CFL News and Notes Week 13

Friday, September 25

MONTREAL vs. HAMILTON
Montreal is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
Montreal is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Hamilton
Hamilton is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games
Hamilton is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games

BRITISH COLUMBIA vs. CALGARY
British Columbia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
British Columbia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Calgary is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against British Columbia
Calgary is 4-1-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against British Columbia

Saturday, September 26

SASKATCHEWAN vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Saskatchewan's last 8 games when playing Edmonton
Saskatchewan is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games at home

TORONTO vs. WINNIPEG
Toronto is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

Week 13 CFL games

Montreal (9-2) @ Hamilton (7-4)-- Montreal is 3-2 on road, 2-2 as fave at home, winning by 33-13-27 points. TiCats covered nine of its last 10 games, winning last three by 19-3-7 points; they lost 21-8 at Montreal (+14) in Week 4, giving up 468 yards to Alouettes. Hamilton won last five home games by 12-12-7-19-7 points; they covered last seven games as the dog. Alouettes Under is 7-2 in last nine Montreal games.

BC Lions (5-6) @ Calgary (6-5)-- Stampeders crushed BC 48-10 back in Week 4, running ball for 219 yards with four takeaways. Lions are 4-1 vs spread as underdog this year, 2-0 on road- they're 2-3 on road, losing by 4-12-4 points. Seven of last eight Lion games stayed under the total. Stamps won three of last four games; they won three of last four home games (wins by 35-8-24) but covered just one of last six as a favorite.

Saturday, September 26

Saskatchewan (6-5) @ Edmonton (6-5)-- Eskimos beat Roughriders both meetings in Regina (38-33/31-27); they outgained Riders 410-285 a week ago, Eskimos' fourth win in last five games- they're 1-4 vs spread as the favorite this year, 1-3 at home, where their home wins are by 2-14-1-3 points. Riders are 4-1 vs spread on road, 5-2 vs spread as the underdog. Four of last five games for both sides went over the total.

Toronto (2-9) @ Winnipeg (3-8)-- Road teams won both previous games with Argos (+4) winning 19-5 in Manitoba in Week 4, then losing 13-12 to the Bombers at home the next week (-5.5), first of seven consecutive losses for Toronto, which is 2-4 on the road, losing by 35-25-19-6 pts. Bombers lost last three games, by 15-45-19 points, turning ball over 16 times (-14 TO ratio). Seven of last nine Argo games stayed under total.

DUNKEL

Montreal at Hamilton
The Alouettes look to build on their 6-2 ATS record in their last 8 meetings in Hamilton. Montreal is the pick (-4) according to Dunkel, which has the Alouettes favored by 7 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-4)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

Game 471-472: Montreal at Hamilton
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 118.649; Hamilton 111.292
Dunkel Line: Montreal by 7 1/2; 47 1/2
Vegas Line: Montreal by 4; 49
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-4); Under

Game 473-474: BC at Calgary
Dunkel Ratings: BC 109.608; Calgary 113.360
Dunkel Line: Calgary by 3 1/2; 56
Vegas Line: Calgary by 8; 54 1/2
Dunkel Pick: BC (+8); Over

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

Game 475-476: Saskatchewan at Edmonton
Dunkel Ratings: Saskatchewan 112.096; Edmonton 114.301
Dunkel Line: Edmonton by 2; 60
Vegas Line: Edmonton by 4; 58 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Saskatchewan (+4); Over

Game 477-478: Toronto at Winnipeg
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 101.776; Winnipeg 108.939
Dunkel Line: Winnipeg by 7; 41
Vegas Line: Pick; 44
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg; Under

CFL Week 13 Preview and Picks
By Charles-André Marchand

Montreal Alouettes at Hamilton Tiger Cats (+4, 50)

The Alouettes could virtually clinch the East Conference title with this game. They lead in almost every stat category in the CFL. They added strong Canadian content in a trade with Winnipeg that sent QB Ricky Santos to the Bombers in return of Riall Johnson and Shawn Mayne, two experienced Canadian DB’s. But they will face a very resilient team in Hamilton and they are very well aware of this fact. They also had a gruesome eight-hour train-bus journey to Hamilton the day before the game. The Tiger Cats have been pretty solid at home where they display a 5-1 record. And they did beat the Grey Cup Champions, the Calgary Stampeders the previous week, therefore boosting their confidence. Montreal his coming in after a very short week and that could be the difference. That is the theory. Now, for the facts: Prechea Rodriguez will be out because of the flu and he won’t be the only one. The Alouettes are in town with the intention of making a statement to all of the CFL.

Pick: Hamilton +4

B.C. Lions vs Calgary Stampeders (-8, 54.5)

The B.C. Lions are coming to Calgary hoping to take advantage of two rookie CFL defensive players. You would think that a pair like Geroy Simpson and Paris Jackson would lick their chops hoping for a field day. Think again. Defensive backs John Eubanks and Demetrice Webb will most likely fit in nicely. Eubanks did see the likes of Santana Moss and Keenan McCardell while he was with the Washington Redskins. Webb had the opportunity in his career to matchup with guys named Plaxico Burress and Reggie Williams. These are not really new kids on the block. Also take into consideration that All-Star cornerback Brandon Browner will be back into action for the Stamps. But no one should forget that JoJuan Armour is back in town to face a team that dumped him for “excessive aggressiveness”. Henry Burris should take notice. And Buck Pierce now has a certain Casey Printers to compete with for the volatile Lions starting QB spot. The Lions haven’t defeated the Stampeders since the very last game of the 2007 regular season. This being said, the game will be played in Calgary and that should make all the difference in the world.

Pick: Calgary -8

Saskatchewan Roughriders at Edmonton Eskimos (-3.5, 58.5)

Ricky Ray is on a mission. He has thrown for 774 yards with five touchdowns in his last three games. At some point he completed 22 passes in a row. Arkee Whitlock was also impressive. So was Fred Stamps. Each one of them scored touchdowns. But Darian Durant passed for nearly 550 yards without an interception last week. The Riders where also solid on special teams. The Eskimos new offensive coordinator Kevin Strasser seems to have found the solutions to improve an otherwise anaemic offence. That doesn’t seem to impress Riders QB Darian Durant who recently said, “We know what they’re going to do.” Is Edmonton that predictable? I guess we shall see. The Eskimos already won the first two games in the series. But will that be enough?

Pick: Eskimos -3.5

Toronto Argonauts at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (-1, 44)

The Blue Bombers are going nowhere. The recent trades they made suggest they are already thinking of next year or maybe the next decade. Cody Pickett, the Argos QB, has a once-in-lifetime opportunity to prove he belongs as a starter in the CFL. He his facing a team in total disarray and can’t be allowed to fail in such a situation. The Blue Bombers are not without talent but there are still a lot of question marks about their coaching. Mike Kelly is definitely not the most popular guy in Winnipeg and, honestly, fans are still surprised that he hasn’t lost his job yet. Of course, they are also very well aware that the Blue Bombers can’t really afford to pay two salaries to former coaches. We can tell you from the start, that whichever coach comes on the losing end of this game will probably lose their job sooner than later.

Pick: Argonauts +1

Last Week 2-2, season 25-19