There’s more football to bet on than just the NFL and NCAA. There’s also the Canadian Football League which is heading toward the playoffs very soon. Ahead of that, we’re offering our best bets to win the Grey Cup — the league’s championship. Keep on reading to get our most up-to-date betting picks.
Before we get to all that though, let’s take a hard look at the future betting odds. As it stands, here’s the favorites to win the title at season’s end:
We are entering Week 20 — the penultimate one of the regular season. However, all the playoff teams are set. The only thing left is positioning. Let’s preview the 2024 CFL playoffs, which will help us level-set our picks to come.
Starting out East, the road to the Grey Cup will go through Montreal. They clinched the East Division title for the first time since 2012 as early as Week 17. They are 12-3-1 this season — best in the league, which explains its leading betting odds.
Toronto and Ottawa will be playing in the semi-final matchup. Coincidentally, the two sides play Week 20. With a win, the Argonauts lock up the second seed and a home game in the playoffs. A loss and the Redbacks have a shot to overpass them going into the Week 21 finale. That puts a ton of implications on this weekend’s matchup.
We head out West where the three teams going to the postseason are squared away — Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. This is the eighth straight trip for the Blue Bombers and third for the Lions. The Roughriders, however, haven’t been to the playoffs since 2018.
Winnipeg’s 10-7 record has them in first place right now, but they need a win in the finale against Montreal to control their own destiny. Saskatchewan are 9-7-1, and can still secure the first seed and the coveted opening playoff round bye.
2024 CFL Playoff Schedule
Once the playoffs are 100 percent set in two weeks, we’ll go right into the playoffs. These matchups will be worth betting on their own accord. But here’s the 2024 playoff schedule in the CFL:
November 2
Eastern Semi-Final — 3:00 pm EST
Western Semi-Final — 6:30 pm EST
November 9
Eastern Final — 3:00 pm EST
Western Final — 6:30 pm EST
November 17
111th Grey Cup — 6:00 pm EST
Best Betting Picks For Grey Cup
We’re going to recommend two different betting picks for the Grey Cup winner. Now, we’re not advising you to make both bets. From a betting value perspective, you’re likely best going “all in” on one that suits your risk appetite more. Allow us to explain:
Safe Bet
If you’re a bettor who prefers to minimize risk, then there’s an easy choice to make here — go with the favorites. That’s Montreal, of course, though they have only slightly better odds than Winnipeg.
The Alouettes have defended their Gray Cup well all season long. As we’ve said, they’ve only been tripped up twice. This past weekend, they even managed to win with a backup quarterback.
The usual starter, Cory Fajardo, missed the matchup due to the birth of a child. Nonetheless, Fajardo remains the league’s premier player — a strong candidate to win Most Outstanding Player. His odds have dropped in recent weeks as other players have made ground, but win or not, he’s as dynamic of a quarterback as this league has. Fajardo won the “big ones last year, and you’d have to be confident he can do it again in 2024.
All right, we know there’s bettors who prefer more upside. We also know Montreal’s +170 odds aren’t exactly dripping with value. That’s why we wanted to offer a high-risk, high-reward bet here too. If you fall into this category, then we recommend Toronto.
They are the team that’s getting hot at the right time. Despite a middling 9-7 mark this season, the Argonauts are starting to peak. It started in Week 17, when they handed Montreal its second loss of the year, 37-31 at home. It continued this past weekend when they ended Winnipeg’s eight-game winning streak — and they did so on the road too, winning 14-11. That’s two straight wins against the league’s best teams as we see it.
After that hot streak, we just feel the Argonauts +700 line is wildly mispriced right now. We wouldn’t be shocked if they run the table from here on out behind the reigning Outstanding Player of the Year, signal caller Chad Kelly.
We just gave you our best bets, but of course, you’re not obliged to heed our advice. Whatever you decide to do, you can make your CFL futures bets at one of the top-used betting sites below. Not every online bookmaker offers CFL wagering, but these ones certainly do.
Plus, these same sites will offer Vegas odds on the individual games too. Think moneylines, spreads, over/under, and even some props. Any one of these bookmakers has you covered the final month of the CFL season which promises to be a doozy.
Eric was born and raised in Nevada — the center of gambling in the United States. Throw in his natural interest in sports, and Eric was destined to be a sports bettor.
This came to a head once Eric turned 21. Already a working sports journalist while in college, Eric began betting at his local sportsbook. Despite massive losses (at first), Eric continued to chip away at wagering. Eventually, he got half-decent at it.
Now Eric is a trusted betting analyst. Not only is he skilled at making picks, but also breaking down the state of the industry — legalization, revenue, and innovation.