CFL WEEK 12: PREDICTIONS

Predictions by @TheBrysh in week 11 were 3/4 for straight up wins, bringing the season total to 29/43, or a respectable 67.4%. Week 12 starts off with a bang! Calgary at Winnipeg has the makings of a great ball game with plenty of aerial excitement. The Argonauts and Tiger-Cats game is a bit of a toss up as the Argo’s are on top, but the Ti-Cats beat them in week 10. The Roughriders look to avenge their defeat by the Lions last week. The Redblacks travel to Edmonton in a repeat of their duel last week in Ottawa. Will the Redblacks get revenge and climb out of the Power Rankings basement? Only time will tell.

Stampeders @ Blue Bombers

This has the makings of the best game of the week with the 1st place Winnipeg Blue Bombers hosting the 6-3 Calgary Stampeders. The defending champion Blue Bombers are coming off of their only loss of the season, and will be looking to establish their dominance over the CFL. These teams have met twice already this year, with Winnipeg winning each game by 7 points. In the previous game, Calgary QB Bo Levi Mitchell was yanked and replaced by Jake Maier who could not pull the offence together. Mitchell should return as the starting QB and perform to his potential, although that may not be enough. I have to take the Blue Bombers in this one, two-time defending Champs, and a defense that only allows 18 points per game. The oddsmakers have a 48.5 Over/Under, look for this one to come in Under.

Tiger-Cats @ Argonauts

The 3-7 Hamilton Tiger-Cats are taking on the Eastern Division’s 1st place Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field on Friday night. These teams are evenly matched, and are coming off of close losses last week, they will both be eager to start a winning streak. Toronto has a bevy of problems on offense, starting with several injured players on the line. Toronto QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson has shown signs of brilliance, maybe this will be his breakthrough game? The Tiger-Cats have yet to win on the road this season. I don’t envision that trend turning around this week, plus BMO is arguable the toughest stadium to visit, I take the Argos by 3. The Over/Under is 48.5 again, and I look for this one to come in short, bet Under.

Roughriders @ Lions

The 8-1 BC Lions are hosting the 5-5 Saskatchewan Roughriders this week, with the Lions looking to hold their 2nd place standing and possibly challenge the Blue Bombers for 1st. These teams met last week in BC, where the Lions pounded the ‘Riders by 18 points. Lions QB Nathan Rourke left that game in the 4th quarter with a foot injury, unfortunately the injury appears to require surgery and Rourke may be out for the season. With Rourke out the QB reigns will likely fall on the shoulders of Michael O’Connor who has seen limited action this year. With Roughriders QB Cody Fajardo showing inconsistency, and nursing a chronic knee injury, the ‘Riders have their work cut out for them. With Saskatchewan’s defense allowing over 24 points per game, even without Rourke on the Lions roster, the ‘Riders will be overmatched. The BC Lions are a good bet this week to beat the 4 point spread.

Redblacks @ Elks

The 1-8 Ottawa Redblacks travel to Edmonton’s Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium to take on the 3-7 Elks. These teams met last week, with Edmonton handing a 30-12 beatdown to the Redblacks. Ottawa is looking to start QB Nick Arbuckle after Caleb Evans’ shaky performance last week, will this be the catalyst the Redblacks have been missing all season? Both of these teams are cellar dwellers with offenses that put up less than 20 points per game. Defensively, Edmonton has looked abysmal, allowing almost 34 points per game. The Elks held Ottawa to 12 points last week, and this week they hold the home field advantage. Edmonton is a 3.5 favorite in this game, I look for them to cover the spread.

Written by: Jack Cameron @TheBrysh