Roughriders vs Blue Bombers Prediction, Picks & Odds for Western Final

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are just one win away from five straight Grey Cup appearances, but as Rohit Ponnaiya breaks down below — their prairie rivals could be eyeing an upset on Saturday night.

Rohit Ponnaiya - Betting Analyst at Covers.com
Rohit Ponnaiya • Betting Analyst
Nov 7, 2024 • 15:19 ET • 4 min read
A.J. Ouellette Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL
Photo By - Imagn Images.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are set to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Final on Saturday. 

Although Winnipeg is favored to advance to the Grey Cup for the fifth-straight season, my Roughriders vs. Blue Bombers predictions are backing the visitors on the spread. Find out more in my free CFL picks for this clash on November 9.

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers prediction

My best bet
Roughriders +4.5 (-110 at SIA)

My analysis

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the best team in the CFL during the second half of the season, going 9-1 straight up and 7-3 against the spread in their final 10 games. That said, the Saskatchewan Roughriders also have momentum, going 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six — with the only loss coming in a meaningless regular-season finale where they rested multiple starters.

Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros had a down year that saw the former MOP quarterback struggle with turnovers. While he did a better job of taking care of the ball down the stretch, expect a conservative game plan against a ball-hawking Riders secondary that led the league with 49 takeaways. 

Winnipeg heavily relies on superstar running back Brady Oliveira, but Saskatchewan's stop unit has been excellent against the run. There was an outlier performance in Week 9 where the Riders allowed 276 yards on 28 carries against Edmonton's top-rated rushing attack. However, they surrendered just 68.8 rushing yards per game on 4.3 yards per carry in their other 17 contests. 

The Riders might also lean on their ground game since Winnipeg's elite pass defense has held foes to the lowest pass efficiency (86.9) in the CFL. They should have more success in that area since the Bombers have been gashed for 5.3 yards per carry and have greatly missed linebacker Adam Bighill. 

The Riders also have a formidable RB duo of A.J. Ouellette and Ryquell Armstead who will run behind a line that showed massive improvement down the stretch. That should help them keep things close in what should be a run-heavy contest.

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers same-game parlay (SGP)

Roughriders +4.5

Brady Oliveira Under 72.5 rushing yards

Under 47.5

Oliveira is favored to win the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award, but the Riders have managed to keep him contained in 2024. He has failed to crack the 50-yard plateau in all three games against Saskatchewan this year.

Since I'm expecting a conservative game plan from both offenses, it makes sense to add the Under to this SGP. The Under went an incredible 14-4 for Winnipeg this year and both teams have gone a remarkable 7-0 to the Under in their last seven trips to the Western Final.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers odds

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers live odds

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers opening odds

  • Spread: Saskatchewan +4.5 | Winnipeg -4.5
  • Moneyline: Saskatchewan +185 | Winnipeg -225
  • Over/Under: Over 47.5 | Under 47.5

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers spread and Over/Under analysis

  • The spread hasn't moved off the opening number but some books have Winnipeg as low as -3.5 (-108 at DraftKings), with others as high as -5 (-116 at TonyBet).
  • The Riders have gone 9-3 ATS when QB Trevor Harris starts this year.
  • Saskatchewan's offensive stats are deceptive since Harris missed seven games while Ouellette and multiple starters on the O-line also missed significant time. 
  • These rivals have clashed three times this year. The Riders prevailed 19-9 in Regina in Week 7 but the Bombers won close contests in Weeks 13 and 14.

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers trend

Saskatchewan is 4-1 ATS in its last five games on the road. Find more CFL betting trends for Roughriders vs. Blue Bombers.

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers game info

Location: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, MB
Date: Saturday, 11-9-2024
Kick-off: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: TSN

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers key injuries

Roughriders: Shawn Bane Jr. WR (Out), Dohnte Myers WR (Out), Trevor Reid LT (Out), Jermarcus Hardrick RT (Out).
Blue Bombers: Jamal Woods DT (Questionable), Brandon Alexander DB(Questionable), Kyrie Wilson LB(Questionable), Adam Bighill LB (Out), Dalton Schoen WR (Out), Drew Wolitarsky WR (Out).
Find our latest CFL injury reports.

Roughriders vs Blue Bombers weather

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Betting Analyst

With a background playing soccer, rugby, and boxing, combined with a journalism degree, it's little surprise that Rohit gravitated towards the world of sports betting. He specializes in betting on UFC and college basketball, two sports where the eyeball test can tell you a lot more about matchups than any analytics. Rohit has years of experience handicapping NFL and NBA games as well as niche betting markets such as politics and Oscar odds. He's also the resident CFL expert and formerly hosted "The Chez and Ro Show" with former CFL star Davis Sanchez.

You can catch Rohit breaking down every UFC event with Joe Osborne on "P4P Picks" on the Covers YouTube channel and he also has regular appearances on "Before You Bet" with Joe. In addition, he's a regular guest on "By The Book" on the Monumental Sports Network and makes guest appearances on VSIN's "The Handle" and CBS Sports.

Rohit primarily makes his bets at bet365, which offers a wide variety of prop markets, but also has accounts at several others so he can shop around for the best prices. For Rohit, bankroll management is key. He believes you should never bet what you can't afford to lose and maximize those few betting opportunities where books misprice a line.

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