This year's Canadian Football League season got off to an interesting start as odds makers were stunned by the number of betting upsets. What should bettors expect to see in Week 2, and how can they cash in on the excitement?
The 2011 Canadian Football League’s regular season got underway last week and upsets were the course of the day as all four road underdogs covered against the spread and three won their game straight-up, defying the betting odds.
The two-time Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes held off British Columbia 30-26 in Thursday night’s season opener, but failed to cover as a five-point home favorite. Friday’s action saw Hamilton lose to Winnipeg 24-16 as an 8.5 point home favorite and last season’s West Division champion Calgary Stampeders knocked-off by Toronto 23-21 as an eight-point home favorite. Week 1 wrapped-up on Sunday night with Saskatchewan losing to Edmonton 42-28 as a six-point home favorite.
The following is brief football betting guide for all four games in Week 2 along with the current point spread and ‘over/under’ line as provided by TheGreek.
Friday, July 8
Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-1)
Over/Under: 48
Toronto won all three games against Winnipeg last season both SU and ATS. This followed a 1-4 SU record against the Bombers in the previous five games. The Argonauts pulled out a 36-34 victory in Week 2 last season as a 10.5 point road underdog. The total went ‘over’ the 46.5-point line. They won their second game in Winnipeg in Week 17 with a 27-8 as a six-point dog. The total stayed ‘under’ the 49.5-point line this time around.
Toronto is now 4-2 ATS in the last six meetings. While nine of Winnipeg’s last 11 home games have gone ‘over’ the total, seven of the last nine meetings between these two teams at Canad Inns Stadium as actually stayed ‘under’ the total. Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce will have to do a much better job against an improved Argonauts’ defense as his team was lucky to come away with the win over Hamilton last week after he completed just 46.2 percent of his passes for 151 yards.
Calgary Stampeders at BC Lions (-2)
Over/Under: 53
Calgary and BC battled each other four times last season with each team winning both games on the road SU and ATS. The Stampeders won 27-22 in Week 6 as a two-point road favorite and followed it up just three weeks later with a 48-35 victory as a 5.5 road favorite. The total ended as a ‘push’ in the first game against a closing line of 49 points and it went ‘over’ the 51-point line in the second game at Empire Field.
The Lions 29-10 win as an 11-point road underdog in Week 13 of 2010 snapped an eight game SU losing streak to the Stampeders dating back to November of 2008. Calgary still has an overwhelming 9-2-1 advantage ATS in the last 12 games against BC overall and is 4-0 ATS in the last four road games. The total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of the last 14 meetings in BC. Lions QB Travis Lulay got off to a great start with a CFL-high 366 passing yards on 26 completions against Montreal. Calgary signal caller Henry Burris also looked rock-solid against Toronto with a 70.3 percent completion rate on 37 attempts.
Saturday, July 9
Montreal Alouettes (-2.5) at Saskatchewan Roughriders
Over/Under: 54.5
The Montreal Alouettes have dominated this series as of late with seven SU wins in the last eight games including two for Grey Cup Championships. These two met twice last year in the regular season with Saskatchewan pulling out a 54-51 overtime victory as a 3.5-point home underdog on opening day, but losing 30-26 five weeks later as a seven-point road underdog. QB Darian Durrant looks to top his performance from last season, where he led the league in passing yards.
The Alouettes are 6-1 SU in the last seven games of this series but just 2-5 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in seven of the last eight meetings at Mosaic Stadium but has stayed ‘under’ in five of the last seven meetings overall. Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo continued to inch closer the CFL record for all-time passing yards with 312 yards last week against BC.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Edmonton Eskimos (-1)
Over/Under: 52
These teams played each other twice last year with each team successfully defending its home field SU. The Eskimos squeaked by the Tiger-Cats 37-35 as a 1.5 home underdog in Week 14 with the total going ‘over’ the 50-point line. The last 10 meetings have been evenly split at 5-5 SU, but Hamilton has been the best bet; going 8-2 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of those 10 games.
The Tiger-Cats have actually won 11 of the last 13 meetings ATS and the total has gone ‘over’ in six of the last eight games played in Edmonton. Hamilton enters this game with seven players listed as questionable including WR Marquay Daniel due to injuries suffered on opening day. Eskimo QB Ricky Ray looked sharp last week; completing 77.8 percent of his passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in the lopsided upset over Saskatchewan.