Anyone who bets on sports knows how much harder it is to get a feel for each team on the first day or week of the season compared to later in the year, and it’s even tougher when there was no season the year before to base things off of.
The 2021 CFL season kicked off last week with every team but the Montreal Alouettes getting their first taste of football in nearly two full years, and some fans were definitely surprised by the Week 1 outcomes.
For instance, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders both started the season off with a loss, despite holding the two best odds to win the Grey Cup this season.
Hamilton +350
Calgary +500
Winnipeg +500
Toronto +600
Saskatchewan +650
Montreal +1000
BC +1100
Edmonton +1100
Ottawa +1500
Winnipeg holds the third-best odds to win the Grey Cup this season, despite entering the season as the reigning champions, while the Argos moved up the list thanks to their opening week win over Calgary. Montreal still hasn’t hit the field for a regular season game yet this year, but they still hold better odds than BC, Edmonton and Ottawa - even though the Redblacks won their opening game.
There’s still another 15 weeks to go, so clearly a lot can change by then.
