The 2018 CFL regular season is in the books. I went 2-1 in the final week of the season to finish the regular season on a winning note and conclude the season 38-28 against the spread. I will look to continue this success in the CFL playoffs.
The Stampeders and Redblacks finished atop of their respective divisions, so they will have a bye to the Division Finals. That leaves Saskatchewan and Winnipeg battling it out in the West Semi-Final and BC crossing over to take on Hamilton in the East Division semi’s.
I’m continuing to use the odds from SportsInteraction.com for my CFL picks throughout the playoffs. They are our top rated sportsbook for Canadians. Check out our full SIA review here.
BC Lions @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats
BC +2- Hamilton -2
The Lions and Ti-Cats both backed into the playoffs with the Lions losing their final two games and the Ti-Cats losing their final three. That said, neither team had much to play for in their most recent game and you could even argue that the Lions preferred to finish as the crossover team rather than finishing in one of the 2nd or 3rd spots in the West Division. Finishing in the crossover position has allowed the Lions to play against the Ti-Cats who are only 8-10 on the season and 4-5 at home.
The Lions have not been good on the road this year posting just a 2-7 record away from home, but I still see this as a good spot for them to turn that road record around at the best possible time. Let’s not forget that BC beat the Stampeders in Calgary just 3 weeks ago, which I believe shows they have the ability to play good football away from home in big games.
Overall, I see the Lions as the more consistent team with the higher upside if they play well. The Ti-Cats haven’t been able to up their level at home this season, so I actually don’t give the home field advantage much weight in this game. The Lions are 6-3 in their final 9 games and they really stepped up late in the season to make this playoff push.
I’m on the Lions to win this one.
Play: Lions +2
Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Saskatchewan Roughriders
Winnipeg +3- Saskatchewan -3
Both of these teams have shown glimpses of being elite level CFL teams at points this season, and whoever wins this game will have a great chance to beat Calgary and advance to the Grey Cup.
In this game I’m taking the Bombers. They have been more consistent throughout the season and have shown the ability to really put points on the board when the offense gets clicking. The Bombers are +131 in point differential on the season, while the Roughriders are only +6. Saskatchewan won a lot of close games to finish with a 12-6 record, and although that could be seen as a positive, I think it shows they may have been on the right side of luck more often than not this season.
The Bombers beat the Riders 31-0 at home in week 18 and putting up a 0, even on the road, has to be worrisome if you’re backing this Roughriders offense.
Overall, I just think Winnipeg is the slightly better team, and I’m not giving home field advantage that much weight. I’ll take the 3 points and expect the Bombers to win this one on the road.
Play: Blue Bombers +3
Tagged With : CFL betting • CFL Playoffs
