Weekly Predictor: All aboard with the Argonauts

Jamie Nye

CFL.ca

@jamienye

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and have some great leftovers for lunches all week long!

What’s leftover for the CFL is to decide who is hosting the Eastern Semi-Final and who is hosting the Western Final.

The latter will have to wait to be decided on the last day of the season, while the former COULD be decided this weekend!

With the Riders, Bombers, and Elks on a bye week, we only have three games this week.

In Hamilton, you’ll have two teams fighting out the rest of the season. In Toronto, you have the game of the week with the Argonauts and REDBLACKS giving us a Eastern Semi-Final preview. And in Vancouver, the Lions and Alouettes will try to iron out their game before the post-season.

Calgary at Hamilton
Friday, October 18
7:00 p.m. ET

The Tiger-Cats left into the bye week hoping they’d still have a shot at the playoffs, but it wasn’t meant to be.

So Hamilton returns to try and finish off the season strong as they definitely made an impressive push in the back half of the year with some promise for what could be ahead in Hamilton in 2025.

We never know how exactly the coaches will approach the roster in these games as Calgary switched quarterbacks last week. Hamilton may want to do the same to give others an opportunity to get some playing experience and to evaluate what could be a complicated off-season.

The Stampeders nearly pulled out the win last week in a dramatic finish against the Elks. Matthew Shiltz tried to get the Stamps the victory with a 13-point fourth quarter rally.

Shiltz does add a bit of a running dynamic that Jake Maier does not so it’ll have to be something the Ticats are aware of. But Shiltz was in Hamilton last year so he won’t be too much of a surprise.

Overall, when it comes to these games I always go with the team who has shown more positive consistency. That’s been Hamilton.

PICK: HAMILTON

Ottawa at Toronto
Saturday, October 19
3:00 p.m. ET

Well, the Ottawa REDBLACKS are hoping this will be the only trip they make to Toronto for the rest of this year. With a win, the Argonauts can clinch home field in the Eastern Semi-Final, which will mean Ottawa will make the same trip in two weeks.

If Ottawa wins, they’ll control second spot heading into the final week of the season.

Last time these two teams met it was a 41-27 final in Ottawa for the REDBLACKS. Back then Ottawa had Dru Brown at quarterback and Adarius Pickett as their leader on defence. They’ve had neither recently and it’s shown. Ottawa hasn’t won a game since that victory over Toronto, entering this weekend on a four-game losing streak.

Ottawa was in the first place conversation after that win over Toronto and now are possibly looking at having to go on the road for the Semi-Final.

Toronto, meanwhile, is 3-1 since that game and are starting to look more and more like the 16-2 team that dominated the CFL last season until the playoffs.

A road win in Winnipeg was not an easy task last week, nor was a win over the reigning Grey Cup Champions the week previous.

Ottawa has the unenviable task of a quick turnaround as well and that doesn’t give Bob Dyce a lot of time to get his team ready and focused. Nor does he have a lot of time to stress all the undisciplined play we’ve witnessed recently.

I’m going with the team with momentum and a lot more rest.

PICK: TORONTO

Montreal at BC
Saturday, October 19
7:00 p.m. ET

Like the REDBLACKS, Montreal doesn’t have a lot of time to rest up but their road trip to Vancouver is a much different travel plan than Ottawa going to Toronto.

Yes, I’ll be picking BC in this game but it’s extremely hesitant.

While I can’t put myself in Jason Maas’ brain, although I’d love to because I’d be able to sound a lot smarter for you than I currently do. But if there was a week going into the playoffs I’d rest my starters, it would be this one.

There is no need to have guys battling it out for a game that doesn’t mean anything in the standings with a short week.

I wouldn’t even have them on the plane to Vancouver. Why risk it?

I’d have them go up against a Bomber team that is playing for something at home to get them battle tested for the post-season with their regular lineup. (Or at least as close to it as guys battling through some injuries would sit again).

But … I’m not Jason Maas.

The Lions, however, need to go full bore into the playoffs. The Lions are a team that hasn’t found their stride in the back half of the season and it’s very concerning that they might have to go back to Saskatchewan for the Semi-Final after just getting their lunch handed to them 39-8 this past weekend.

With the BC Lions offence needing to gel and an Alouettes team I think could be a bit shorthanded….

PICK: BC

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