The B.C. Lions rolled to the best record in the CFL last season but then stumbled in the playoffs, losing to the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Final.
That stumble, however, hasn’t stopped most sportsbooks tracked by OddsShark.com from marching the Lions right back to the top of the Grey Cup future odds this week.
The Lions were 6.5-point home favourites in last year’s Western Final against the Stampeders, but lost that contest 34-29 to a Calgary team that would go on to fall 35-22 to the Toronto Argonauts as a 2-point favourite in the 100th Grey Cup.
Flash forward to this spring, and the Lions are the 7/2 chalk at the sportsbooks to win the 101st Grey Cup, putting them just slightly ahead of the Stampeders (4/1) and the Montreal Alouettes (9/2).
The Alouettes finished 11-7 last year compared to the Argonauts’ 9-9 mark, but Montreal lost 27-20 at home to the Argos in the Eastern Final.
Can the Argos repeat as the Grey Cup champions in 2013? Toronto last won the CFL’s championship two years in a row back in 1996 and 1997, and the last team to repeat as the Grey Cup winner was Montreal in 2009 and 2010.
The Argonauts are at 11/2 odds at the sportsbooks to win the Grey Cup title this season, putting them ahead of Saskatchewan (13/2), Hamilton (7/1), Edmonton (9/1) and Winnipeg (10/1). Prop bets available at shops like Bodog.eu favour a B.C. vs. Montreal Grey Cup final in 2013.
Winnipeg enters the season with the longest Grey Cup drought, last winning the championship back in 1990. The Blue Bombers missed the playoffs last season, tying the Tiger-Cats with a league-worst record of 6-12.
Hamilton hasn’t won since 1999, Edmonton since 2005, Saskatchewan since 2007 and Calgary since 2008. The Lions claimed the sixth Grey Cup title in their franchise history in the 2011 season, winning at home.
The Lions had the best straight-up record at 13-5 last season, but it was Calgary and Edmonton who were the most profitable teams for CFL bettors at 10-8 against the spread. Each of B.C., Toronto, Winnipeg and Hamilton were 9-9 against the spread last season, with Montreal and Saskatchewan both a 8-10 against the spread over the 18-game schedule in 2013.
The Argos begin their Grey Cup defense on Friday, June 28 at home against the Tiger-Cats, with the Lions on the road in Calgary later that night.
Montreal and Winnipeg kick things off on Thursday, June 27 at the new Investors Group Field, with the opening week of the season ending on Saturday, June 29 with Saskatchewan at Edmonton.