Let’s go to round 12 of the Canadian Football League and the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment at BMO field in Toronto, Ontario. That’s where, on August 23 at 19:00 GMT, the local Argonauts will host the Lions of British Columbia. And it will probably be the last chance for either side to make something out of a season that’s gone bad.
Out of the playoffs
Things for Toronto could not be worse. Dead last on the East Division standings with only 2 wins and 7 defeats to show for their efforts. However, with a win they could get equal to Ottawa with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses and only 1 point more in the differential (-34 vs -35). At this time, it’s the Redblacks the ones that hold the last spot for the playoffs.
It’s quite a similar situation for the Lions. In 4th place of the West Division with 4 victories and 5 losses and a -17 differential, at this time they are out of the picture. However, it would be little harder for them to get over Winnipeg as the goal handicap to cover is 12 points instead of 1. Nevertheless, it’s the same incentive for them as it is for the hosts. A win could get them a place at the playoffs.
But… it’s not impossible
Before hosting the Lions, the Argonauts will travel to Edmonton. Considering that it’s the team that have a similar bad record (2 wins and 6 losses), it’s quite possible that they will win. British Columbia will host the Alouettes of Montreal in a confrontation where a win will actually mean the season. It is not out of the question to achieve that result as their opponents only have one more win in their bag. Unfortunately, neither side owes any matches in the schedule to hope for something more. So, they are both walking on a quite tight rope.
The bottom line here is that it will be a most interesting confrontation promising quite a decent return of the investment for those that will make the decision to open an account at the best betting platform and place a bet on this encounter. Supposedly, most markets will have an offer of over @2.00 if the outcomes are the expected ones.
Update
The Lions got the win that they wanted against the Montreal Alouettes and got to a 5 – 5 record (wins – losses). And a very convincing one with 36-18. Now, they are waiting for the Winnipeg result to know if they managed to climb to the 3rd spot in the West Division. A spot that gives them the ticket for the playoffs that they desperately need. On the other hand, the Argonauts fought but lost to the Edmonton Elks by 28-20 and got to a rather humiliating 2 – 8.
A sharp change in the odds
It is rather justifiable why the odds are now @1.51 for British Columbia and @2.69 for Toronto. Bookmakers just do not believe that it is possible for the home side to win this one. Not when the visitors have such a good opportunity to clinch the spot and get a better finish for their season. We also tend to agree with that assessment and we looked for other markets to make the suggestion for this one a profitable one.
Two markets stand out. A -3.5 Asian Handicap for BC at @1.94 and the under 55.5 points option at @1.93. The most likely outcome is that the Lions will win with more than 7 points of difference, so, we will propose to those that will open an account at the best betting platform, a wager at the -3.5 Asian Handicap market.