CFL Division Finals Betting News and Notes

CFL Betting Notes - Final
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com

The final four teams in this year’s quest for a CFL Grey Cup title are set after Edmonton got past Hamilton 24-21 as a three-point road favorite in the East Division Semifinal Round and British Columbia snuck past Winnipeg 32-31 in the West Semifinals as a five-point favorite at home.

Here is the betting breakdown for this Sunday’s Division Finals.

East Division Final

Edmonton (10-8 SU, 8-9-1 ATS) vs. Ottawa (8-9-1 SU, 7-11 ATS)

Point-spread: Edmonton -3
Total: 56

Game Overview

Edmonton’s PUSH against Hamilton raised its record to 6-1 straight-up over its last seven games. The Eskimos have gone a profitable 5-1-1 against the spread during this run and the total has stayed UNDER in three of their last four games. Edmonton has been a tough out on the road lately with a SU 4-1 SU (3-1-1 ATS) record in its last five road games.

Mike Reilly led the CFL in total passing yards this season with 5,554, but he went just 10-of-19 for 133 yards in this past Sunday before leaving the game with an injury. His playing status for this game has been upgraded to probable. The difference maker was running back John White with 160 rushing yards and two scores on 20 carries. This is the time of the year in Canada when effectively running the ball can make all the difference in the world.

Ottawa stumbled its way to a second-straight East Division title with just two victories in its last six games both SU and ATS. The RedBlacks closed out the regular season with a 33-20 loss to Winnipeg as four-point home underdogs in a game that went OVER the 49½-point closing line. It has now gone OVER in five of their last six games.

To earn a return trip to this year’s Grey Cup, Ottawa is going to need a big effort from quarterback Trevor Harris, who was sixth in the league in passing with 3,666 yards. The RedBlacks also got a strong contribution from veteran quarterback Henry Burris with 2,419 passing yards. The trio of Greg Ellingson, Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson each posted more than 1,200 yards in receptions; however Williams was lost for the season with a knee injury in late October.

Betting Trends

Ottawa won both meetings this season SU with a 1-1 split ATS. The total stayed UNDER 58 in a tight 23-20 victory at home on Aug. 6 in a game where Edmonton covered as a 3½-point road underdog. Before this season’s series, the Eskimos had won five previous meetings SU while going 3-2 ATS.

West Division Final

British Columbia (12-6 SU, 13-5 ATS) vs. Calgary (15-2-1 SU, 13-5 ATS)

Point-spread: Calgary -7
Total: 54

Game Overview

The Lions started this season with a stunning 20-18 victory against Calgary as 2½-point underdogs at home and they are just one of two teams to actually beat the Stampeders SU this season. They failed to cover in Sunday’s win against Winnipeg; however they are 3-1 ATS in their last four games while going a perfect 4-0 SU. The total went OVER 55½-points against the Blue Bombers and it has gone OVER in five of BC’s last seven games.

BC needed a 13-point fourth quarter effort to earn a trip to this division final. Jonathon Jennings overcame two first-quarter turnovers by saving his best for last with a nine yard game-winning touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. He ended the day with 329 passing yards and two scores while completing 26-of-35 attempts. Jeremiah Johnson anchored the running game with 110 yards and a score on 11 carries.

Calgary has been patiently waiting for the chance to complete its run to a title after cruising its way through the regular season. You can basically throw-out a meaningless loss to Montreal in Week 19 in what was one of the most dominating runs in recent CFL memory. The Stampeders’ SU winning streak this season extended to 14 games and going back to early August they went 10-2 ATS before that loss to the Alouettes.

This is going to be a very tough team to take down behind an offense that led the league in scoring with an average of 32.6 points a game. This effort complemented the stingiest defense in the CFL that allowed just 20.5 points a game over the course of its 18-game regular season schedule. Bo Levi Mitchell was second in the league in passing yards (5,385) and he led the way in passing touchdowns (32). Jerome Messam rushed for 1,198 yards while finding the end zone 11 times. Both stats were both at the top of the list in the CFL.

Betting Trends

Calgary got the best of things in the final two meetings this season SU, but BC was able to cover in a wild 44-41 overtime loss on July 29 as a 4½-point road underdog. The total in this West Division rivalry has stayed UNDER in four of the last five meetings.