The 2012 CFL regular season kicked off last weekend and the quest for this year’s Grey Cup is officially underway. The defending champions British Columbia Lions rolled over Winnipeg 33-16 as eight-point home favorites in a rematch of last year’s title game. Friday’s other opener saw Saskatchewan stun Hamilton 43-16 as a seven-point road underdog.
The weekend started with Edmonton squeaking out a 19-15 win over Toronto as a one-point home favorite on Saturday and the first week of action wrapped things up on Sunday with Calgary stampeding all over Montreal 38-10 as a 2 ½-point home favorite.
The following is brief preview of this week’s CFL games along with the opening point spread and ‘over/under’ lines as provided by BetOnline.com.
Friday, July 6
Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Montreal Alouettes (-6 ½) Total: 51
Winnipeg won two of three against the Alouettes last season straight up and was a perfect 3-0 against the spread. All three games remained tight with the average margin of victory being just three points. The total stayed ‘under’ in two of the three games including the Blue Bombers 25-23 victory as 7 ½-point road underdogs in their only trip to Montreal last season. The total line in that game closed at 53.
The Blue Bombers are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games on the road but Montreal is now 0-7 ATS in its last seven games as a favorite. Winnipeg is a perfect 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings, but 3-7 SU in the last 10 games between the two. The total has gone 5-4-1 in those 10 games. Bomber quarterback Buck Pierce left last week’s game with a leg injury, but he is listed as ‘probable’ for Friday night.
Hamilton Tiger Cats vs. British Columbia Lions (-6 ½) Total: 52 ½
Hamilton will try post its third straight victory over the Lions after beating them 39-31 as a 3 ½-point road underdog the first time they met last season and 42-10 as a 1 ½-point home underdog later in the year. The total went well ‘over’ the 49 ½-point line in the first game but stayed ‘under’ the 53 ½-point line in the 32-point romp.
The Tiger Cats have gotten the best of this matchup in recent years with a 5-2 SU record in the last seven meetings and a profitable 6-1 record ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the seven games. Hamilton is also a healthy 5-1 ATS in its last six trips to British Columbia and the total has stayed ‘under’ in 11 of the last 16 meetings overall.
Saturday, July 7
Calgary Stampeders (-3 ½) vs. Toronto Argonauts Total: 48
Toronto only won six games last season but two of them were against the Stampeders. Calgary lost on opening day 23-21 as an eight-point home favorite in 2011 with the total staying ‘under’ the 51-point line. It dropped a 31-29 decision on the road later in the season as a 6 ½-point favorite. The total went ‘over’ the 52 ½-point line this time around.
The Stampeders have actually lost the last three meetings both SU and ATS. This followed a six-game winning streak SU (5-1 ATS) dating back to the 2007 season. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of the last nine meetings, but it has gone ‘over’ in four of the last five games played in Toronto.
Sunday, July 8
Edmonton Eskimos vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (-4) Total: 48
Edmonton swept last year’s three-game series SU and went 2-1 ATS. It rolled to a 42-28 victory on opening day as a six-point road underdog and followed that up with a dominating 17-1 romp as a six-point home favorite in Week 15. It closed-out the sweep with a 23-20 win as a nine-point home favorite in the final week of the 2011 regular season. The total stayed ‘under’ in the final two games.
The Eskimos are 7-3 both SU and ATS in the last 10 games of this series and they are 3-2 SU (4-1 ATS) in the last five meetings in Saskatchewan. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of the last eight games overall, but has gone ‘over’ in 10 of the last 12 meetings at Mosaic Stadium.
