It is finally time for the real bullets to fly. Week 1 of the CFL season kicks off Thursday at 7:00pm ET in Hamilton with the Tiger-Cats taking on the Roughriders. It has been a roller coaster off season. It was probably the busiest free agency period of all time and there was some rocky patches during the new collective bargaining agreement negotiations, but we survived and there will be CFL football on time. Let’s take a look at how I see Week 1 playing out. I will also give my picks for points spread betting odds for each game this season.

(0-0) Saskatchewan Roughriders @ (0-0) Hamilton Tiger-Cats Thursday 7:00pm ET

The Saskatchewan Roughriders may have made their defence even better than it was last year with some key pick ups in the front seven and adding National DB, Elie Bouka from the NFL. But, their offence is still a question mark. Zach Collaros is back under centre for the Riders this season after a tough first season with the club. They have added one of the top running backs in the league in William Powell so, if Collaros can maintain some drives this could be a dangerous football team this year. As for Hamilton, the TiCats are largely unchanged from last season, except for in the coaching department, they lost coach June Jones to the XFL. Jones turned quarterback Jeremiah Masoli into a possible MOP caliber QB and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his progression with Jones gone. Brandon Banks emerged as a top receiver in the league last year under Jones as well, will he be able to keep that up this season? Only time will tell. I see it taking the Riders a week or two to get themselves sorted out under new head coach Craig Dickenson and Hamilton winning by a touchdown at home.

Prediction: Tiger-Cats win 31-24

(0-0) Montreal Alouettes @ (0-0) Edmonton Eskimos Friday 9:00pm ET

The Montreal Alouettes were hoping that this off-season would be smooth sailing. It was anything but. The Al’s lost Johnny Manziel early because he broke his contract agreement with the league and then they just fired their head coach Mike Sherman after the pre-season. Having said all that I feel like this team actually improved during free agency and should be competitive in the East this season. As for Edmonton there is big expectations after throwing the bank at a few free agents this year. They have a new QB in Trevor Harris and have added some big parts on both sides of the ball. I do have a feeling it will take Edmonton a little white to gel but they should be able to get past Montreal at home this week.

Prediction: Eskimos win 34-28

(0-0) Ottawa Redblacks @ (0-0) Calgary Stampeders Saturday 7:00pm ET

Ottawa may have lost the most during the off-season. Their QB, star receiver, top offensive lineman and a few defensive starters all have left this team and they didn’t do a whole lot to replace them properly. Ottawa has been the class of the East since they came back into the league but I am not very convinced they will be in the playoffs this season. Starting against Calgary this season could be a tough beginning. The Stamps may be the only team that could compete with the Redblacks in terms of free agent losses but they still have Bo Levi Mitchell and that should be enough to keep Stamps fans happy. They’ve lost significant players before and GM John Hufnagel has always been able to replace them and keep the team at the top of the West. I expect that to be the same story this season starting with a win against Ottawa.

Prediction: Stampeders win 37-24

(0-0) Winnipeg Blue Bombers @ (0-0) B.C. Lions 10:00pm ET

The Bombers are feeling pretty good about there team this season. There is very little turn over and they added Chris Matthews on offence and Willie Jefferson on the defensive line. This team should be very good this season if Matt Nichols can play well. Andrew Harris is one of the best backs in the league and shows no sign of age slowing him down. Look for Winnipeg to be at the top of the league all season long. B.C. picked up this seasons biggest free agent prize, grabbing Mike Reilly from Edmonton. I am worried that they sacrificed at others areas on the team to sign him and I’m not convinced that this team is worth the hype that is surrounding them. It will be interesting to see how it plays out but I think the Bombers are the lone road winner in week one.

Prediction: Blue Bombers win 33-30

Point Spread Betting odds (Bodog):

Saskatchewan @ Hamilton: Take Hamilton at -3.

Montreal @ Edmonton: Take Montreal +10.

Ottawa @ Calgary: Take Calgary -8.

Winnipeg @ B.C.: Take Winnipeg +2.

Week one is hard to predict, some teams come out with a little more chemistry than others but it should be fun to watch either way! I can’t wait for Thursday to come! Thanks for reading and please check out more in depth CFL talk on the Squib Kick Radio Podcast.