It was another week of close games last week, One game was rain shortened (Don’t get me started on that rule) the battle of the top two teams was as advertised, Ottawa and Edmonton was a bit of a snoozer and Hamilton managed to escape with a win. I was a perfect 4-0 against the spread and straight up last week, to bring my records to 25-10 straight up and 23-12 against the spread this season. Let’s see how I see week 10 playing out.

(1-7) B.C. Lions @ (6-2) Winnipeg Blue Bombers Thursday 8:30pm ET

The Lions keep trying to fiddle with the lineup and make some moves to get them back to relevance. Shawn Lemon comes over for another stint on the Lions defensive line to play opposite Odell Willis, but the offence will stay the same this week in terms of personnel something that can only be a positive. For Winnipeg they got past Calgary last week but didn’t look overly impressive doing so. That’s the third straight week where the Bombers certainly didn’t impress me but, they could go off against the Lions Thursday. I’ve had a gut feeling B.C. wins this one all week long but I just can’t pick them against the Bombers. I think it is close but Winnipeg comes out on top.

Prediction: Blue Bombers win 31-24

(5-3) Edmonton Eskimos @ (1-6) Toronto Argonauts Friday 7:30pm ET

The Esk’s eeked out a win against Ottawa last week but it wasn’t pretty. Their offence has sputtered the past couple of weeks after a hot start and they have leaned on their defence to keep them in games. This offence is way too talented to put up 16 points in a week so they will look to blow up against the Argo’s on Friday. For Toronto, the last time we saw them they were beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They had a bye last week so it will be interesting to see if they can continue momentum into their matchup with Edmonton. James Wilder Jr. is back from injury but is listed at the second string for the game. His return could boost the offence just a little bit more. I think Edmonton wins this one but Toronto puts up a decent fight.

Prediction: Eskimos win 29-20

(6-2) Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ (3-5) Ottawa Redblacks Saturday 4:00pm ET

Hamilton battled back against the Lions and picked up a huge win last week to take a strangle hold on the East’s top spot. It was big for Dane Evans to pick up a win and he looked pretty good doing so. This week it will be a tougher challenge against a stingy Redblacks defence, we will see how he adjusts. For Ottawa they played Edmonton tight but just couldn’t put up enough points to pick up the win. Their offence is going to have to be much better this week. I think this one is low scoring but Ottawa finds a way to pull out the win at home in an upset.

Prediction: Redblacks win 19-17

(3-4) Montreal Alouettes @ (5-3) Calgary Stampeders Saturday 7:00pm ET

Montreal fell to the Riders in a storm shortened game last week (stupid to have a one hour delay cap but, moving on) Their offence looked really bad without William Stanback and Vernon Adams Jr. and I’m not confident they would have been able to score twice to win that game anyway in the fourth quarter. It looks like Big Play VA will be back this week but Stanback has once again been ruled out. Their offence is going to have to look infinitely better against Calgary if they want the win. For Calgary, Bo Levi Mitchell has practiced but didn’t throw on Wednesday so his status is still up in the air. If I was a gambling man (I am) I would say that Mitchell will sit out one more week and Nick Arbuckle will get his seventh straight start. Don Jackson could be back in the backfield for the Stamps who have faced multiple injuries all season at the position they were at one time, most deep at. Even if Bo doesn’t play, this just seems like a different Al’s offence when Stanback isn’t on the field and I think Calgary wins at home in a one score, low scoring game.

Prediction: Stampeders win 21-16

Point Spread Betting Odds (Bodog)

(4-0 straight up, 4-0 against the spread last week; 25-10 straight up, 23-12 against the spread this season)

B.C. @ Winnipeg: Take B.C. +11.

Edmonton @ Toronto: Take Edmonton -8.

Hamilton @ Ottawa: Take Ottawa +2.5

Montreal @ Calgary: Take Montreal +7.

I’m really risking it in my picks this week but I think that the games will be closer than the odds makers are saying. There has been two straight weeks of close games and I don’t see that changing in week 10. Thanks for reading and make sure you check out the Squib Kick Radio podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for more in depth CFL talk and NFL news as well.