The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be aiming to close out the CFL season with an eighth straight victory when they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday as 3.5-point favourites on the Grey Cup odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Hamilton emerged as the class of the CFL this season while racking up a 15-3 straight up record, and will be aiming to end a 20-year Grey Cup championship drought in Sunday evening’s Tiger-Cats vs. Blue Bombers betting matchup at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
The Tiger-Cats led the CFL in all major team statistical categories, averaging 30.6 points per game while surrendering an average of just over 19.1. Hamilton also dominated in its two matchups with the Blue Bombers, claiming victory in both contests, capped by a lopsided 33- 13 win in Winnipeg as 5-point underdogs back on Sept. 27.
The Blue Bombers look to be peaking at the right time as they make their first Grey Cup appearance since 2011. Winnipeg shook off a 2-5 SU late-season swoon with a narrow 29-28 win over Calgary as 3-point home underdogs in their final game of the regular season. The Blue Bombers then followed up with upset playoff wins over the Stampeders and the Westleading Saskatchewan Roughriders to earn a shot at their first Grey Cup victory since 1990.
Despite their recent heroics, the Blue Bombers continue to own a shaky record in contests away from IG Field, falling to SU defeat in six of their past nine road contests, according to the OddsShark CFL Database.
In addition to the moneyline odds, which have the Tiger-Cats as -170 favourites to raise the trophy on Sunday night, sportsbooks are offering a wide variety of betting props that cover every aspect of this year’s Grey Cup matchup.
Lindsey Kelly with Calgary Stampede Showband are scheduled to perform the national anthem prior to Sunday’s contest, with the odds of their rendition of O Canada lasting over one minute, 10.5 seconds pegged at -120. The musical entertainment continues at halftime, with Keith Urban taking the stage. However, with the temperature forecast to be below freezing, the Australian country star is expected to give a somewhat brief performance, with -150 odds favouring him playing UNDER 5.5 songs.
Meanwhile on the gridiron, the Tiger-Cats are set as small -135 favourites to score first, with the odds of a Hamilton touchdown opening the scoring listed at +300. In addition, the Grey Cup winner has been determined in overtime just once since 1961. That trend is expected to continue, with -300 odds favouring Sunday’s matchup to be settled in 60 minutes.
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