: Over
British Columbia at Edmonton (-2.5, 54.5)
Something smells a bit funny when a winless team like the Lions visits an undefeated team like the Eskimos and isn’t even underdogged by a full field goal.
Maybe that’s because the Lions should be desperate while the Eskimos could be what is known as “fat and happy” with their strong start. Major motivational advantage in the Lions’ corner in this one.
Add to that the fact that the Eskimos are banged up (two receivers, two offensive linemen and a running back are listed as questionable this week) and we like the Lions even more in this spot. B.C. has also enjoyed success recently in Edmonton, going 4-1 against the spread in its last five trips to northern Alberta.
OUR PICK: Lions