CFL: Stampeders now favourites

Stampeders now favourites for CFL glory as season gets underway with win for Roughriders

At last, the talking is over, and the CFL season got underway last Friday with the defending champions finding the Saskatchewan Roughriders defence was just too much for them on the night, as they slumped to defeat by 27 to 19.

There is a long season ahead, though, so having had all the preseason opinions from the media experts, it’s time to see how the bookmakers think the 2018 season is going to pan out.

Calgary Stampeders are early favourites

Calgary is certainly a team that is not short of motivation, having been on the losing end of the Grey Cup final for the past two years. With the FIFA World Cup 2018 in full swing, most of the bookmakers have their eyes firmly on Russia, but they have managed to shift their attention across to Canada long enough to say they think this is the year Calgary will take that extra step.

On paper, it is easy to see the logic – the team has the best season win total in the league at 12.5. Nevertheless, the fact is that many fans will wonder whether they have the belief to go all the way, and the 5/2 odds seem a little on the short side.

Hamilton Tigercats making waves

The Tigercats dominated the headlines during the off season with the big signing of Johnny Manziel. His two seasons at the Cleveland Browns will go down in history, but for all the wrong reasons. The sad truth is that his off-field activities garnered far more attention than anything he did out in the middle.

Nevertheless, “Johnny Football” has talent that cannot be denied, and if he can harness it in the right direction, he could make all the difference. Don’t expect to find out right away though – Manziel will almost certainly start the new season on the bench, as Hamilton have indicated that Jeremiah Masoli is likely to be starting quarterback in their opening games.

Time for Toronto to bounce back

So what of the defending champions? Defeat in their first game is not the ideal start, but it is also not cause for immediate panic. Saskatchewan are a tough side to beat, and Toronto are certain to be there or thereabouts as the season progresses. Montreal are the only team to win back to back Grey Cups since the millennium, but Toronto did it in 1996 and 1997, and many feel they have the stamina to go all the way again this year.

The return of Ricky Ray for another season is promising news – 2017 was his best campaign in nine years, and his second best in a career that is now entering its 17th year.

Ottawa a tempting long shot

Last year, the defending champions were defeated in the divisional semi finals by Saskatchewan, but that followed two consecutive years in which they made the Grey Cup final, culminating in that historic and dramatic win in overtime in 2016.

That kind of consistency comes from the fact that Ottawa have one of the best balanced all round squads on both offence and defence. It is a classic case of the whole coming together

to be greater than the sum of its parts, and those 10/1 odds being offered will be highly tempting to anyone who knows their football.

Keep watching the odds

The Eskimos, Blue Bombers and Roughriders are also attracting lots of early season interest. The key is to watch how these odds evolve over the opening games of the season and if you feel tempted to back your favourite team, to choose the perfect moment.