TORONTO ARGONAUTS (2-8) vs. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (3-7)
Date/Time: Saturday, September 17, 4:00 PM ET
Venue: Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, Regina, Saskatchewan
Broadcast: TSN
Argos vs. Riders Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Riders -7
Moneyline: Argos +250: Riders -300
Over/Under: 50 ½ points
A Battle of surprising Basement Dwellers is on tap as the first game of a CFL Saturday double-header. Toronto is fresh off getting swept in a two game series with BC while the Roughriders are coming off an impressive sweep of Eastern Division leading Winnipeg. Saturday’s clash is a classic example of two teams going it totally opposite directions.
Toronto turned to their supposed savior QB Steven Jyles last week, less than a week after letting the ineffective Cleo Lemon go. Not a whole lot changed for Toronto in the win column or on the score board – they had to settle for just two field goals in their loss at BC. But with a game under his belt and the fact that Saskatchewan has a notoriously poor pass defense, there is some amount of optimism for the Argos.
Saskatchewan was basically left for dead but has shown signs of life in their last two outings – back-to-back wins against the best team in the CFL in the first 10 weeks of the season. Let’s call it the Andy Fantuz factor! Since Ken Miller came back to the sidelines to coach the team, the Riders have looked totally different. Darian Durant certainly looks better and Wes Cates is finally getting involved in the offense. The defense, despite its critics played especially well last week in creating three sacks and intercepting Buck Pierce a staggering five times.
Finally, the Saskatchewan Roughriders look like the team that represented the West in the Grey Cup two years in a row!
Betting Prediction: The Saskatchewan Roughriders have won two straight games overall and have won five of their last seven meetings with the Argonauts. The Riders are rolling and the Argos are stuck in the garage. This game won’t be close folks – easy choice.
Pick: Saskatchewan Roughriders -7
