Football season opens . . . in Canada

Football returns north of the border this week as the new CFL betting season begins on Wednesday.

The new season kicks off on Canada Day, which to all you non-Canucks is Canada’s version of the Fourth of July. Wednesday’s season-opening doubleheader includes a Grey Cup rematch between Montreal and Calgary and the first round in the old Ontario rivalry between Toronto and Hamilton. The rest of the Week 1 schedule includes Winnipeg at Edmonton on Thursday, and BC at Saskatchewan on Friday.

The early Grey Cup futures on the CFL odds have Calgary tabbed as the favorite to repeat as champs. The Stampeders are locked in at +250 right now, and with most of their Grey Cup winning roster back a repeat is a definite possibility. The Stamps reigned in starting quarterback Henry Burris last week with a four-year contract extension and he looks primed for another big season flanked by superb wideouts Ken-Yon Rambo and Nik Lewis. Throw running back Joffrey Reynolds into the mix and the Stamps should have no trouble putting points on the board. If Calgary is able to hoist the Grey Cup again they’ll be the first repeat champs since Toronto did it in 1996-97.

Following the Stampeders on the CFL odds are the B.C. Lions at +350. The Lions lost a lot during the offseason with the defection of both reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player Cameron Wake and running back Stefan Logan to the NFL. The Lions’ running game could suffer without Logan, so the passing game led by QB Buck Pierce and receivers Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson will need to carry the load. The defense is also in rebuild mode, as Wake’s 23 sacks from a season ago will be impossible to replace.

The leading East team on the CFL betting odds, and likely the only East team that has a fighting chance this season, are the Alouettes at +600. The Als were the only team in the East to post a record over .500 last season, and they rode that success all the way to the Grey Cup. Unfortunately they came up short and lost to Calgary. Montreal will try and make another run at the Cup with QB Anthony Calvillo still leading the charge. After a disappointing 2007 season Calvillo bounced back last year to claim Most Outstanding Player honors. If Calvillo can continue to carry the offensive load there’s no reason the Alouettes can’t return to the Grey Cup again.

The rest of the current CFL title odds have Edmonton at +700, Saskatchewan at +1000, Toronto at +1000, Winnipeg at +1400, and Hamilton at +1400.