Labour Day Weekend came to a close and it was a great week of CFL football. I went 2-2 straight up last week to bring my record to 26-16 this season. Week 13 has three Labour Day rematches and B.C. coming off of a bye to take on Ottawa. This week has a lot of standings implications as teams jockey for playoff spots with the season making its way into the back half. Let’s take a look at who I see winning in week 13.

(6-4) Ottawa Redblacks @ (3-6) B.C. Lions Friday 10:00pm ET

The Redblacks come off of a shocking loss to the Montreal Alouettes in a game most people predicted should have been an easy one. Every time I think Ottawa has turned the corner and are a legit contender they do something like this and make me regret hyping them up. This week needs to be a huge bounce back game for the Redblacks because Hamilton is breathing down their necks for first in the east. Trevor Harris and the offence need to get it back on track this week and it starts with the running game. William Powell is second in the league in rushing and had just nine attempts on the ground for 50 yards. This week look for a healthy dose of Powell against the Lions. For B.C. they come off of a bye and a loss to the Riders the week before a game in which they were in right to the end. The Lions find themselves on the outside looking in and will need a huge win to get them back into the playoff race. I don’t think that B.C. has the horses on offence to take down the Redblacks. If Ottawa had won against Montreal last week it might be a different story but I think they will have a bounce back game.

Prediction: Redblacks win 35-28

(5-5) Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ (3-7) Toronto Argonauts

Hamilton came away with a two touchdown win in a game with a lot of offence. The Tiger-Cats threw the ball all over the field and Alex Green is an absolute beast in the back field. If the Ti-Cats offence can continue to work like a well oiled machine I like their chances again this week. For Toronto it is time to string a couple of wins together. They are two wins behind Hamilton for the second spot in the east and it is looking like the west will cross over again so those are the only two spots that east teams have to battle for as of now. Mcleod Bethel-Thompson has been up and down as the Argos starter and has yet to really put together a complete game. He will have to dig deep this week and will the Argos to a win if they want hop back into the playoff race. I just don’t know if Toronto has it in them.

Prediction: Tiger-Cats win 31-28

(6-4) Saskatchewan Roughriders @ (5-6) Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday 4:00pm ET

The Riders had a huge win in the Labour Day Classic in Regina last weekend but the Banjo Bowl rematch is a whole different beast. The Riders offence still doesn’t seem to be 100% in stride but if they all get on the same page that is a scary thought. Kyran Moore has been a huge boost to the Riders on offence and in the special teams game and now Saskatchewan has two dynamic returners. The defence didn’t look particularly great in the first half last week having blown coverage on the first two touchdowns. They also gave up 158 yards on the ground to Andrew Harris which is out of character. They should be better this week. For Winnipeg it is clear that Andrew Harris is doing his part while Matt Nichols and the receivers are not. I don’t know what they have to do to get the passing game going but at this point putting in Chris Streveler doesn’t seem that ridiculous. We will have to see what head coach Mike O’Shea does. I think this week might be a rare Banjo Bowl win for the Riders in a close game.

Prediction: Roughriders win 29-26

(9-1) Calgary Stampeders @ (6-5) Edmonton Eskimos Saturday 7:00pm ET

The Stamps got by the Eskimos last week in a heated battle full of turnovers. Calgary threw an interception and fumbled twice while Edmonton fumbled four times in the game. Bo-Levi Mitchell hurt his knee on a non contact play while dropping back but was practicing his team on Wednesday. It looks as though Mitchell will play this week. Don Jackson had a big week last week for Calgary but was seen in a walking boot on Wednesday. The biggest injury on the laundry list was receiver Kamar Jorden who is expected to miss the rest of the season. Calgary can’t get complacent with a big lead in the west. They need to keep the pedal down or the gap for first could close fast. They need to battle through injuries and we will see who can step up. Edmonton seems to be close in every game but they seem to blow it late in games. Their team takes full 180 degree turns from the first half to the second half and need to figure out how to play a full game. The offence has the weapons but they seem to sputter at the worst times. The defence played good enough to win last week which was a surprise to me but the offence couldn’t finish Calgary off with multiple opportunities. I think Edmonton’s shot was last week and they will go down again.

Prediction: Stampeders win 34-27

This week could get heated again with three of the games being home and homes. There were some fireworks last week and I expect that to carry over to week 13. Toronto and B.C. really need wins to stay in the playoff race. Saskatchewan and Winnipeg both want that second place spot in the west and I think that could be the game of the week. As for Calgary in Edmonton I see the Stamps being the first team to double digits in wins. It should be another great week of football. Thanks for reading!