EDMONTON (10 - 8) at WINNIPEG (8 - 10)
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 4-2 against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 3-2 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA (11 - 7) at SASKATCHEWAN (11 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 126-96 ATS (+20.4 Units) in all games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 126-96 ATS (+20.4 Units) in all lined games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 115-86 ATS (+20.4 Units) in games played on turf since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 75-46 ATS (+24.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 41-24 ATS (+14.6 Units) in road games off a division game since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games off a win over a division rival over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 7-5 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
SASKATCHEWAN is 6-6 straight up against BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON vs. WINNIPEG
Edmonton is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Edmonton is 3-5-2 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Winnipeg is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Edmonton
Winnipeg is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Edmonton
BRITISH COLUMBIA vs. SASKATCHEWAN
British Columbia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
British Columbia is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games when playing Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against British Columbia
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Saskatchewan's last 13 games when playing at home against British Columbia
CFL playoff preview and picks: Division semifinals
By CHARLES-ANDRÉ MARCHAND
Edmonton Eskimos (10-8) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-10) (Winnipeg -3)
It will be cold, windy and it may even snow Saturday afternoon in Winnipeg, all of which should favor the Blue Bombers and their more balanced pass-rush attack.
It could go as low as minus-6 (Celsius) according to weather forecasts with a 20 percent chance of snow. But let's not forget that when the Eskimos stop relying solely on QB Ricky Ray and give the ball to running back Calvin McCarty, they are very successful.
Weather could become a big equalizer in that matchup but cold weather may convince Edmonton coach Danny Maciocia to have his team run the ball more often and that is not good news for Winnipeg.
When the Eskimos dominated the running game this season, they won five regular season contests. Last time these teams met, McCarty rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also caught eight passes for another 80 yards. Edmonton won that game 36-22.
A week earlier, although they lost 30-23 to the Bombers, Ricky Ray still found a way to rip Winnipeg's secondary with 434 yards in aerial gains, with only two touchdowns. In those two games, Ray won a total of 750 yards off the Bombers defense with four touchdowns and only one interception.
There is also a concern about the inconsistency of Winnipeg's rookie kicker Alexis Serna, who enters this game with the worst field goal percentage in the league at 66.7. (By comparison, Eskimos kicker Noel Prefontaine is 76,1 percent accurate on field-goal attempts).
It will be the fifth time a team from the West crosses over to play the East Division semifinals and so far they have been winless in four games. Also to consider, Winnipeg is 8-2 in its last 10 games at home in the playoffs. The Bombers lost in 2003 to Saskatchewan and in 1994 to Baltimore.
Finally, Milt Stegall did guarantee a Bombers victory if they play in front of a full house.
Nice marketing move, but that won't happen and the Eskimos should be in Montreal the following week to try to earn a place in the Grey Cup Classic in the East Division final.
Pick: Edmonton (+3)
B.C. Lions (11-7) vs Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-6) (Saskatchewan by 3)
A sloppy Lions defense allowed Calgary to score 41 points last week while the Stampeders used three different quarterbacks in a B.C. 41-30 season-ending loss that cost the Lions a chance at hosting this Western Division semifinal.
Instead, they will face the hostility of the Regina fans at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field. Home-field advantage in Saskatchewan is always huge and it is even more so when the weather forecast calls for snow, winds blowing on the Prairies and temperatures that could go as low as minus-7.
The Lions also have to be concerned with QB Buck Pierce who, although he should be the starter, is nursing an ankle injury. Pierce completed 26 of 42 pass attempts last week for 346 yards and three touchdowns.
The Roughriders also have their worries at QB with Michael Bishop having struggled often this season and coming off a victory against Toronto in the season's last game where he was picked four times. He also completed 18 passes for 292 yards and ran for three touchdowns in that contest.
This is a resilient Saskatchewan team, who had four starting quarterbacks this season and various players alternating, due to injuries, to catch their passes.
Michael Bishop will start this game but don't be surprised to see either Darian Durant or Steven Jyles send in for relief at some point during the game. Against a Lions team that led the league in sacks (with 68, 23 of which belongs to DE Cam Wake) this season, depth at QB is a good thing.
The Roughriders won only one of the three games they played against B.C in the regular season and it was a 26-16 victory in Week 2. They lost 28-23 to the Lions in Week 12 and again the following week, 27-21.
It’s a tough call here because the game is played at Taylor Field, but since defence wins games, we have to go with the Lions.
Pick: B.C. (+3)