ELK

RIDERS ML +115

UNDER 57 -110

Outlook

As discussed all week, the Riders really can be in control of their own destiny with a win.  I would go as far as to say barring a catestrophic injury, a win tomorrow pretty much means a home playoff game.  These teams are really close.  There's no reason to think the Riders can't win this game on their talent.  I feel like a hypocrite cause I am usually the first guy on people for worrying about the past, but I am wondering if we are being set up for an ambush here like I have seen in the past.  Calgary's going to come fired up to redeem themselves for week 2.  The Riders will have to bring their A game.  I even expect the Stamps to get off to a quick start, and the Riders to have to take that initial punch and then battle back.  We've done it on the road against lesser teams, can we do it against Calgary.

If there is a game that is going to derail the winning streatk, this is the one.  Going to keep the faith and call for the Riders to pull out a squeaker.

My score: Roughriders 27 Stampeders 24

RIDERS -4 -110

UNDER 55.5 -105

Quarterbacks:

Projected starters:  Riders - Dur-lly or Wil-rant, Cats - Burris.  I'll play along with the will he or won't he play speculation about Durant.  Other than his foot swelling up to the size of a volleyball on the flight, I think he plays.  I thought early in the game he may not have been sharp due to the lack of practice, but you can't complain about the final results.  I almost felt sorry for Hank last week....almost  He really does not have a lot of playmakers around him right now.  Reverse this if Darian doesn't go. In case it's Willy tomorrow, here's what I said about him last week   As for Willy, we were all very impressed with him in his short yardage work early in the year, and then the big comeback win over the Bombers.  But in his first start in Montreal he had a bit of a deer in the headlights thing happening, and I felt it affected his confidence the rest of the year.  With better weapons on offense, a terrific running game and o-line, and a coach like Cortez getting him ready, I think we will see a much much better Willy. Edge Riders

Outlook

We can win this game if Drew Willy has to play, but this game will not be a gimme.  That might be the case even with Durant.  If Willy is the starter, it's really important for the Riders to get off to a good start.  We don't want to face a situation where we are down early and end up in a situation where Willy is forced to throw for the Riders to comeback.  This will let Hamilton to ignore the run and turn up the heat.  No big plays on special teams, no breakdowns on defense, no turnovrs leading to short fields and easy scores.  If we see this formula, the Riders have a more talented team across the board, and that should carry us to victory.

Roughriders 27 Tiger-Cats 18

RIDERS 7.5  -110

OVERS 59.5 -110

I am one of those guys who always gets hot and bothered by the "same old Riders" type talk.  But here I am going for that same type of thinking.  With all the inexperiences, injuries, and lack of talent in some areas, Hamilton is a huring team coming in here. There is no reason for a Rider fan to not expect our team to come up big tomorrow.  Even with Drew Willy, the rest of the team shoul be good enough to pick up the slack and win it, but now with Darian ready to go, there's no reason to worry.  But those little thoughts creep in.  What if Austin comes up with a fantastic game plan?  What if our revamped secondary breaks down even against a no-name group of receivers.  I'll bet fans of teams with more success don't worry about such things in this situation.  As for the Austin factor, I think he is a fantastic coach, but he didn't go 20-0 for us in 2007.  We did lose games, and a couple of them weren't pretty.

If the Riders come to play , there's no excuse for losing this game.

My score: Roughriders 42 Tiger Cats 30

• Saskatchewan +2.0
  
• under +55.0
  
• Saskatchewan at Toronto First Half Under +27.5
  

My score: Roughriders 27 Argonauts 23

You don't want to call a game this early in the season a must game, but it is a big one.  Winning on the road in a place like Edmonton is someting the Riders had to do in order to compete for a minimum second place and a home playoff game.  If we want to challenge for first in the West, we need to take care of business in our home games against Calgary and BC.  No a loss to Calgary doesn't end the race in week 2, that's silly.  However a loss tomorrow means the Riders will have to sweep in Calgary to get the season series.  It will be a much easier road ahead to win this won and try and get a split in Calgary.

Everyone remembers the offensive struggles against Calgary two weeks ago, particularly the offensive line.  Lost in that was that despite all those two and outs, the defense didn't really give up a lot.  These teams were a lot closer in talent last year than the standings suggest.  All 4 meetings between the teams were decided by 7 or less.  The biggest difference between the teams was that the Stamps were much better at finishing games.  I expect a hard hitting battle tomorrow. Both teams have solid running games and physical defenses.  Stamps take this one in Calgary, but I think home field is enough to push the Riders through.

My Score: Roughriders 28 Stampeders 25