Grey Cup betting: Odds favor Saskatchewan over Hamilton

The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 2007 Grey Cup, but failed to cover the spread as 9.5 -point favorites.

They are in the same situation as favorites on the CFL championship game odds menu in 2013 against the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

But this time, they have the home crowd cheering them on at Mosaic Stadium, in what is the Super Bowl of Canadian football.

Sportsbooks tracked by CFLOdds.ca have the Roughriders listed 6-point favorites for this weekend’s 101st Grey Cup game. But some trends suggest they might have the same problem covering the spread, as five of the past six Grey Cup underdogs covered.

Saskatchewan beat Hamilton twice during the regular season, covering each time. And going back 12 seasons, that trend continues as the Riders are 20-6 ATS against the Tiger Cats according to OddsShark.com’s CFL database.

”Underdogs have also done well in recent Grey Cups, as the favorites have failed to cover in five of the last six title games,” said Jack Randall. “That angle favors the Ti-Cats, who are also riding a hot 6-0 ATS run as an underdog.”

Saskatchewan thrashed the Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium July 21, a 37-0 rout.

A week later, Hamilton lost again on July 27 in Guelph, losing 32-20 as a 3.5-point home underdog.

But overall, Saskatchewan has been terrible lately as a favorite, covering the spread just once in their last eight games in this role.

One sportsbook had moved the spread to seven points on their Grey Cup betting menu for Sunday’s game. That is currently the biggest number.

Others were offering prop bets like Grey Cup MVP, where Roughriders running back Kory Sheets was the early 2/1 favorite. He ran for 177 yards and a score in last week’s playoff game.

Riders quarterback Darian Durant was the second betting choice with Hamilton QB Henry Burris third at 7/2 odds.

Of note, five of the past seven Grey Cups went UNDER the total, which was 53 at mid-week. However the last two games were OVER bets.