CFL Week 21 Odds, Betting Preview: Putting Our Pizza Money To ‘Good Use’

And just like that, it’s the last week of the CFL’s regular season schedule. Who would’ve thought it’d come this fast? Of course, if you were a Stampeders fan, it might’ve felt like eons since the season started, and a conclusion to the madness is just what the doctor ordered. That said, almost every other fan had something to cheer about at some point this year.

Nevertheless, even if the last week of the season doesn’t mean much to some teams, we still have to whip up a betting preview. As such, here we are doing the deed. Call us “sickos” or “degens,” but there are some excellent plays to tackle and put that “pizza money” to good use! 

Of course, we’ll caution that the CFL injury reports are garbage, and come this time on gameday, some of the information we’ve shared, like who’s starting and who’s not, might be outdated. That’s why you’ll see some sportsbooks with lines all over the place. It’s mainly the traders trying to compensate for the unknown.

If you wager this week, much like we recommended in the Week 20 betting preview, we encourage you to take an easy on these games, especially if some teams will be playing their starters. If a team goes up big early, there’s a good chance those starters will come out, and the second-stringers will be able to shine. That said, too many factors make it hard to quantify if they’ll have a negative or positive impact on the outcome of our wagers, which is why we’ll be treading carefully.  

Try, we must, though, to make some dough.

As always, before we give you our picks for the last week of the season, take a peak at the latest CFL Grey Cup outright odds:

Team	bet365	Bet99	NorthStar Bets
Montreal Alouettes	+210	+210	+210
Winnipeg Blue Bombers	+225	+225	+225
Toronto Argonauts	+350	+350	+350
Saskatchewan Roughriders	+400	+400	+400
BC Lions	+750	+750	+750
Ottawa Redblacks	+1500	+1500	+1500
Hamilton Tiger-Cats	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED
Edmonton Elks	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED
Calgary Stampeders	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED

Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Ottawa Redblacks – October 25 

Best moneyline odds: Tiger-Cats +120 @ BetMGM, Redblacks -125 @ Pinnacle
Best spread odds: Tiger-Cats +2.5 (-110 @ Sports Interaction), Redblacks -1.5 (-107 @ Pinnacle)
Best over/under odds: Over 50.5 points (-105 @ Proline+), Under 50.5 points (-107 @ Pinnacle)

We’ll be honest with y’all; this week, we’re just betting “pizza money.” As such, we’ll be “feeling games out” instead of relying on the betting markets. Historically, the last week of the CFL regular season doesn’t get that much handle from the pros. It’s just a bunch of Joes reaching for a shooting star and hoping it doesn’t burn a hole through their hands after they catch it.

That being said, the Redblacks just got taken to town by the Argos last week. If you look at the score, you would’ve thought Ottawa played the Argos tough. That’s not the case. However, Ottawa wants to bounce back before it faces Toronto again in the East Division Semi-Finals. There’s no better way to do that than by roughing up the Ticats.

Both teams should be playing loosely; if that’s the case, the Ticats’ defence won’t look great. Who’s to say that some second and third-stringers for Hamilton don’t get some playing time? It’s a great way for the front office and coaching staff to see what they have heading into the offseason. 

Ottawa should get its chance to dominate the Ticats, even if the coaching staff decides to throw out second and third-stringers on both sides of the ball. If this game gets dicey, so be it. Que sera sera.

Pick: Give us the Redblacks’ -1.5 (-107 @ Pinnacle) point spread.

Toronto Argonauts @ Edmonton Elks – October 25

Best moneyline odds: Argonauts -111 @ Pinnacle, Elks +110 @ Betway
Best spread odds: Argonauts -1 (-102 @ Pinnacle), Elks +1.5 (-114 @ TonyBet)
Best over/under odds: Over 49.5 points (-108 @ Bet99), Under 49.5 points (-106 @ Proline+)

By the looks of it, Toronto will rest many players before its big East Division Semi-Finals game on Nov 2. If the Elks decide to play some starters, the team should be able to give the Argos a tough time. 

Heck, when both teams were healthy, and Edmonton was on a bit of a hot streak, the Elks tore teams apart. Now, a bunch of Edmonton’s starters will feast on second and third-stringers who barely get to see the field except for practice.

If the Elks can’t win this game, something is wrong in the world. That said, we’ll be darned impressed if the Argos backups egg out a win.

We wouldn’t be shocked if every Billy, Bob, and Gene was on the Argos, with underdog consumption being one of the main reasons people bet on these “meaningless games.”

Pick: Give us the Edmonton Elks’ +1.5 (-114 @ TonyBet). Ah, hell, it’s just pizza money; we can throw a bit at the Elks’ +110 ML @ Betway, too!

Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ Montreal Alouettes – October 26

Best moneyline odds: Blue Bombers -188 @ Betway, Alouettes +185 @ Pinnacle
Best spread odds: Blue Bombers -3.5 (-115 @ bet365), Alouettes +4.5 (-107 @ Pinnacle)
Best over/under odds: Over 47.5 points (-108 @ Proline+), Under 48.5 points (-110 @ bet365)

Yeah, let’s not kid ourselves here; when we see this line, Montreal getting up to +4.5 at home, y’know, the books are looking to use some of that sweet, sweet vig to get a side of spicy chicken wings. 

We ain’t falling for it at CSB. The Blue Bombers have decent backup players if the coaching staff chooses to rest its starters. That’s not to say the Als don’t, but damn, the disrespect is real.

Nevertheless, when traders hang these lines, they usually try to tell us something. Of course, with this being the last week of the CFL season and maybe only ten people will bet on it, tops, those traders can hang iffy lines that they’re not so sure about, knowing they will probably be fine either way.

There’s definitely a world wherein the Als win this game outright, but in our sick and deranged minds that belong in the equivalent of sports betting’s Arkham Asylum, we’re not counting on it. 

Pick: Let’s throw some more pizza money on the Blue Bombers’ -3.5 (-115 @ bet365) point spread.

Calgary Stampeders @ Saskatchewan Roughriders – October 26

Best moneyline odds: Stampeders +170 @ Bet99, Roughriders -190 @ bet365
Best spread odds: Stampeders +4 (-115 @ TonyBet), Roughriders -3.5 (-107 @ Pinnacle)
Best over/under odds: Over 49 points (-108 @ Pinnacle), Under 49.5 points (-110 @ bet365)

The Roughriders have been too hard to pick this year. We’re all for helping the average Jack and Sandy on the horse to fill up their bankrolls, but helping ‘em off, that’s a different story entirely. Of course, it’s the one we’ve read many times this season, and we’ll be damned if we’re supposed to find the “secret meaning” after the third telling of the tale. 

Nevertheless, we’re counting on the Roughriders to play somewhat half decently. Like, for the love of all things good, if Sasky can’t thoroughly a team that’s rolling out a second-string QB to see what the team has going forward, these bozo Roughriders don’t reserve any of our respect heading into the postseason. 

Sasky’s formula for winning this game is so easy. Force Calgary to make mistakes, DON’T THROW THE BALL INTO TRIPLE COVERAGE and manage the clock well. When Sasky is up by four with a minute left, RUN THE BALL, and ask the O-Linemen to make some blocks instead of thinking about where they will eat after the game. 

We’ve got to eat, too, and our pizza money is on the line! Run the clock out, boys!

Pick: We’ll wager the delivery guy’s tip on the Roughriders’ -3.5 (-107 @ Pinnacle) point spread. Good ol’ Tony can live one week without “a little something extra” if we lose.