All CFL playoff odds are as of 12/1/2021
The return of the CFL after gave us an intense 14-game regular season and a later-than-usual playoff schedule.
With Hamilton and Saskatchewan already notching their tickets to the division finals, there are now just four teams left to try and lift the Grey Cup on December 12.
Here’s how the semi-final games on December 5 break down, each team’s chances of winning the title, and who you might consider placing a future bet (or two) on to win it all given the current CFL playoff odds.
Saskatchewan Roughriders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Reigning champions Winnipeg (+120 to win the title) posted the season’s best record at 11-3. They’ll face a Saskatchewan (+500) team they swept and outscored 56-17 in two games. The Bombers will also have the benefit of matching up the season’s most prolific TD passer against one of the league’s worst passing defenses.
The Riders started the season undefeated in August, struggled through September and early October, then finished the regular season by winning four of their last five. Although they are also a pass-heavy team, it seems unlikely they’ll be able to outgun the league’s best pass attack, especially on the road—the Riders average just 16.8 points per game outside Saskatchewan.
Our pick: Winnipeg 27, Saskatchewan 17
Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto Argonauts
The East’s first- and second-place finishers match up again after Toronto (+550) took the regular-season series three games to one (however, two of those Argo wins were by a single point). Both teams are largely identical on the offensive side of the ball, as both average exactly 19.1 ppg and between 4.7-4.9 yards per play through the air and have similar run-pass distributions. The difference then may come on the ground, where Hamilton’s (+500) stout run defense allows the fewest rushing yards per game and per play.
One off-the-field storyline to consider is that this could be the final CFL game in Toronto. Due to poor attendance (in part due to COVID restrictions) and being in an overly-competitive sports market, rumors suggest Argonauts ownership may fold or sell the team. That elephant in the room could eliminate any home-field advantage the Argos might otherwise have had.
Our pick: Hamilton 23 Toronto 20
Our 2021 Grey Cup betting prediction
The season’s only Hamilton-Winnipeg matchup came back in the first week of the season, a 19-6 Blue Bombers victory.
Even though the Ti-Cats improved as the season went along and are hosting this year’s Grey Cup, on paper they don’t appear to be any match for a loaded Blue Bombers squad who comprised 16 of 27 spots on this year’s Western Conference All-Stars team. Even given the landscape of the current CFL playoff odds, that makes it hard for us to take the action on anything but another Winnipeg Grey Cup win.
Our pick to win it all: Winnipeg