It’s a quiet week in the CFL with just two games. That leaves us with a Saturday night feature game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts.

The Battle of Ontario actually has some importance to it as the Argos are in a tie for first place in the East. Meanwhile, the Tiger-Cats will be aiming to win their third straight game, but they may want to add some diversity to their portfolio by beating someone other than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"(Hamilton) may want to add some diversity to their portfolio by beating someone other than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers"

Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Toronto Argonauts
Saturday, August 21st – 7:35 PM ET
CFL odds: Argonauts -2.5 at Bodog.com

Catching up with the Tiger-Cats:

If you’re an optimist, then the Tiger-Cats modest two-game winning streak is a potential turning point. If you’re a realist, then you know that the Tiger-Cats need to start winning against someone other than the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers have already played four times this season (in just seven weeks) and all three of their wins have come against the Blue Bombers. That means they are 0-4-0 against the rest of the league.

Marcus Thigpen has been one of the bright stars for the Tiger-Cats, as he has found a way to score a touchdown five different ways this year (kickoff return, punt return, missed field goal return, receiving and rushing), which is the first time that’s ever been done in CFL history.

Overall, the Tiger-Cats offence has been a bit suspect this season – more specifically, the running game – and that will likely hamper them once again in this game.

Catching up with the Argonauts:

Does anyone believe that the Argos are actually in a tie for first in the East? So much for their cute start being a flash in the pan.

The Argos have been the biggest surprise in the CFL this season and they emphatically stated that they are here to stay with a big 37-22 win over the Montreal Alouettes last week.

Cleo Lemon has been very efficient at quarterback for the Argos and he has guided the offence very smoothly. Combined with steady contributions from Cory Boyd, the Argos have had balance.

The one sour note from last week’s win is that wideout Jeremaine Copeland dislocated his elbow and will miss up to six weeks.

The matchup:

Is anyone else suspicious about this low line? On logic alone, the Argos are the play here. The Tiger-Cats have the Blue Bombers number, but they haven’t beaten anyone else in the league.

Meanwhile, the Argos will be confident after topping the Alouettes last week and that will carry over into this week. The Argos have yet to lose at home this season, so lay the short number as they handle the Tiger-Cats in this one.

CFL betting odds: Argos -2.5

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If the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats haven’t figured each other out by now, they never will. 

It isn’t often that two teams end up playing each other four times in the span of two months, but that’s what is happening for the Tiger-Cats and the Blue Bombers as they are to meet at Canad Inns Stadium on Friday the 13th.

This is already the fourth time Hamilton and Winnipeg have met.

The good news for both of these teams is that they would both be in the playoffs if they started today. The bad news is that they only have a combined four wins, just one of which has come against another team in the CFL.

So far in 2010, the home teams have ruled the day. The Bombers opened up the season with a shocking 49-29 upset of the Tabbies at home. Since then, Hamilton has won 28-7 and 29-22 at home.

The winning team will move a game ahead of the other. Should the Tiger-Cats spring the mild upset, they will have won the season series and the tiebreaker, effectively giving them a game and a half lead on Winnipeg for the last playoff spot in the East Division. The loser will drop back into the gutter in the division and be fighting for a crossover postseason spot.

Hamilton is still having major problems with its ground attack, which is putting all sorts of pressure on quarterback Kevin Glenn and the passing game. Glenn has thrown the second most passes in the CFL with 218, and he is second in the league in yardage with 1,886. Throwing 11 touchdowns against four picks is good for a 101.2 quarterback rating, the second highest amongst starters in the CFL.

Glenn would be nowhere without the play of receiver Arland Bruce III, though. Bruce is simply on fire right now. He leads the CFL by a country mile in receptions (43) and yards (680) and his four touchdown grabs puts him just one off of the league lead. Last week, Bruce had 11 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown. Two weeks ago, he went for 272 yards and two touchdowns on 16 catches. Three of his six games have resulted in at least seven catches and at least 100 receiving yards.

As for that woeful running game, changes may need to be made. DeAndra’ Cobb has only rushed for 249 yards this year, putting him at dead last in the league for starting running backs and just barely in front of some of the quarterbacks. Cobb’s 4.0 yard per carrry average remains the worst in the CFL.

On the other side of the ball, the Bombers are going to be facing a defence which has allowed the second most points in the East Division. This could be the week that quarterback Buck Pierce comes back to the lineup after a brief absence. Statistically speaking, both Pierce and reserve quarterback Steven Jyles have comparable numbers, which could make for some controversy should the incumbent come back into the lineup and struggle.

Regardless of who is under center, running back Fred Reid is going to be a focal point for the offence. Reid is averaging 6.6 YPC this year, the second best in the CFL amongst running backs, and even though he has just two TD runs, his 451 yards on the ground is fourth in the league.

The Bombers have only picked off five passes all season long, which could provide a bit of a challenge against a solid Hamilton aerial assault.

The victory both SU and ATS for Hamilton moved it to 3-1-0 in both categories over the last four games with the Blue Bombers.

However, the trend to take note of might just be the ‘under.’ Bettors taking the low side of the CFL betting total are 11-4-0 in Winnipeg’s last 15 games played in the month of August and is 24-8-0 in its last 32 games played on Friday nights.

For Hamilton, the ‘under’ has also been golden, as it is 39-15-1 in its last 55 Friday games. Since the opening game of the year between these teams, both duels have stayed ‘under’ the number.

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Empire Field in British Columbia will be rockin’ Saturday night for a CFL battle between West Division rivals when the Lions host Henry Burris and the Calgary Stampeders

The Stampeders won all four meetings against the Lions last season.

Going into the sixth week of the season, the Stampeders are tied for first place in the West Division at 4-1-0, while the Lions are in the gutter with the Edmonton Eskimos at 1-4-0.

On paper, the Stampeders should be one of the best offensive teams in the CFL. However, with 140 points scored, they are just a middle of the road team in terms of point production. The team is averaging 24.4 first downs per game, the second highest mark in the league. As a result, they Calgary is one of the best time of possession teams in the league.

The Stampeders’ biggest drawback is that they are just flat out turning the ball over too much. Seven fumbles lost is tied for the league lead coming into Week 6, while quarterback Henry Burris has tossed a league worst eight interceptions.

The good news for Burris is that his numbers are starting to recover from a horrid start to the year. Without Ryan Thelwell (injured), Ken-Yon Rambo (injured) and Jeremaine Copeland (now in Toronto) to start the season, Calgary’s signal caller has looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times. However, the Stampeders are now at full strength with both Thelwell and Rambo returning in last week’s 23-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. As a result, Burris was 28/38 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and more importantly, no picks.

The Calgary defence has given up the fewest touchdowns in the league (Seven) and is averaging allowing a league best 21.0 points per game.

As for the boys from British Columbia, they need a real shot in the arm and quickly. The Lions are coming off of a bad 28-25 loss at Commonwealth Stadium to the Edmonton Eskimos in a game that they really accomplished nothing through the air.

"As of Thursday morning, there is still a question as to who will be taking the first snap under center for head coach Wally Buono"

Backup QB Travis Lulay, playing in place of the injured Casey Printers, only went 16/26 for 134 yards and two interceptions. He did run for 62 yards and the team’s lone offensive score.

BC’s rushing attack has had some awful outings this year and though the Lions are averaging 105.8 YPG on the ground (Sixth in the CFL), a good chunk of those yards have come on huge runs. They average just 15.8 rushing attempts per game, the lowest in the CFL.

Running back Jamal Robertson was considered one of the top weapons on this team at the outset of the season, but he just hasn’t been deployed enough to make a huge difference. Though Robertson leads all backs in the CFL in rushing average (7.9 YPC), he has only handled the rock 46 times all year, easily the lowest in the league for starters.

As of Thursday morning, there is still a question as to who will be taking the first snap under center for head coach Wally Buono. Lulay is clearly the only healthy option he has at his disposal, as Printers is listed as doubtful for the game. Don’t count out the prospects of seeing Jarious Jackson, last year’s starting quarterback, for a good chunk of the season, either.

Calgary is simply on a roll in this series. The Stampeders won all four meetings with the Lions last year, taking 28-26 and 48-10 decisions at BC Place while winning 27-18 and 37-30 at home. In fact, you have to go back to the very first meeting of the 2008 season between these teams to find the last BC victory. Since then, the Stampeders have taken down eight straight SU and are 7-0-1 ATS.

The good news for the Lions is that they are typically a strong team in the second full month of the season. They are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 matchups played in August. However, Calgary is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games played against teams with a losing record.

The CFL betting lines for this crucial duel feature the Stampeders as 2.5 point favorites. The ‘total’ can be found at 49.5.

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If the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt” is true, then there should be a lot of contempt Saturday night when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats battle for a third time this season.

On July 2, the Bombers took care of the Tiger-Cats to open up the 2010 CFL betting season with a 49-29 win at Canad Inns Stadium. Just two weeks later, the Tabbies got their revenge at Ivor Wynne Stadium, pushing aside Winnipeg 28-7. Even though this is only the sixth week of the season, the two squads are already renewing ties for a third time on Saturday night in Steeltown. Just six days later, they will meet again at Canad Inns.

"Things look relatively grim for both teams at this point in the season, especially considering that each has one win against the other"

Things look relatively grim for both teams at this point in the season, especially considering that each has one win against the other. Hamilton is winless against the rest of the CFL and is tied for the worst record in the league. However, if the playoffs were to start today, the Tiger-Cats would be in a position where they were tied for the crossover playoff spot.

Winnipeg is 2-3-0 and is a game clear of the Tabbies for the last post-season spot in the East Division.

The winner of this grudge match will take third place in the East Division into Week 7, while the loser will be sitting in the gutter.

One would figure that the problems for the Bombers would be stemming from their offence. However, with 157 points scored, only Montreal and Saskatchewan have better tallies in the league through five games and that also accounts for the woeful seven-point showing against Hamilton back in Week 3.

Fifteen offensive scores this year ranks second in the CFL behind just Saskatchewan. The Riders are also the only team in the CFL to average more yards per game than the Bombers, who currently sit at a lofty 8.5 yards per play.

Though quarterback Buck Pierce hasn’t played in two weeks, reserve Steven Jyles has stepped in admirably, completing 61.5 percent of his passes for 580 yards and two touchdowns to go with four rushing scores. Pierce, who has been injury prone in his career, has been sitting out due to a knee problem. He is listed as questionable to return for the third installment against the Tiger-Cats.

The play of wide receiver Terrence Edwards has been phenomenal this year. He leads the CFL in receiving at 545 yards and is the only man in the league with at least three receptions to average over 20 yards per catch (21.5). Edwards has four receiving touchdowns on the season as well, putting him in a three-way tie for the league lead.

Wide receiver Arland Bruce III tried his best last week to break all of Edwards’ marks in just one game. The CFL veteran had the best game of his career, hauling in 16 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for him, his Tiger-Cats needed all those passing yards because they were constantly trailing the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Hamilton was defeated 37-24.

Quarterback Kevin Glenn has had an up and down season, but lately, he has been more high than low. He has thrown for at least 330 yards in three of his last four starts and has three touchdown passes in two of his last three. The two interceptions Glenn threw last week against the Riders were the first blunders he has made since the opening week of the season.

As a result, only Pierce and Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo have higher quarterback ratings this season than Glenn, who currently sits at a lofty 100.8.

Still, thanks to a poor running game which ranks dead last in the league at just 70.6 yards per game, the Tabbies are sixth in the CFL in total offence at 347.4 YPG.

Running back DeAndra’ Cobb has to be losing confidence in a hurry. He rushed for 1,217 yards last season, but is only on a pace for 727 this year. Cobb is averaging the worst YPC amongst starting running backs in the league at 4.0 and his 202 yards on the ground is easily the lowest amongst starting backs.

Dating back to last season, Hamilton is only 1-5 ATS in its last six overall. The team has only had two games in that stretch in which it held its opponents under 34 points.

The Bombers enter this game having covered the CFL spreads in back-to-back games as underdogs.

They’re pups once again on Saturday night, as the Bombers are 2.5-point underdogs. The ‘total’ has been set at 53.5.

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Off their 41-10 spanking at Montreal last weekend, the Toronto Argonauts travel west to Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton to battle Ricky Ray and the Eskimos.

Last week, the Eskimos notched their first win of the 2010 CFL betting campaign when they beat the British Columbia Lions 28-25 at home. This week, they’ll hope to open up their first winning streak of the year.

Throw out the record books when you see these two teams play each other. There is no way that the Argonauts are as good as their 3-2-0 record indicates and the Eskimos, though not a beast in the West by any stretch of the imagination, are certainly better than a 1-4-0 squad.

"Throw out the record books when you see these two teams play each other"

The Boatmen have been a wreck offensively this season. They’ve only scored 113 total points, dead last in the East and third to last in the CFL. Seven offensive majors in five games is tied for worst in the league. The real proof in the pudding comes in the form of the yards per game statistic. Toronto has racked up 220 fewer yards than any other team in the league and are averaging almost 180 yards per game less than the league leading Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The passing attack has been particularly woeful. Quarterback Cleo Lemon looks like a deer in headlights at times. Amongst starting quarterbacks in the league, Lemon still has the worst QB rating of the bunch at 73.6. His 57.6 completion percentage ranks him second to last, while a 2.3 percent touchdown ratio is tied for the second lowest in the CFL.

Last week, Lemon only went 8/17 for 143 yards before getting replaced. The Alouettes held Toronto to just 227 yards and racked up three sacks.

The man who has to be getting incredibly frustrated at this is wide receiver Jermaine Copeland. The former Calgary Stampeder only has 14 catches for 204 yards and one touchdown all season long. Since 2003, he has averaged 71 catches and 1,172 yards per season. Obviously, he isn’t on any sort of pace to reach those numbers this year.

The star for the Toronto offence remains running back Corey Boyd. Boyd is tops in the CFL in rushing at 484 yards, but he only has found the end zone one time all season.

The good news for the Argonauts is that they are running up against a rush defence that ranks dead last in the CFL at 160.8 YPG.

Defence has been a major concern all season long for the Eskimos. They are allowing a league worst 7.9 YPC and have given up the most points in the CFL at 154.

In spite of the fact that Edmonton won last week against the Lions, there has to be a lot of concern considering the fact that BC was playing without its starting quarterback. The Lions still averaged 8.6 YPC in the game and were kept in it thanks to the ground attack.

Quarterback Ricky Ray is coming off of what has probably amounted to be his best game of the season. He was 25/34 for 360 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Three receivers had at least 75 yards through the air and running back Arkee Whitlock added 102 yards on the ground for his best game of the season.

Whitlock has the second most carries in the league this year (74) and ranks third in yardage (430). His three scores puts him in a tie for third in the CFL.

Ray might only be averaging one touchdown pass per game, but he still ranks fourth in the CFL in passing with 1,450 yards for the year. He 68.0 completion percentage not only dwarfs that of Lemon, but it also leaves him in second place behind Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo in that category.

Ray loves to sling the ball all over the field, particularly to receiver’s Kelly Campbell and Fred Stamps. Both are in the Top 3 in the CFL in receptions and they are the only duo of receivers in the league to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark combined in the first five games of the year.

Last season, Edmonton swept the series by winning 22-19 at Rogers Centre and 36-10 at home. The team split the proceedings against the CFL odds.

On Friday night, the Eskimos have been lined as 5.5 point CFL betting favorites. The ‘total’ has been set at 51.5

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The Calgary Stampeders will be at home with the McMahon Stadium crowd behind the Stampeders, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have managed to cover four of the last five meetings.

The CFL continues its fifth week of CFL betting action on Saturday, as Winnipeg face off with the Stampedery on Saturday night.

"The oddsmakers are expecting the Stampeders to roll in this game, favoring them by 6.5 points on the CFL betting lines"

These two former West Division rivals now find themselves on opposite ends of the CFL world, as Winnipeg has since shifted East. The Bombers are a game and a half behind the Montreal Alouettes for first place in the East, while Calgary is tied for first in the West but hold the tiebreaker over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Winnipeg has a major problem at the quarterback position, as QB Buck Pierce is probably going to miss his second straight game due to a knee injury this week. Pierce actually has the highest quarterback rating amongst all starting signal callers in the league with a 108.3. He has thrown five touchdowns against two picks, completing 65.8 percent of his passes.

However, assuming that Pierce is on the shelf for the week, quarterback Steven Jyles will be taking over under center. Jyles hasn’t been a full time starter at any point during his CFL career. He did a decent job last week in a 47-21 win over the Edmonton Eskimos, completing 14-of-22 passes for 267 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He completed five passes for at least 20 yards on the game, stretching a very thin Edmonton defence. Jyles also used his fantastic legs, rushing for 63 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries.

Jyles, Pierce and running back Fred Reid have already combined to rush for 547 yards and seven touchdowns. Jyles leads the CFL with four touchdown runs on the season.

Defensively is where the Bombers have really made their mark this year. They are allowing just 307.2 yards-per-game, the best mark in the CFL. They have the second most efficient pass defense in the league, allowing just 7.4 yards-per-pass-attempt. Winnipeg is also third in the CFL in rush defence at just 102.0 YPG on the ground allowed.

The Stampeders are coming off of their biggest half of football of the season. A 33-13 second half against its rivals from Saskatchewan led Calgary to a 40-20 win at McMahon Stadium.

Even though quarterback Henry Burris did toss a pair of interceptions, his four touchdown passes were a season high. He went 21/31 for 279 yards. Burris has double the interceptions of any other quarterback in the league, as his eight is four higher than the second most in the CFL this year. The good news is that Burris has nine touchdown passes, which led the CFL coming into this weekend but is now second to Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo, who has 10.

The issue Calgary is still having offensively is at the wide receiver position. Though Romby Bryant has had a good season with 21 catches, 327 yards and a CFL-high four touchdown receptions, no one else has really proven to be able to step up and lead the way yet. Missing both Ryan Thelwell and Ken-Yon Rambo is preventing Burris from getting into his groove this year.

"The Bombers could be the way to go in this game. They covered four of the last five spreads in this series, including both last season"

Should running back Joffrey Reynolds have a fantastic day on the ground, he could take overthe CFL lead in rushing once again. His 6.3 yards-per-carry might not be one of the best marks in the league, but at 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Reynolds is well on his way towards another 1,200+ yard season.

The oddsmakers are expecting the Stampeders to roll in this game, favoring them by 6.5 points on the CFL betting lines. The ‘total’ has been set at 56.5.

The Bombers could be the way to go in this game. They covered four of the last five spreads in this series, including both last season. Winnipeg pulled a 42-30 upset at home last year over Calgary, while it stuck in front of the hefty 14.5 point spread in the last meeting of these clubs with a 31-23 defeat.

The home team has won eight straight games in this series and had covered seven straight CFL lines before the Blue Bombers covered the spread in the last clash.

Especially after a solid outing last week, don’t be surprised if Jyles leads the Blue Bombers to another cover against the CFL betting lines in Calgary.

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A pair of Canadian Football League teams coming off losses last week meet Saturday in Saskatchewan when the Riders host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Tiger-Cats are in a bad spot this week. They are coming off a tough loss, their running game is the worst in the CFL and now they have to head out on the road to face a team that is also stinging after suffering their first loss of the season.

"The math seems pretty simple in this one: the Tiger-Cats are 0-2-0 on the road while the Riders are 2-0-0 at home"

Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saturday, July 31 – 6:35 PM ET
CFL Odds: Roughriders -7.5

Catching up with the Tiger-Cats

The Tiger-Cats are coming off a listless performance against Montreal and they are inching closer and closer to the panic button. At 1-3-0 with a cozy spot all by themselves in last place in the East Division, the panic button is within arm’s reach.

The issue right now for the Tiger-Cats is the offence. More specifically, running back DeAndra’ Cobb and the running game that can’t get anything going on the ground. They are averaging more than a yard worse per carry than the next best team and the pressure is mounting on quarterback Kevin Glenn to do it all.

On one hand, it can be spun that the defence played well against Montreal last week, allowing just two touchdowns, but they still gave up 37 point and plenty of yards in the loss. They aren’t getting help and are being force to spend more time on the field than they would like to.

Catching up with the Riders

The Riders are no longer undefeated. They scored points at a torrid pace through the first three weeks of the season, but hit a wall against Calgary last week.

They scored a season low 20 points and quarterback Darian Durant was baited into three interceptions. But, to put it into perspective, Calgary is a quality team and they have a stellar defence. It wasn’t the performance that the Roughriders wanted, but it was an early season wakeup call that they aren’t going to roll through the West as easily as they may have thought.

Not to worry, though, as the explosive offence is still intact. It just took a week off. The Riders have played well at home this year and they should be able to bounce back.

The matchup

The math seems pretty simple in this one: the Tiger-Cats are 0-2-0 on the road while the Riders are 2-0-0 at home. Sure, Durant and company struggled last week in Calgary, but that was against the best defence in the CFL and the Tiger-Cats simply aren’t as good as that.

Throw in the fact that Hamilton has the worst rushing attack in the league and is heading into a hostile environment against a team that took their first loss last week and the CFL betting choice should be clear.

Football Betting Pick: Roughriders -7.5

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Give the Toronto Argonauts their due for reaching this stage of the CFL season with a 3-1-0 record. Thursday night, however, the Argonauts will be due for a whipping from the Montreal Alouettes.

The Argonauts have been one of the CFL’s surprises so far this season and very few people thought the Alouettes and them would both be 3-1-0 going into this contest.

On the surface, it may look like Toronto is playing with enough confidence to make the 10-point football betting spread too much to lay with the Alouettes, but we’ll stick with the favourite in this contest.

"The Argonauts (are) due for a whipping from the Montreal Alouettes"

Toronto Argonauts at Montreal Alouettes
Thursday, July 29 – 7:35 p.m. ET
CFL Odds: Alouettes -10

Catching up with the Argonauts

The Argonauts have righted the ship – there’s no doubt about it – but let’s be clear: They have caught some breaks in the first month of the CFL season.

They caught Winnipeg off guard in Week 2 and needed a thrilling finish to beat the Calgary Stampeders at home in Week 3 before facing the B.C. Lions without Casey Printers in Week 4.

Toronto’s margin of victory in the three wins is 3.0 points-per-game, which indicates the Argonauts aren’t exactly dominating anyone.

Nonetheless, they are confident right now and for them, that may be all that matters. This is a team that was in shambles last season and just the fact that they believe they can compete on a weekly basis is a big plus for them.

Catching up with the Alouettes

The Alouettes have been one of the most impressive teams in the CFL so far this season and that doesn’t catch anyone’s eye. They were expected to do so and they are executing according to plan.

After losing in overtime in dramatic fashion in Saskatchewan during the opening week, they have won three straight games including their most comfortable win this week, which was a 23-point triumph over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Considering that the Tiger-Cats are just 1-3 and the Blue Bombers are 2-2, a win over Toronto this week gives the Alouettes a comfortable two-game lead over everyone in the East Division.

One reason the Alouettes find themselves in the driver’s seat is because they have scored a league-high 137 points so far this season.

The matchup

The Argonauts – and quarterback Cleo Lemon – have managed their contests well, but this game will get away from them. Look for the Alouettes to build an early lead and force the Argonauts’ hand, which is not something they are ready to do. Toronto isn’t capable of getting into a shootout and the Alouettes will score regularly.

Football betting pick: Alouettes -10

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With the 2010 CFL season a month into the books, betting trends and angles are starting to emerge in the CFL, where the Montreal Alouettes are still the team to beat.

Sometimes, it takes a little bit of perspective to gain some valuable knowledge, especially when it comes to betting on football.

A month from now, Lindsay Lohan may look back at her recent actions and learn some lessons. CFL betters have that perspective now after one month of play and can look back at their actions – or action – and do the same.

Here’s a retrospective of what we’ve see in the CFL season so far and the lessons we’ve learned.

1. The more things change, the more they stay the same

Take a quick glance at the standings after four week and you’ll see some familiar faces: the Alouettes, who represented the East in the 2009 Grey Cup, are sitting pretty at 3-1-0 and Saskatchewan Roughriders have also won three of four and are tied for first in the West with the Calgary Stampeders

The Alouettes have been steady-eddy once again. Should we even bother to expect any different? Their only loss this season was an overtime shortcoming in Saskatchewan, against the aforementioned Riders, and aside from that, they’ve been very impressive. Keep in mind that they have played the fewest home games in the league (just one) and played their first three contests on the road.

2. Welcome back, Calgary

The Alouettes are once again off to a successful start.

The Stampeders, who won the 2008 Grey Cup and suffered a bit of a hangover in 2009, have regained their swagger this season.

They are tied with Saskatchewan atop the West at 3-1, but they just finished off an impressive 40-20 win over those very same Riders this week.

Joffrey Reynolds is third in the league in rushing and Henry Burris has led the offence efficiently, but it’s been the defence that has impressed. Through four weeks, they’ve allowed the fewest points (85), fewest touchdowns (5) and the fewest plays from scrimmage.

The Stampeders are back with a vengeance.

3. Argonauts recipe for success: Just add ‘Lemon’

The Toronto Argonauts were a dismal team in 2009, and while some people felt they might be turning it around after a good off-season, nobody thought they’d win three out of their first four games.

From winning outright in Winnipeg as an 11-point underdog or at home against Calgary as a seven-point underdog, the Argonauts have been a big surprise to fans, pundits and CFL odds makers. Quarterback Cleo Lemon has adjusted well to the CFL and has managed the games for them and the defence has stood tall when necessary.

4. Lions strikeout with Casey at bat

While the 0-4-0 Edmonton Eskimos are worth mention as the league’s biggest disappointment, seeing the British Columbia Lions at 1-3-0 is not what anyone expected. There was a lot of optimism surrounding the Lions on the heels of an 8-10 season. Casey Printers had also returned to the fold near the end of last season. But, the magic is gone as Printers hasn’t been able to stay healthy, which has led to three straight losses for the Lions

With their offence sputtering, their defence has been stretched to its limits. The defence has held well in all three losses, but have broken in the second half for three straight weeks. They have been outscored 48-14 in the second-halves of their last three contests.

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Calgary’s Henry Burris tossed four interceptions in an embarrassing loss to Toronto last week and now the Stampeders face a near must-win at home against Saskatchewan.

Two annual contenders for the Grey Cup from the West Division will square off Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.

"The 'under' has cashed in 12 of the last 17 meetings between these teams at McMahon Stadium"

The Riders are the last undefeated team in the league at 3-0-0 and they are clearly the class of the West. Even though the Montreal Alouettes have scored the most points in the league at 137, they have played four games. No team has a higher scoring average than the Riders, as they are putting up points at a clip of 38.3 points-per-game.

Defensively, Saskatchewan has conceded 89 total points, but since allowing 51 against Montreal to open the season has only conceded 19.0 PPG.

A victory for the Riders would leave them a full four points, or two games, in front of the Stampeders after just four games. They will clearly have the inside track towards hosting the West final once again.

Quarterback Darian Durant has done a little bit of everything for the men in green this year. He has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 971 yards and seven touchdowns against just one pick. With two touchdowns and 242 yards passing, Durant will lead the league in both categories through four weeks of play. The former North Carolina Tar Heel also has 134 rushing yards, ranking him tenth in the league and second amongst quarterbacks in the CFL.

The leading rusher for this team is Wes Cates. He is averaging a CFL-best 7.7 yards-per-carry and his 317 yards on the ground is still second in the league despite the fact that half the teams have already played an extra game this week.

The defence has only picked off one pass all season long, which is something that needs to improve. The secondary is also allowing 9.8 yards- per-pass, which is by far the worst in the league. However, the Riders rank number one in the league in rush defense, allowing just 91.3 YPG.

Calgary badly needs this game to draw even in the West after last week’s embarrassing loss in Toronto.

The surprise of this season has been how well the Stampders have played defensively. They are allowing a CFL-best 21.7 PPG this year, a far cry from the 28.6 PPG they allowed during the 2009 season. The unit has only allowed three touchdowns all season long, also the best mark in the CFL. Opponents only have 52 total first downs for the season to boot.

Offensively though, there are still a lot of problems. Quarterback Henry Burris should have some of the best numbers in the league, but after tossing four interceptions against the Argonauts in Week 3, his stats are lacking. “Smilin’ Hank” has two more picks (6) than anyone else in the CFL and his 73.6 QB rating is the second lowest in the league heading into play on Saturday night.

His biggest problem has been at the wide receiver position. Both Ken-Yon Rambo and Ryan Thelwell have been out due to injury all season long and with the departure of Jermaine Copeland to Toronto in the offseason, Burris has really been lacking solid targets. Wide receiver Nik Lewis, a veteran in Calgary, leads the team in receptions (16) and receiving yards (211). Both he and Romby Bryant have a pair of touchdown catches on the year.

Last season, the ‘Riders dominated this series, going 3-0-1 SU and 4-0 ATS. Calgary only had one game in which it scored more than 23 points. The Riders, in contrast, scored an average of 31.3 PPG in four games.

These two teams met in the West Final last year, with Saskatchewan coming away with a 27-17 victory. They also played in an epic 44-44 tie last October.

Historically speaking, these two teams despise each other. This is an annual fixture that everyone in Canada looks forward to every season and will be the first of at least three meetings they have this year.

The ‘under’ has cashed in 12 of the last 17 meetings between these teams at McMahon Stadium. The Stamps have also gone 6-1-1 for ‘under’ bettors in their last eight games overall. On Saturday night, Calgary has been lined as a 1½-point favorite, while the ‘total’ comes in at 56.

Courtesy of SBRForum.com.