CFL Week 10 News and Notes

MONTREAL vs. BRITISH COLUMBIA
Montreal is 3-16 ATS in its last 19 games when playing British Columbia
Montreal is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing British Columbia
British Columbia is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
British Columbia is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

Sunday, September 6

WINNIPEG vs. SASKATCHEWAN
Winnipeg is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Saskatchewan
Winnipeg is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Saskatchewan is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Saskatchewan's last 12 games

Monday, September 7

TORONTO vs. HAMILTON
Toronto is 18-5 ATS in its last 23 games when playing Hamilton
Toronto is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing Hamilton
Hamilton is 6-18 SU in its last 24 games
Hamilton is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home

EDMONTON vs. CALGARY
Edmonton is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Edmonton is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Calgary is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Calgary's last 9 games when playing Edmonton

Friday, September 4

Montreal (7-1) @ BC Lions (3-5)-- Lions are 3-0 when they score 35+ points, 0-5 when they don't- they've lost three of four home games, are 2-2 vs spread as a dog. BC is -11 in turnovers last five games, coughing ball up 17 times. Als are 3-1 on road, with 13 points closest win- they outscored last three foes 37-11 in second half. Lions gave up 393 yards on ground to Winnipeg in last game. Four of Als' last five stayed under.

Sunday, September 6

Winnipeg (3-5) @ Saskatchewan (4-4)-- Bombers ran ball for 393 yards, outscored BC 17-0 in second half of last game. Riders are 3-0 when they allow 25 or less points, 1-4 when they don't; they're 2-2 at home- this is just second time they're favored this season (0-1). Riders were outscored 54-24 in second half of last three games. Underdog covered all five road games for Winnipeg, with Blue Bombers 4-0 as a road underdog.

Monday, September 7

Toronto (2-6) @ Hamilton (4-4)-- Argos (-2) won season opener here 30-17, leading 30-3 at half; they're 1-6 since then, losing last four games by average score of 24-15. Hamilton won last three home games since the opener, allowing 17.3 ppg- they covered six of last seven games, but allowed 33-31 points in losing last two games. All four Hamilton home games stayed under total, as did five of last six Argonaut games.

Edmonton (5-3) @ Calgary (4-4)-- Eskimos won four of last five games, taking last two by combined total of four points- they allowed 30+ pts in five of last seven games. Stampeders (+1) lost 38-35 to Eskimos three weeks ago, despite 30-45/460 passing day for Burris; Stamps are 2-2 at home; they're 3-1 when they score 31+ points, 1-3 otherwise. Five of last seven Edmonton games went over the total.

CFL Week 10 preview and picks
By Charles-André Marchand

Montreal Alouettes at B.C. Lions (+5.5, 54)

The Lions are impatiently waiting for this game against the Als after an embarrassing lost, prior to their bye week, to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Alouettes haven’t won in Vancouver since 2000. They will also have to manage the three-hour time difference, which is never easy for team from the East playing in the Pacific Coast. Two key players will be missing: safety Matthieu Proulx and left tackle Josh Bourke, but they will be replaced by Etienne Boulay and Skip Seagraves - two players who could easily be starters on most CFL teams.

The Lions don’t bite like they used to on offence and they still didn’t figure out how to stop their opponents’ running games. Marc Trestman says he will not use running back Avon Cobourne more than usual in this showdown but he would be wrong not to use, in these circumstances, such a weapon. The smile on Cobourne’s face tells me that despite what his coach said to the media, he expects to have a huge workload against B.C. If that’s the case, the Lions will be in for a very long night.

Pick: Montreal -5.5

Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders (-7, 51.5)

The Blue Bombers are coming to Saskatchewan with a renewed energy following their domination of the Lions. Even more so, since the Roughriders defence is a far cry from what it used to be, allowing 256 points after eight games - the most by any CFL team. At the start of the season, nobody feared the Bombers attack but since the arrival of Michael Bishop and with the domination of RB Fred Reid, things have changed. But can Reid and Yvenson Bernard manage to be as productive in this game as they were against the Lions? Let me doubt it. The Roughriders attack is also more diversified, less predictable and, at home, they are always a very tough team. The oddsmakers have established the Riders as 7-point favorites but I doubt they will cover the spread. They should win but it will be a close game until the final whistle.

Pick: Bombers +7

Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton Tiger Cats (-6, 47.5)

The Tiger Cats have been playing disciplined football and, within the limits of their talent, it has proven positive since the start of the season. The Argos, despite the fact they seem more talented on paper, have found ways to shoot themselves in the foot and it becomes more obvious each week that their head coach Bart Andrus is no Marc Trestman and that he struggles to master the subtleties of 3-down football. Kevin Glenn and Quinton Porter have proved more accurate than Kerry Joseph, rookie DeAndra’ Cobb is a better running back than Jamal Robertson and defensively, the Tiger Cats play with more cohesion. It won’t be easy, it won’t be pretty but Hamilton should again take advantage of their opponent’s mistakes to steal a victory. The six points, however, is another story.

Pick: Toronto +6

Edmonton Eskimos at Calgary Stampeders (-6, 60)

Ricky Ray has been on fire in the past month and the Eskimos are finally playing to their potential, having won four of their last five - three of them after trailing late in a game. This team has character, no doubt about it. Arkee Whitlock, who had a tough start, is becoming a solid and versatile running back. He rushed for 302 yards in his last two games, scoring three touchdowns for the Eskimos. But can they beat the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium? They only did so once in their last four visits in Calgary. The Eskimos are, in my humble opinion, the best team in the West. But when they meet their Alberta rivals, in Calgary, logic doesn’t prevail.

Pick: Calgary -6

(Last Week 2-0, season 19-13)