HAMILTON (8 - 10) at MONTREAL (10 - 8)
Top Trends for this game.
HAMILTON is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-12 ATS (-8.2 Units) in games played on turf this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
HAMILTON is 6-4 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-3 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY (11 - 7) at EDMONTON (11 - 7)
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in road games versus division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 7-4 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 8-3 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
HAMILTON vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Hamilton's last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Hamilton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Hamilton
Montreal is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games when playing Hamilton
CALGARY vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Calgary is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary
Edmonton is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
CFL Betting Notes - First Round
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
It took all 19 weeks of the regular season to sort out the playoff picture in the CFL, but after last week’s games the two matchups in the semifinal round are set, while East Division winner Winnipeg and West Division winner British Columbia enjoy a week off.
Last Thursday, Toronto closed-out its season on a strong note with a 33-16 victory over Hamilton as one-point home underdog. Edmonton posted a 23-20 win over Saskatchewan in Friday’s only game, but came nowhere close to covering as as a nine-point home favorite. Things really heated up on Saturday with Calgary taking out the Blue Bombers 30-24 in a game that ended as a ‘push.’ Montreal then came up woefully short in a 43-1 loss to the Lions as a three-point road underdog in a game that cost it the East title while securing the West for BC in a three-way tie breaker.
The following is brief preview of this upcoming Sunday’s playoff games along with the opening point spread and ‘over/under’ lines as provided by TheGreek.com.
Sunday, Nov. 13
Hamilton Tiger Cats vs. Montreal Alouettes (-5½) Over/Under (55½)
Hamilton enters the postseason as the sixth seed with an overall record of 8-10 straight-up (9-9 against the spread) after losing three of its last five games. It is 2-7 SU (4-5 ATS) on the road this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in its last six games overall. Montreal brings a rare three-game losing streak into this matchup; ending the regular season 10-8 SU but just 6-12 ATS. It went 6-3 SU (3-6 ATS) at home this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in three of its last four games overall.
These two teams met four times this season. The series ended-up evenly split 2-2 SU, but the Tiger Cats do hold a 3-1 edge ATS. The Alouettes won both games at home SU, but failed to cover as six-point home favorites in a 27-25 victory on Oct. 27. The total stayed ‘under’ in both of the games in Montreal. Hamilton is 5-1 ATS in the last five meetings overall and 12-5 ATS in their last 17 road games in this series. The total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of the last 11 games.
The Tiger Cats finished the regular season averaging 26.7 points a game, while the Alouettes led the CFL in scoring with an average of 28.6 points a game.
Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Eskimos (-2½) Over/Under (51½)
Calgary finished the regular season at 11-7 SU overall (10-7-1 ATS) after winning its final three games. It is 6-2 both SU and ATS on this road this year and the total has gone ‘over’ in four of its last five games. Edmonton went 4-1 SU down the stretch to finish 11-7 SU as well. It is 9-9 ATS overall and the total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last five games. It was 6-3 SU (4-5 ATS) in nine homes this season.
The Stampeders beat the Eskimos 30-20 in Week 11 as three-point favorites on the road, after losing the first two games this season as home favorites. Calgary lost the first game 24-19 as a three-point favorite and the next game 35-7 as an 8.5-point favorite. The total stayed ‘under’ in all three games. The Stampeders are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall and 4-1 ATS in their last five trips to Edmonton. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of the last six games played there.
The Stampeders were tied with BC for the second most points in the CFL at 511, while the Eskimos gave-up the second fewest points in the league at 401.
CFL First Round
Hamilton (9-9) @ Montreal (10-8) - Both teams stumbled down stretch, with Hamilton losing four of last five games, Montreal last three- they got beat 43-1 at BC Place last week. Teams split four meetings this year, with home team winning all four; TiCats won first two meetings, 34-26 (+3.5), 44-21 (+2.5), then lost the next two in Montreal. 43-13 (+5), and 27-25 (+6). Last six Hamilton games and four of last five Alouette games stayed under the total. TiCats lost six of last seven road games; they are 4-4 as road underdogs. Alouettes are 3-6 as a home favorite.
Calgary (11-7) @ Edmonton (11-7) - Road team won all three meetings in this rivalry this year; Eskimos (+3.5) won 24-19 in Calgary way back in Week 4, then won 35-7 (+9) at McMahon in Week 10, before losing at home 30-20 (+3) the next week. Stampeders won last three games by 12-5-6 points, scoring 29 ppg- they lost three of last four road games, after winning first five on road. Edmonton won four of its last five; they are 4-3 as home favorites this year. Calgary is 3-0 as road underdog this year. Over is 6-2 in last eight Calgary games, 1-4 in Eskimos' last five.
CFL Divisional Playoffs Preview and Picks
By Charles-André Marchand
Covers.com
Hamilton Tiger Cats at Montreal Alouettes (-6, 55)
The Alouettes, who have lost their last three games, know that in order to beat the Tiger Cats they will need to slow down RB and former teammate Avon Cobourne. In two losses to Hamilton this year, Cobourne rushed for 169 yards. In both wins against the Tabbies, Montreal limited Cobourne to a meager 40 yards.
Hamilton, which has been shuffling players of late, will go with Kevin Glenn as starting QB. But one can wonder how long head-coach Marcel Bellefeuille will keep him on the field before going with Quinton Porter. In any case, the Tiger Cats don’t have much depth in their group of receivers, where the biggest threat comes from Chris Williams.
The Alouettes have no doubt on the identity of their starting QB. Anthony Calvillo has led that team to three consecutive Grey Cups, game winning the last two. Without LT Josh Bourke, the Als OL seems a lot more fragile. Jeff Perrett, who replaces him, is more efficient on the right side and he will need some support from FB Kerry Carter or even Ryan Bomben to contain the attacks coming from DE Justin Hickman (13 sacks), Stevie Baggs and DT Eddie Steele.
Montreal defensive coordinator Tim Burke, a former Alouette, knows the subtleties of his opponent’s offense and has found some very potent defensive schemes of his own to slow it down.
Playoff experience, home-field advantage (although it will take more than the some 30,000 expected at the Big O to really disturb Kevin Glenn) and the mastermind of Marc Trestman all point in favor of the Alouettes. But don’t be surprised to see the Tiger Cats make it interesting until the final whistle.
Pick: Montreal
Calgary Stampeders at Edmonton Eskimos (-1.5, 51.5)
Both teams finished the regular season with identical records of 11-7, but since the Eskimos took the head-to-head series they are hosting this new episode of the Battle of Alberta.
Drew Tate took over Henry Burris’ job and has shown some very impressive things over the last few games, but he must now prove that he can handle playoff pressure. With Nik Lewis, Ken-Yon Rambo, Johnny Forzani and Romby Bryant, he has the personnel to pick up big gains through the air. RB Jon Cornish gains an average of 7.3 yards each time he runs, the best in that category amongst all those who had 50 carries or more this year.
On special teams, speedster Larry Taylor can change the course of close game on a single punt or kickoff return. The Stampeders’ defense will need to show more poise than it did against Winnipeg. This said, the Stampeders have kept a very good record on the road (6-3) and they know how to deal with a hostile crowd, even in place like Edmonton.
RB Jerome Messam (lower body injury) has practiced over the last few days and should be in the starting lineup, making the Eskimos attack only more threatening. In the past when Messam has enjoyed good rushing games against the Stampeders, the Eskimos have usually emerged as winners. The Stampeders are vulnerable against the run, having allowed 23 rushing touchdowns this season, more than any other team.
QB Ricky Ray can also rely on some very potent receivers with Fred Stamps, Adarius Bowman and Jason Barnes, all more than capable of causing problems to the Stampeders’ secondary. The OL will be without RT Greg Wojt (ankle). On defense, LB J.C. Sherrit (ankle) remains doubtful. On the brighter side, DE Greg Peach (knee) should be back in action.
Pick: Edmonton