Week six saw some good football but not very many tightly contested games. Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Montreal all walked away from their games feeling good about themselves while for Toronto, Ottawa, B.C. and Edmonton it is back to the drawing board. I went 3-1 straight up and 2-2 against the spread last week bringing my season total to 16-7 straight up and 14-9 against the spread. This week there is a heavyweight battle in Hamilton, a battle of the backups in Ottawa, two teams trying to get (back) into the win column in Edmonton and a rematch in B.C. Let’s see what I think is going to happen.

(3-2) Calgary Stampeders @ (2-3) Ottawa Redblacks Thursday 7:00pm ET

The Stamps beat the Argos last week but I’m sure they think they should have won by more. The defence snatched seven turnovers from Toronto but the offence stalled or gave the ball right back on a few occasions. This will be Nick Arbuckle’s fourth start for the Stamps and he will want to show that he can improve from last week. Bo was in L.A. getting some work done this past week and it looks like he will ride out the entire six weeks on the Injured List. The defence for the Stamps has been amazing at taking the ball away and I don’t expect anything different against a Redblacks team that will once again be without Dominique Davis. No Davis means Jonathon Jennings is back under centre this week after an abysmal performance in week six against the Bombers. He will have to improve greatly against Calgary or he will find himself on the bench again. I just don’t think Jennings has a good performance in him against Calgary.

Prediction: Stampeders win 28-17

(0-5) Toronto Argonauts @ (3-2) Edmonton Eskimos Thursday 9:30pm ET

The Argo’s were in the game against Calgary last week but had some costly turnovers and inconsistency lead to another loss. Their defence was pretty good but the offence just couldn’t move the ball. This week they will be without James Wilder Jr. which is a huge blow to the offence because it makes them even more one dimensional. They could have a really tough time moving the ball against Edmonton this week. The Eskimos will also be without their starting running back as C.J. Gable is out this week. I am a lot more comfortable with Trevor Harris’ ability to pass the ball however and I think the Esk’s offence should be fine. I don’t see the Argo’s picking up their first win this week against an Esk’s team that will be looking to bounce back from a loss in week six.

Prediction: Eskimos win 34-20

(5-0) Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ (4-1) Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday 7:00pm ET

Winnipeg has looked near perfect all season long. Their defence is dominating games without Adam Bighill in the lineup, their offence moves the ball with ease almost every week and they are disciplined on special teams. It is hard to find a fault in their game and honestly I can’t even present you with one. Matt Nichols has thrown 12 touchdowns to just one interception and every receiver and running back is contributing at some point every game. They face possibly their toughest test of the season on Friday so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Hamilton has been very good in their own right. Not quite as dominant as Winnipeg but they’ve won every game except one to a tough Montreal team who are right on the heels of Hamilton going into this week. With the Al’s on a bye Hamilton will want to pull away from them just a little bit this week with a big win against Winnipeg, I think it’s going to be a shootout, but I don’t think they are going to be able to pull it off.

Prediction: Blue Bombers win 35-30

(2-3) Saskatchewan Roughriders @ (1-5) B.C. Lions Saturday 7:00pm ET

The Riders come off a much needed win against the Lions last week and now it is time for the rematch. it seems much harder to win the second game of a back to back after taking game one so we will see what adjustments each team can make going into this one. The Riders moved the ball with a balanced attack last week and Charleston Hughes dominated the Lions offensive line on his way to player of the week honours. I would expect more of the same from the Riders this week. For B.C. they just can’t figure out how to give Mike Reilly time and a costly play on specials that lead to a Saskatchewan return TD late in the first half really put them behind the eight-ball. The Lions really need to figure something out offensively this week but I just don’t know how they are going to manage against the Riders D-line. I think Saskatchewan comes away with a close, hard fought victory this week.

Prediction: Roughriders win 27-23

Point Spread Betting odds (Bodog)

Season Record 14-9, 2-2 last week

Calgary @ Ottawa: Take Calgary -5.

Toronto @ Edmonton: Take Edmonton -12.

Winnipeg @ Hamilton: Take Winnipeg -2.5

Saskatchewan @ B.C.: Take Saskatchewan -3.

This week with a certain set of win/loss combinations we could really see the West tighten up or spread right out, it will be interesting. In the East Hamilton can take a solid hold on first with a win over Winnipeg or they could see their lead over Montreal shrink even more with a loss. There are so many possibilities this week, it should be a great week to be a CFL fan. Thanks for reading and remember to check out Squib Kick Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play for more in depth CFL, NFL and general football news.