Week 3 in CFL and Edmonton and Montreal top the West and
East respectively.
Winnipeg and Edmonton combined for just 11 wins last season, but are both making some early
noise in the 2011 CFL regular season with a combined 4-0 record through the
first two weeks of the year. The Blue Bombers outlasted Toronto 22-16 on Friday
night as a one-point home favorite and the Eskimos shocked the Hamilton
Tiger-Cats 28-10 as a 1.5 home favorite on Saturday. Calgary bounced back from
an opening week loss by beating British Columbia 34-32 as a 2.5-point road
underdog on Friday, while Montreal moved to 2-0 with a 39-25 rout of
Saskatchewan as a three-point road favorite in the betting odds.
The following is brief preview of this week’s CFL games
along with the opening point spread and ‘over/under’ lines as provided by
TheGreek.
Thursday, July 14
Calgary Stampeders
(-3) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Over/Under: 52
Calgary is 3-1 straight-up in the last four meetings, but
Winnipeg has done a great job against the spread with a 3-0-1 record. The
Stampeders won 23-20 the first time they met last season as a 6.5-point home
favorite in a game that stayed ‘under’ the 55-point total. Later in the year,
they squeaked out another close one with a 35-32 victory as a three-point road
favorite. The total went ‘over’ the 53.5-point line in this one.
Calgary is 0-4-1 ATS in its last five trips to Winnipeg and
just 1-4 SU at Canad Inns Stadium. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the
last six games in this series. Blue Bomber quarterback Buck Pierce completed
close to 62 percent of his passes last week after a dismal 12-for-26
performance in Week 1.
Friday, July 15
Toronto Argonauts at
Montreal Alouettes (-10.5)
Over/Under: 53.5
These East Division rivals were closely matched in 2010 with
each winning once on the road and once at home. The tie-breaker for the season was
in the CFL Division Finals with the Alouettes rolling to a 48-17 victory as a
10.5 home favorite. The total went ‘over’ the 51-point line in that game, but
stayed ‘under’ in the two regular season games in Montreal.
The Argonauts are 1-4 ATS in their last five trips to Stade
Percival Stadium and just 2-9 ATS overall in their last 11 games against the
Alouettes. The total has been evenly split at 4-4 in the last eight meetings.
Alouette quarterback Anthony Calvillo is coming off a 29-for-43 performance for
419 yards. His five touchdown passes last week ties him with Damon Allen as the
all-time CFL leader in TD passes with 394.
Saturday, July 16
Saskatchewan
Roughriders at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (-2.5)
Over/Under: 51.5
Saskatchewan swept the two-game series with Hamilton last
season both SU and ATS. It covered as an eight-point home favorite in Week 5
with a 37-24 victory and won 32-25 on the road as a 1.5-point underdog in Week
13. The total went ‘over’ in both games.
The Roughriders have dominated this series over the past few
years; winning nine of 10 SU while going 8-2 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in
nine of the last 12 meetings in Hamilton. Both teams got banged up last week
with a number of players still on the injured list. WR Rob Bagg is out
indefinitely for Saskatchewan and WR Aaron Kelly is listed as questionable for
the Tiger-Cats.
British Columbia
Lions at Edmonton Eskimos (-2.5)
Over/Under: 54.5
BC beat Edmonton 25-10 as a four-point road underdog on
opening day last season but dropped a 28-25 decision in Week 5 as a two-point
road dog in the CFL odds. The Eskimos won the season series with a 31-28 overtime victory as a
six-point road underdog in mid-October. The total went ‘over’ in two of the
three games.
The Lions are 4-1 both SU and ATS in their last five games at
Commonwealth Stadium. The ‘over’ has been the pick in five of the last six
meetings there and in six of the last seven games overall. BC lost CB Stanley
Franks for the season after he dislocated his knee in the loss to Calgary.
Edmonton slotback Fred Stamps is averaging over 20 yards a carry after gaining
212 yards on just 10 rushing attempts this season.