Division Final Preview and Picks
By Charles-André Marchand
B.C. Lions at Montreal Alouettes (-10.5, 52.5)
The Alouettes are as healthy as can be and can count on all of their starters. B.C.’s offensive line is suspicious at best. It’s not surprising that three quarterbacks were injured this season before Wally Buono called upon Casey Printers late in the season. If the OL can’t contain the Alouettes’ front seven, Printers will spend a lot of time on his back, roughed up by the likes of John Bowman, Anwar Stewart and Kerone Williams. It will be the first time this season that the Als face the Lions with Printers as a pivot.
All week long, the Montreal defence focused on keeping Printers inside the pocket and stopping the run. In that regard, the return of DT Eric Wilson, a strong man capable of manhandling two linesmen, should close the gaps that permitted RB Martell Mallett to rush for 213 yards against the Alouettes earlier this year in Vancouver. Add to the mix some 55,000 noisy fans that will undoubtedly disturb the Lions offence, and an Alouettes’ victory seems more probable.
Pick: Alouettes -10.5
Calgary Stampeders at Saskatchewan Roughriders (-3, 54.5)
To have a chance at defending their Grey Cup in front of their home fans, the Calgary Stampeders first have to go through the Roughriders in Regina. The Stampeders would definitely love to become the first team to win the Grey Cup at home since the 1994 B.C. Lions. The Riders won twice against the Stampeders in regular season, once by a one point margin but, in their final matchup of the regular season in Saskatchewan, they prevailed by a score of 30-14. These two teams also had a rare draw by the score of 44-44 in Calgary October 17. Expect a bitterly fought game that may well be decided on some dramatic play in the final seconds. It will be a full house at Mosaic Stadium for the first home playoff games the Roughriders have hosted since 1976. Once again, the loud crowd will probably be a source of distraction for the visitors and Henry Burris will have to get rid of the ball quickly to avoid defensive ends Stevie Baggs and John Chick. Nik Lewis of the Stampeders got caught in verbal war with Riders players and will have to compete with the Regina fans after challenging the Saskatchewan defence.
The Riders will also have to keep a close eye on Jeremaine Copeland who, for a sixth consecutive year, caught passes for more than 1,000 yards. But Saskatchewan will also have to stop the run. In the three games between these two team, RB Joffrey Reynolds had at least 100 yards rushing in each occasion. The Stampeders have the best running game in the CFL this season with an average of 129.7 yards per game. For the Roughriders, Darian Durant has been progressing all season and finished fourth in passing in the league with 4,348 yards and second for passing touchdowns with 24. Durant could take advantage of the generosity of the Stampeders defence to bring the Roughriders to the Grey Cup final.
Pick: Saskatchewan -3
BRITISH COLUMBIA (9 - 10) at MONTREAL (15 - 3)
Top Trends for this game.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 14-3 ATS (+10.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 34-18 ATS (+14.2 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 4-2 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 3-3 straight up against BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY (11 - 7 - 1) at SASKATCHEWAN (10 - 7 - 1)
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 136-104 ATS (+21.6 Units) in all games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 136-104 ATS (+21.6 Units) in all lined games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 46-26 ATS (+17.4 Units) when playing on a Sunday since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 124-94 ATS (+20.6 Units) in games played on turf since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 7-4 against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 7-3 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA vs. MONTREAL
British Columbia is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of British Columbia's last 6 games
Montreal is 3-18 ATS in its last 21 games when playing British Columbia
Montreal is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing British Columbia
CALGARY vs. SASKATCHEWAN
Calgary is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games
Calgary is 17-7-1 SU in its last 25 games
Saskatchewan is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary
Saskatchewan is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary
CFL Conference Finals
BCLions (10-9) @ Montreal (15-3)-- Lions won in OT at Hamilton last week to get here, snapping three-game skid; they split pair of close tilts with Montreal back in Weeks 9-10, winning 19-12 at home (+6.5), then losing 28-24 here (+10). Alouettes had last week off; they've won eight of last nine games, are 5-4 as home favorite this year, with only two of the nine wins by less than nine points. Lions are 6-1 vs spread in their last seven road games. Over is 4-1-1 in Lions' last six games, 4-0 in Montreal's last four.
Calgary (11-7-1) @ Saskatchewan (10-7-1)-- Roughriders went 2-0-1 in season series, with two games in Calgary decided by total of one point (24-23/44-44), then winning in 30-14 (-1) here three weeks ago in game that got Riders their bye. Stampeders won three of last four weeks but lost three of last four on road; they're 0-4 vs spread for the year as a dog. Under is 9-2-1 in last dozen Calgary games. Riders won five of last six at home, after losing two of first three there; they're 3-4 as a favorite. Odd that a visiting team would have better record than the home team.