Tiger-Cats vs. Stampeders Prediction: CFL Week 1 Point Spread, Odds
The Tiger-Cats are 1.5-point favourites on the CFL odds with a total of 52.5 that is the highest of any Week 1 game.
CFL Odds and Betting
Hamilton at Calgary is the first of a CFL doubleheader on Saturday followed by Edmonton at BC. The Stampeders visit the Tiger-Cats to close the regular-season series in Week 19.
Last season, they split the two meetings. They also met Week 1 in Calgary and the hosts prevailed 32-24 behind 252 yards passing and two scores from QB Jake Maier. Clark Barnes and Cam Echols had the TD catches. Rene Paredes was 6-for-6 on field goals.
In Week 20 in Hamilton, the Tigers-Cats rolled 42-20. Bo Levi Mitchell went bonkers with 450 yards passing and five scores, two each to wideouts Steven Dunbar Jr. and Tim White. Both had at least 128 yards receiving. Greg Bell rushed for 139 yards. Matthew Shiltz was the primary Calgary QB that day and was just 12-for-24 for 124 yards and a pick.
Calgary finished last in the West Division last season at 5-12-1 and is a +600 long shot on the CFL futures board to win the West this year. The Ti-Cats were last in the East in 2024 at 7-11-0 and is +270 to win it.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton split its two preseason games against Toronto, winning by eight at home and losing by seven in Guelph. The key to this season will be avoiding another slow start as the Tiger-Cats began 0-5 in 2024 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The team made its final round of cuts recently and released three guys from the 2024 squad in tight end Camren McDonald, linebacker DQ Thomas and Canadian receiver Luther Hakunavanhu, who made seven starts and scored four touchdowns for the Cats in his first season in Hamilton.
The team added a free-agent wideout this offseason in luring Kenny Lawler from Winnipeg. Last season, Lawler caught 41 passes for 662 yards and four touchdowns. Another WR, Drew Wolitarsky, is in question with an ankle injury. He had 33 catches for 403 yards and one touchdown in 10 games last year also for Winnipeg.
QB Bo Levi Mitchell is coming off one of the best seasons of his career after leading the CFL in passing yards (5,451) and passing touchdowns (32). He has 99 career CFL wins and would be the fastest player in league history to get to 100 with a victory Saturday.
Hamilton will only go as far as its defence, though, as that unit allowed a league-high 557 points and the second-most yards per game (382.7) in 2024. Brent Monson is the new coordinator after he spent 15 seasons with the Stampeders. Hamilton is 4-2 ATS in its past six road games.
Calgary Stampeders
Calgary’s 18-year playoff streak ended in 2024, and coach Dave Dickerson cut ties with longtime special teams coordinator Mark Kilam, and defensive coordinator Brent Monson left for Hamilton.
Jake Maier struggled last season under centre, so the Stamps went out and traded for QB Vernon Adams Jr. from the B.C. Lions for a trio of draft picks. Adams completed 197-of-302 passes for 2,929 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season while rushing 40 times for 213 yards and three scores, going 6-3 as a starter.
Beau Baldwin, who coached Adams for three seasons at Eastern Washington University, is the quarterbacks coach for the Stampeders, a role he took on in 2024.
Calgary also lured free-agent receiver Dominque Rhymes from Ottawa. Fellow WR Malik Henry missed all of last season due to injury and was placed on the six-game injured list at the start of training camp this year. Henry had a breakout 2022 season that saw him record 1,023 yards and eight touchdowns on 62 catches.
The Stamps were 2-0 this preseason, beating BC and Edmonton both by double digits. Calgary is 1-4 ATS in its past five home RS games.
HAM
CGY