The Canadian Press
TORONTO — It’s been a long time coming, but we may have finally reached a point in the season where we’ve got a rainbow of colour when it comes to our CFL.ca writer’s picks. Even when it comes to the fan votes, no matchup this week seems to have a team running away with the results with the highest being the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders both having 76 per cent of fans taking them in their respective games in Week 20.
A lot is at stake this week, especially with the Edmonton Eskimos on their last bye week. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have the potential of eliminating the Green and Gold while also claiming the final playoff spot with a win over the Stampeders. Calgary, however, has the opportunity to stake claim to the No. 1 spot in the West if they win.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa REDBLACKS battle it out for top spot in the East at Tim Hortons Field on Saturday. A win by the REDBLACKS and they’ll finish atop the East Division. A win by the Ticats and the race gets extended by another week.
Who will win each matchup? Do you agree with the CFL.ca writer’s picks, or do you go against the trend?
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CGY at WPG
The writers and the fans look at this West Division matchup differently.
Dave Dickenson and his crew simply need to win this game to win this week and they will finish the season in first place, giving themselves a first-round bye when the playoffs roll around. It’ll highly depend on whether the receiving corps that Bo Levi Mitchell has on hand can get themselves familiar with the playbook, and get to a level of chemistry with Mitchell that will allow them to remain dominant.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers enter this week fresh off their final bye week of the season and cruise into Friday’s tilt with a four-game winning streak to their name. The defence is buzzing, and that was evident in their 31-0 win over Saskatchewan before their Week 19 bye. Their offence is shooting on all cylinders. It’s just a matter of whether a bye was needed or whether that time off put that momentum to rest.
PICK
Writers: 67% Calgary
Fans: 56% Winnipeg
OTT at HAM
There’s no place like home, right? Maybe. The first time these two teams squared off this season saw the REDBLACKS come into Tim Hortons Field and steal a win leaning solely on the leg of their rookie-phenom kicker Lewis Ward.
Saturday afternoon’s tilt between the last remaining East Division teams standing will be the second of a back-to-back series. Ottawa came out on the winning end after the Ticats gave up a 16-point lead at TD Place in Ottawa.
Now that the series has shifted to the Ticats’ home at THF, the Black and Gold will be hoping home field advantage will serve them well as there still runs the chance of either team finishing first place in the division. A win by the Ticats further extends the race for the divisions top spot. A win by Ottawa, however, settles things and has Hamilton hosting the East Division’s first round of the playoffs.
PICK
Writers: 67% Ottawa
Fans: 76% Hamilton
BC at SSK
The Saskatchewan Roughriders head into this week’s tilt with the Lions as the majority favourites between the CFL.ca writers and the fans.
BC has developed themselves a pair of late-season additions that have made a quick impact as they’ve bounced back from their early-season struggles. The addition of Tyrell Sutton and DeVier Posey has certainly showcased their worth in the past two games for the Lions.
Meanwhile, in Saskatchewan, the Roughriders are coming off of a week in which they handed the league-leading Stamps a loss. In fact, it was the second time that Saskatchewan has defeated them this season with their first being the one that gave Calgary their first blemish of the season, ending their undefeated run.
PICK
Writers: 83% Saskatchewan
Fans: 76% Saskatchewan
TOR at MTL
Yet another back-to-back series, but unfortunately for either of the teams involved, this one holds no impact to the playoff picture as both the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts have been eliminated from playoff contention for a few weeks now.
Jame Franklin and the Argos took the first part of their back-to-back against the Als back in Toronto at BMO Field. Franklin spent the outing putting his name alongside with a CFL legend as he tied the CFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season which was previously held by Doug Flutie.
Johnny Manziel and the Alouettes will be hoping to have home-field advantage contribute to their game plan on Sunday as they hope to make the most of the last remaining games on their schedule.
PICK
Writers: 67% Montreal
Fans: 69% Montreal
