The Elks open their regular season schedule with nowhere to go but up after closing out 2023 in last place in the West with a 4-14-0 record including a dismal 2-7-0 mark at home. The Roughriders also open their campaign with lots to prove after watching last year’s playoff hopes slip away during a season-ending seven-game losing streak. 

The Elks are set to hit the turf at Commonwealth Stadium perched as slim 1.5-point favourites on the CFL Week 1 odds. The Roughriders are neck and neck with Edmonton as a -105 bet on the CFL moneyline and the total for Saturday’s contest is pegged at 46.5.

CFL Week 1 Odds and Betting

Originally scheduled for Saturday night, the Elks mads the wise decision to move the start time to earlier in the day, avoiding any conflict with Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.

Saturday’s matchup marks the first of three meetings between these long-time rivals. The Riders took two of three from the Elks last season including a 17-13 victory at Commonwealth Stadium and have now gone 11-3-0 in their past 14 head-to-head meetings including five straight victories in Edmonton. The Riders extended their dominance with a 28-27 preseason win in Edmonton. However, they have covered just once in four regular season dates with the Elks. This squad also has plenty of work to do to halt a seven-game road losing streak, during which they have been outscored by an average margin of 17.7 points while scoring 20 or more points just twice. Not surprisingly, the Riders have also covered in two of seven overall and have lost outright in three straight as betting chalk.

The Elks provided long suffering Edmonton football fans with a glimmer of hope in the second half of last season, with all four of their wins coning over a five-game stretch in August and September. However, this team quickly reverted to their losing ways, falling to defeat in their final four outings by an average margin of 16.3 points. The Elks came within a missed field goal with time running out of winning in their pre-season loss to Saskatchewan. The question is whether they can turn in another character performance in their serious opener.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Corey Mace makes his debut as a CFL coach, leading a Riders squad with plenty of new faces. The former Toronto Argonauts defensive co-ordinator is joined in Saskatchewan by running back A.J. Ouellette, who is coming off a career year with the Argos while rushing for 1009 yards and eight TDs. The addition of Ouellette to the backfield should provide a boost to veteran quarterback Trevor Harris, who missed most of last season after breaking a leg in Week 6. The question is just how much rust Harris will have to shake off after such a lengthy layoff.

Edmonton Elks

After scoring a league-low 20.4 points per game last season, the Elks made some big offseason changes, most notably bringing in former Argos pivot McLeod Bethel-Thompson after spending a season in the USFL. In a bid to make their new quarterback feel at home, the Elks acquired receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. in an offseason trade with Toronto. Gittens enjoyed impressive chemistry with Bethel-Thompson during the 2022 season, pulling in 81 catches for 1101 yards and five scores, but struggled for playing time last season before seeing his campaign cut short by a season-ending hip injury that required surgery. The Elks offence could get a big boost if rusher Kevin Brown can build on breakthrough 2023 season. which he finished second in the league with 1141 rushing yards along with four scoring runs. 

CFL Prediction: Who Will Win Roughriders vs. Elks?