We are down to the final four teams in this season’s CFL Grey Cup playoffs after Sunday’s division semifinals. In the early game, Toronto rolled-over Edmonton 42-26 as a four-point home favorite to advance to the East Division Finals, while Calgary escaped with a dramatic 36-30 victory over Saskatchewan as a six-point home favorite in the West Division Semifinals.
The following is a betting preview for this Sunday’s division finals with early betting lines provided by 5Dimes.
Sunday, November 18
Toronto Argonauts vs. Montreal Alouettes (-6) Total: 54 ½
Toronto has now strung together three straight wins heading into this contest to move to 10-9 on the year both straight up and against the spread. The Argonauts now head on the road where they are 5-4 SU and 6-3 ATS on the year. The total has gone OVER in their last four games.
Montreal earned a first-round bye with an overall record of 11-7 but it was under .500 ATS at 8-10. The Alouettes have been tough to beat at home with a 7-2 SU record but there have been some close calls with a 4-5 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last eight games.
These two teams met three times this season with Toronto getting the best of it in Game 1 by the score of 23-20 as a 3 ½-point road underdog. The Alouettes returned the favor with two-straight victories both SU and ATS. They waxed the Argonauts 31-10 as 3 ½ -point favorites at home and beat them on the road 24-12 as 2 ½-point favorites. The total stayed UNDER in all three games. Both teams come into this matchup in relatively good health, especially Montreal, which should benefit from being able to rest its starters down the stretch.
Calgary Stampeders vs. British Columbia Lions (-6 ½) Total: 50 ½
Calgary’s last-minute win this past Sunday extended its season while moving its overall record to 13-6 SU. It is 10-8-1 ATS this season with the total going OVER in 11 of its 19 games. The Stampeders are 5-4 SU in nine road games and slightly better ATS at 6-3. The total has gone OVER in their last three games on the road.
The defending Grey Cup champs are in perfect position to repeat after posting the CFL’s best overall record at 13-5 SU. The Lions went an even 9-9 ATS and the total stayed UNDER in 12 of their 18 regular season games. They were a sterling 8-1 SU at home this season and a profitable 6-3 ATS.
The Stampeders avoided the season-series sweep with a 41-21 victory over the Lions on Oct.27 as three-point favorites at home, but that was after BC had already clinched the West Division and first-round bye. The Lions cruised to a 34-8 victory early in the season as one-point road favorites and returned home to beat Calgary 27-22 on Oct.6 as four-point favorites. The total stayed UNDER in the first two meetings. Overall, the Stampeders are 12-5-1 ATS in the last 18 meetings and 8-1 ATS in their last nine trips to British Columbia. Calgary got through last Sunday’s game with no key injuries, while BC’s defensive secondary is hoping to have both Dante Marsh and Hamid Mahmoudi back for this game.
