The CFL heads into the final week of the regular season with all of the playoff teams decided. The latest news as of today is that Bo Levi Mitchell will be resting for the Calgary Stampeders. Also, Matt Nicholls is out for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Levi Mitchell news is quite a surprise to bettors as the general thought was that Mitchell would play. Remember that the Stampeders will have two weeks after this game because they’ve already locked up the top spot in the West Division. With him sitting out, he’ll now have three weeks off. Typically, most football teams in this position will play their starters for a half before pulling them. The Stamps do have everything locked up but it appears they’re not concerned about resting for such a long period of time.
What’s more bizarre is that the Stampeders have lost two straight after putting together such a strong season. One would think that they try and use this game as an opportunity to get momentum back on their side but clearly, the coaching staff thinks otherwise. It has had a small impact on the betting line as the Stampeders were as high as -10 but are now down to -8.
At any rate, let’s take a closer look at the final week of regular season action in the CFL this week.
Montreal Alouettes @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Odds: Tiger-Cats -14.5
The 5-12 Tiger-Cats host the 3-14 Alouettes in a matchup of two non-playoff teams, and the Tiger-Cats are 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 meetings with Montreal, who have lost 10 in a row. This is a game of pride and the Tiger-Cats have shown a lot since starting the season with eight losses in a row, and they’ll end the season on a high note by sending the Alouettes packing. Montreal has looked awful during this skid and there will be a lot of changes, both on and off the field (the latter has already started).
Pick: Tiger-Cats -14.5
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Calgary Stampeders
Odds: Stampeders -8
The 13-3-1 Stampeders host the 11-6 Blue Bombers, who are tied with Edmonton on 22 points in the West division and just two ahead of Saskatchewan. The Stampeders have already booked their place in the West final, so they might rest some players in this game. They’ve already announced that Bo Levi Mitchell will rest but other starters could join him on the sidelines.
The Stampeders are 9-1 SU and 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Blue Bombers, including seven wins in a row SU. They might win this game SU, but the Blue Bombers will cover simply because they have more to play for. The Stampeders should be simply aiming to stay healthy.
Pick: Blue Bombers +8
Edmonton Eskimos @ Saskatchewan Roughriders
Odds: Roughriders -3
The 10-7 Roughriders host the 11-6 Eskimos, and they’ll already know who the winner of Calgary/Winnipeg is, so they’ll know clearly what is at stake. As it stands, the Blue Bombers will host the Eskimos in the West semifinal, with the Roughriders heading to Ottawa or Toronto for the East semifinal, but things could change. The Eskimos are 7-3 SU (although the Roughriders have won two in a row) and 5-5 ATS (the Roughriders have covered four games in a row) going into this massive game; with a Winnipeg loss, a home game in the playoffs would be on the table.
Pick: Roughriders -3
Toronto Argonauts @ British Columbia Lions
Odds: Argonauts -1
The 8-9 Argonauts visit the 7-10 Lions, who lost five of their last six SU to close out the season and miss the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Argonauts just need to win to clinch first place in the East division, which means a bye week as Ottawa has played all 18 of their regular-season games and are just waiting to see where they end up. The Lions are 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Argonauts, and this is similar to Calgary/Winnipeg in that the Argonauts have much more to play for than the Lions, who should know what they’re going to do in the offseason, both off and on the field, by now.
Pick: Argonauts -1
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