The Canadian Football League is set to kick off Thursday Night, and with the threat of the NFL Lockout still looming over the Football world, bettors are turning their attention to the CFL for exciting new betting options.
With the NFL lockout now into triple-digit
days, football fans in North America finally will get an alternative to NFL
labor talk updates when the 2011 Canadian Football League season kicks off on
Thursday night in Montreal when British Columbia faces Montreal.
Alouettes looks for a hat trick
And it’s fitting that the Alouettes host the opener – it’s
just like how the NFL opens its season with the previous year’s champion
hosting the season’s first game. And the Alouettes are building a dynasty north
of the border as they will be vying for win their third consecutive Grey Cup
this year.
The last franchise to win three straight Grey Cup was Edmonton,
who did it from 1978-80 -- and then the Eskimos added two more as part of the
greatest dynasty in CFL history. The Alouettes are the betting odds favorites on
Bodog to win the Eastern Division after finishing 12-6 in 2010; their
over/under regular-season win total on Bodog for this year is 11.5.
Montreal is led by quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who was
voted the Most Valuable Player in the CFL two years ago. Calvillo, barring
injury, should break Damon Allen's pro football record of 72,381 career passing
yards. He needs only 4,221 yards to do it and should break the mark sometime
before Thanksgiving. Calvillo is the 9/4 favorite to pass for the most yards in
the CFL this year and 5/2 to throw for the most touchdowns.
Calgary leads the odds race
.jpg "Calgary Stampeders Canadian Football")
Despite being the two-time champs, the Alouettes at 7/2 they
aren’t the overall favorites to win the Grey Cup. Calgary, at 11/4, is the
preseason betting favorite. The Stampeders finished 13-5 last year to win the
Western Division (but lost in the division final to Saskatchewan) – their
over/under win total this year is 11/5 -- and are +125 football betting favorites to
repeat in the division.
Calgary, which opens on Friday at home against Toronto,
might well have the best skill position talent in the CFL. It certainly has one
of the best one-two running back tandems in the league in Joffrey Reynolds and
Jon Cornish, as well as last years MVP, Quarterback Henry Buris, at the helm.
And the Stamps’ receiving trio of Nik Lewis, Ken-Yon Rambo
and Romby Bryant has to be considered the best. Rambo started only 14 times
last year but had six 100-yard games, the most of all receivers in the league.
In his first full season as a Stampeder, Bryant earned West Division all-star
honors by recording career highs in receptions with 77 and touchdown catches
with a league-leading 15.
The touchdowns tied him for the third-best
single-season total in Stampeders history. With 1,167 receiving yards, Bryant
was one of three Stamps to surpass the 1,000-yard mark on the season, marking
the first time a trio of Calgary teammates had achieved that feat since 2000.
Rounding out the pack
Fairly well behind Calgary and Montreal to win the Grey Cup
is British Columbia at 11/2. The Lions finished 8-10 last season (but won seven
of their final 10) and third in the West, losing in the division semifinal to
Saskatchewan. As if they needed any, the Lions have extra motivation to reach
the Grey Cup this year as it will be held in Vancouver. The last team to play
in the Grey Cup, let alone win it, in its own stadium was the Lions in 1994.
B.C. Place Stadium, which hosts the Grey Cup, has been renovated and will open
in the fall. The Lions will begin this season at Empire Field, where they
played all of last season.
Saskatchewan is just behind B.C. to win the Grey
Cup at 6/1, followed by Hamilton (7/1), Edmonton (15/2), Toronto (10/1) and
Winnipeg (10/1). You can also bet on dozens of CFL player props now at Bodog.