The CFL is entering their division bye week and the Western teams are taking advantage of the first week of rest as Hamilton travels to Winnipeg and Montreal heads to the Rogers Centre for an Eastern Division tilt with the Toronto Argonauts.
The way things are going for Toronto, I’m sure Argos head coach Rich Stubler wishes his team was heading into the break after their big loss last week to Hamilton. However, Hamilton might still be flying high after their big upset win over the boatmen.
Here are some CFL facts about the bye week. Entering a bye weekend can be a psychological juggling act for the head coaches, as they need to keep their players focused on the task at hand while players might be thinking what they might be doing with their time off. In fact, the bye week tends to favor the home teams, as they are 12-5 SU since 1996 and the road teams are 1-4 SU and ATS.
Hamilton (54) at Winnipeg (-3½)
Thursday, Aug 14, 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Momentum and confidence is a dangerous chemistry for a football team and it’s pretty clear Hamilton and Winnipeg are going North and South with these two factors. Hamilton is coming off an impressive upset home underdog win over Toronto, Ticats QB Richie Williams is giving this team a chance to win and the offense has been putting up some big numbers in their last two games. Winnipeg, on the other hand, is trying to walk in step as a team and they are playing QB shuffle for the second time in three weeks. Plus, they seem to be blaming their kicker as a diversion to the real problem, as Doug Berry seems to be losing control of his football team.
Kevin Glenn will get the start this Thursday for the Blue Bombers and Williams will be getting his third straight start for the Tiger Cats.
Hamilton is averaging 30.3 point for per game in their last three outings, compared to 25.2 on the season. Winnipeg is allowing 28.67 points, compared to 30.86 on the year. The Tiger Cats have seen their last two games go Over the posted total and they’ve covered both games as an underdog. Winnipeg is on a two-game losing streak and both games have gone Under the total. Plus, when the Bombers face a division foe this season, they are averaging 15.5 points per game and allowing 29.75.
If there’s a ray of light for the Blue Bombers, they are 8-3 SU as a home fave vs. the Ticats since 1996. Although the Tiger Cats have seen some improvements the last two weeks, they are still a bad football team away from Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton has only won three games the last three seasons on the road and has lost 27. Plus, when Hamilton is a road team and they’ve covered their last two games, they are 4-13 SU in the next game.
Tiger Cats @ Blue Bombers History: The Hamilton Tiger Cats are 8-9-0 (ATS), 6-11 (SU) and the O/U is 6-11-0 when they travel to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers.
ATSCalculator.com Forecast: Hamilton to win by 10.12 points and the O/U to land on 51.72.
ATSDatabase.com Stat of the Game: When Hamilton plays as a 3½ to 6½ road underdog and allow 21 points or less against them, the Under is 9-2-0 for the Tiger Cats in this spot since 1996.
Montreal (-3) at Toronto (54)
Friday, Aug 15, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
The Montreal Alouettes are one of the most consistent football teams in the CFL this season; they’ve won two games in a row and have only lost by eight points or less in the three games they have dropped this year. However, both of their recent wins were against Winnipeg and Hamilton! Montreal beat the Blue Bombers last week 39-11 in the Peg, and might have something bigger on their mind this week as they face the BC Lions next week.
Toronto is coming off one of their most embarrassing losses in team history, as they fell 45-21 to the 2-5 Hamilton Tiger Cats. However, in order to get caught at a look-ahead situation, you have to be a good football team and Toronto is far from this at the moment with their revenge game on deck next week vs. the Tiger Cats.
Montreal's Anthony Calvillo has been putting up some magical numbers this season and the offense is averaging 37.67 points in their last three outings and they are starting to look better on defense allowing 25.4 points on the season. Montreal is 7-3-0 ATS on the road vs. division opponents during Weeks 4-8. As for the Under, it is 8-2-0 for the Alouettes when they are a road favorite and the total is between 51½ and 54.
Toronto seems to have some chemistry issues in the locker room; players are rumbling, and after a loss vs. a team they should have beaten, people are a bit edgy these days in Toronto. Plus, it won’t get any easier for the boatmen this Friday. They are 5-13-2 SU in their last 20 meetings vs. Montreal and they are only averaging 20.67 points per game in their last three outings. The Under is 8-2-0 for the Argonauts as a Home Team when the line is a Pick ’Em to +3 and they scored 21 points or less in their last game.
Alouettes vs. Argonauts History: Montreal is 12-9-0 (ATS), 11-10 (SU) and the O/U is 7-13-1 when they meet the Argos in Toronto.
ATSCalculator.com Forecast: Montreal to win by 14.4 points and the O/U to land on 57.3 points.
ATSDatabase.com Stat of the Game: When any CFL team plays on the road before a non-conference game, coming off a game in which they allowed 11-13 points and a single ATS win, the Under is 14-3-0 for the road team in this spot since 96.